Hervé Villechaize

Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize (23 April 1943 – 4 September 1993) was a French actor. He is best remembered for playing the villainous henchman Nick Nack in the 1974 James Bond film *The Man with the Golden Gun* and as Tattoo, Mr. Roarke’s assistant, on the TV series *Fantasy Island* from 1977 to 1983. His catchphrase on the show, “De plane! De plane!,” became iconic. He died by suicide in 1993.

Villechaize was born in Nazi-occupied Paris to Evelyn Recchionni, an Anglo-Italian socialite who drove an ambulance during World War II, and André Villechaize, a surgeon in Toulon. He also had German ancestry. The youngest of four sons, he was born with dwarfism, likely from an endocrine disorder, which his father tried unsuccessfully to treat at several institutions. Later in life, he insisted on being called a “midget” rather than a “dwarf,” a stance that annoyed fellow actor Billy Barty, who found the term derogatory. Bullied at school for his condition, Villechaize turned to painting. At 16, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts to study art, and at 18, he became the youngest artist ever to have work displayed at the Museum of Paris.

In 1964, he left France for the United States, settling in a bohemian part of New York City and learning English by watching television. He initially worked as an artist, painter, and photographer, then began acting in off-Broadway productions, including Werner Liepolt’s *The Young Master Dante* and a Sam Shepard play. He also modeled for *National Lampoon* before moving into film. His first film role was in *Chappaqua* (1966), followed by *Item 72-D: The Adventures of Spa and Fon* (1969). Other films included *The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight* (1971), *Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood* (1973), *Crazy Joe* (1974), and Oliver Stone’s first film, *Seizure* (1974). He was asked to appear in Alejandro Jodorowsky’s planned *Dune* film, which began pre-production in 1971 but was later canceled.

His big break came with *The Man with the Golden Gun* (1974). By then, he was so poor he lived in his car in Los Angeles. Before being signed by Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli, he worked as a rat catcher’s assistant near his South Central home. According to co-star Christopher Lee, filming that movie was likely the happiest time of Villechaize’s life—like “honey in the sandwich” between an insecure past and an uncertain future. In the 1970s, he also performed as Oscar the Grouch’s legs on *Sesame Street*, starting in the third season, including the 1978 Hawaii episodes. In 1980, Cleveland International Records released a single by the Children of the World featuring Villechaize on vocals: “Why” with B-side “When a Child Is Born.”

Though popular with audiences, Villechaize was a difficult actor on *Fantasy Island*. He frequently propositioned women and argued with producers, and was eventually fired after demanding a salary equal to co-star Ricardo Montalbán’s. For the final season (1983–84), he was replaced by Christopher Hewett. He also starred in *Forbidden Zone* (1982), appeared in *Airplane II: The Sequel* (1982), and guest-starred on *Diff’rent Strokes* and *Taxi*. He played the title role in the “Rumpelstiltskin” episode of *Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre*. In the 1980s, he became popular in Spain for impersonating Prime Minister Felipe González on the show *Viaje con nosotros*. His final appearance was a cameo as himself on *The Ben Stiller Show*.

In the mid-1970s, he had a two-year relationship with actress Susan Tyrrell, and they shared a home in Laurel Canyon. He married twice. His first wife was artist Anne Sadowski, whom he wed in 1970; they divorced in 1978 or 1979 due to his infidelities and ridicule over their height difference. He met his second wife, actress and stand-in Camille Hagen, on the set of the *Fantasy Island* pilot in 1977. They married in 1980, but she filed for divorce 15 months later. During their marriage, they lived on a San Fernando Valley ranch with a menagerie of farm animals and pets.

On the afternoon of 4 September 1993, at his North Hollywood home, Villechaize, aged 50, is believed to have fired a shot through a sliding-glass patio door to wake his longtime girlfriend, Kathy Self, before shooting himself. Self found him in the backyard, and he was pronounced dead at North Hollywood Medical Center. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean off Point Fermin in San Pedro, Los Angeles. He left a suicide note saying he was despondent over long-term health problems, including chronic pain from oversized internal organs that pressed on his body. Self said he often slept kneeling to breathe more easily. He also left an audio recording of the suicide that included his last words. At the time of his death, he was in negotiations with Cartoon Network to co-star in *Space Ghost Coast to Coast*, voicing Space Ghost’s sidekick.