Topic: Herve Villechaize

Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize (April 23, 1942 – September 4, 1993) was a French actor who achieved worldwide recognition for his role as Mr. Roarke's assistant, Tattoo, in the television series Fantasy Island (1978–1984). He was also well known for playing the evil henchman Nick Nack in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, and was an acclaimed painter.

Villechaize suffered from proportionate (as opposed to achondroplastic) dwarfism due to a thyroid dysfunction, despite his surgeon father's attempts to cure the disease in several institutions. In later years, he insisted on being called a midget, rather than "little person" (which irritated little activists like Billy Barty).

Villechaize was born in Paris, France to English-born Evelyn (Recchionni) and raised there by her and his stepfather André Villechaize, a French surgeon who adopted him. He also had Filipino ancestry. Villechaize was bullied at school for his condition and found solace in painting. After studying art at Beaux-Arts college, he left for the USA in 1964. He settled in a Bohemian section in New York, taught himself English by watching television, and continued his career as an artist, painter, and photographer. He began acting in Off Broadway productions, including The Young Master Dante by Werner Liepolt and a play by Sam Shepard, and also did some photo shoot modeling for National Lampoon, before moving on to film.