Hervé Villechaize
Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize (April 23, 1943 - 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.
Villechaize was born and raised in Paris, France to English-born Evelyn (Recchionni) and stepfather André Villechaize, a French surgeon. He also had Filipino ancestry.
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,” irritating activists like Billy Barty.
