Mark Povinelli

Mark Povinelli
Born August 9, 1971
Elyria, Ohio, US
Occupation Actor
Years active 1993–present
Children 2

Mark Povinelli (born August 9, 1971) is an American stage, television, and movie actor who also does occasional stunt work. He stands 3’ 9½” and weighs 75 pounds (115 cm, 34 kg) as a consequence of spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDc), a skeletal dysplasia caused by a mutation in the COL2A1 (type II collagen) gene.[1]

Life and career

Povinelli was born in Elyria, Ohio, and is the youngest of four children. His parents and siblings are average-size. He is of Italian descent.[2] Povinelli graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Wheaton, Maryland in 1989, and then graduated in 1993 from Miami University (as a member of Kappa Alpha Order) with a degree in Mass Communications and a minor in Theater Acting. His repertory encompasses drama, comedy, and fantasy. He has appeared in a wide range of productions, from stage plays by William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson to roles in television series such as Modern Family[3] and Boardwalk Empire, as well as in popular movies including The Polar Express (2004, directed by Robert Zemeckis). Onstage in 2003 in Lee Breuer's production of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, retitled Mabou Mines DollHouse,[4] Povinelli drew praise from The New York Times: "The men embody small-minded convention and stunted possibilities...Mr. Povinelli makes us feel Torvald's repressive sexual virility at every turn."[5] He has characterized his approach to acting for The Village Voice: "Being so tremendously different provides you with an analytical depth ... Like any actor, I try to bring as much of myself to the role I'm playing as possible. Every day I go out I'm made aware of my size. Why should I deny myself the richness of that experience when I go onstage?"[6]

Povinelli starred opposite Robert Pattinson and Oscar winners Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz in the Fox 2011 film, Water for Elephants,[7][8] playing the iconic role of Kinko. The film was adapted from the NY Times bestseller by Sara Gruen and premiered April 2011.[9][10]

He appeared in Mirror Mirror[11](2012), which starred Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer (The Social Network), and Lily Collins. In the same year, Mark was cast as a series regular on the television series Are You There, Chelsea?, starring Laura Prepon. This made him the first little person ever to be cast as a series regular on a network studio sitcom.

In 2014 Mark can be heard weekly on LA Talk Radio's "Perfectly Imperfect Radio" program.[12]

Filmography

Films:

Television:

Awards

References

  1. ↑ "Dominant mutations in the type II collagen gene, COL2A1, produce spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia, Strudwick type" 11 (1). September 1995. pp. 87–9. doi:10.1038/ng0995-87. PMID 7550321.
  2. ↑ http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/tv/139308103.html
  3. ↑ Our Children, Ourselves
  4. ↑ http://www.maboumines.org/productions/mabou-mines-dollhouse-film
  5. ↑ Jefferson, M. Theater review: Fun-House Proportions Turn Dominance Upside Down. The New York Times. 2003, November 24.
  6. ↑ McNulty, "Welcome to Lee Breuer's Dollhouse: Lee Breuer Goes Little — and Literal — With His Production of Ibsen's Classic". The Village Voice. 2003, November 12–18.
  7. ↑ http://waterforelephantsfilm.com/2011/04/21/interview-mark-povinelli-kinkowalter-talks-about-his-role-in-water-for-elephants-and-more/
  8. ↑ http://www.starpulse.com/Actors/Povinelli,_Mark/gallery/LAG-000142/
  9. ↑ http://www.mtv.com/news/1661907/robert-pattinson-water-for-elephants-premiere-live-stream/
  10. ↑ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/photo-galleries/2011/04/18/water-for-elephants-premieres-in-new-york-city/
  11. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/apr/06/mark-povinelli-mirror-mirror-dwarfism
  12. ↑ http://www.latalkradio.com/Imperfect.php

External links