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Michael Dunn (born Gary Neil Miller on October 20, 1934 in Shattuck, Oklahoma; died August 30, 1973 in London) was an American actor and singer.

Dunn was probably best known for his recurring role as mad scientist Dr. Miguelito Loveless, perpetually pursued by Secret Service agents James West and Artemus Gordon in the 1960s TV series The Wild Wild West. In this role, he rejoined his former nightclub singing partner, Phoebe Dorin, who played Dr. Loveless's devoted assistant, Antoinette. In each episode, the villainous couple tenderly sang a Victorian duet or two, heedless of the mayhem they had created around themselves. Dunn also gained wide exposure in his role as Alexander, a courageous court jester, in the Star Trek episode Plato's Stepchildren.

He was a dwarf as a result of spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia (SED), a genetic defect that caused abnormal development of his limbs and spine and led to early, widespread osteoarthritis. He stood 3' 10" and weighed about 78 pounds (117 cm, 35 kg). Spinal deformities caused a distorted ribcage that restricted his lung growth and function. The resulting respiratory insufficiency caused overload of the heart's right chambers, a chronic condition called cor pulmonale, which eventually led to his death at age 38. It is believed a prescription of two narcotics and a barbiturate for Dunn's severe arthritic pain, despite the extreme risk of inducing respiratory depression in a patient with decreased respiratory reserve, might have hastened Dunn's demise.[1]

Dunn's mobility and physical stamina were poor and deteriorated throughout his short life. However, he scampishly disguised his limitations by telling tall tales that a gullible press eagerly reported as the truth. Various accounts describe him as an aviator, skydiver, judo master, football player, and concert pianist, despite clear evidence on film of a severe, waddling limp, permanently flexed limbs, and gnarled fingers. During Dunn's college days at the University of Miami, fellow students took up a collection and gave him a 1951 Austin outfitted with hand controls. Later, working in New York, Dunn also received human transport from friend and stuntman Dean Selmier, who often carried Dunn on his shoulders through the streets of Manhattan.

Dunn eschewed the usual "cute" typecasting of dwarf actors and pursued serious roles. He is said to have inspired a generation of dedicated dwarf actors, including Zelda Rubinstein, Mark Povinelli, and Ricardo Gil. In 1963, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as Cousin Lymon in the Edward Albee stage play, Ballad of the Sad Cafe. He also received an Oscar nomination for his role as the cynical Karl Glocken in Ship of Fools (Columbia Pictures, 1965, directed by Stanley Kramer). At the time of his death, he was in London filming The Abdication with Peter Finch and Liv Ullman (Warner Brothers, 1974, directed by Anthony Harvey). He had already been approached by author Günter Grass to play in a film adaptation of his novel, The Tin Drum, a role that ultimately went to the young David Bennent, after Dunn's death.

Dunn is buried in Lauderdale Memorial Park Cemetery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, near his late parents' retirement home.

External links

• Michael Dunn profile at NNDB.
• "What's in a Diagnosis? A Medical Biography of Michael Dunn" Thomas-Matej, E. 2002
• Michael Dunn - Actor & Singer

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