Obituary

Austin Powers star battled depression

NEW YORK • Verne J. Troyer, the actor and stunt performer best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movie franchise, died last Saturday. He was 49.

His spokesman confirmed his death, the circumstances and location of which were not immediately available.

A statement on Troyer's Facebook page last Saturday said he had gone through a "recent time of adversity" and that "depression and suicide are very serious issues". The statement said: "Verne was also a fighter when it came to his own battles. Over the years, he's struggled and won, struggled and won, struggled and fought some more, but, unfortunately, this time was too much."

Troyer, who was 81cm-tall, was a versatile actor widely recognisable from his various roles. He played goblin Griphook in Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (2001) and ice hockey coach Punch Cherkov in The Love Guru (2008). He also appeared in Men In Black (1997), How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) and The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus (2009).

On April 6, 2017, Troyer wrote on Instagram that he had battled alcohol addiction in the past and that he was voluntarily checking himself into a treatment centre. "While it's not always been an easy fight, I'm willing to continue my fight day by day," he wrote.

He was hospitalised this month after police and emergency medical services responded to a call at his Hollywood home, USA Today reported.

Verne J. Troyer, who was 81cm-tall, never regarded his size as an impediment.
Verne J. Troyer, who was 81cm-tall, never regarded his size as an impediment. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Verne Jay Troyer was born to Amish parents on Jan 1, 1969, in Sturgis, Michigan. His movie debut came in Baby's Day Out (1994). In a 2012 interview, he said he was working for communications company Sprint in customer service in 1993 when a friend of his, the president of Little People of America, told him the movie's producers were looking for a stunt double for a baby.

"I guess they searched worldwide and couldn't find anyone," Troyer told HollywoodChicago.com.

Troyer, who said he never took formal acting lessons, was offered the job two days later.

He said he never regarded his size as an impediment. "I never looked at my size as a handicap, I felt like I fit in at school - I was even elected homecoming king."

In 2000, he shared an MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo with Mike Myers for his role in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. As Mini-Me, he portrayed the protege of Dr Evil, played by Myers.

"I had no idea how big it would be," Troyer said of the first Austin Powers movie in the interview. "When it blew up, it changed my life forever."

He made headlines in 2008 when he sued celebrity news site TMZ and sought US$20 million in damages for a sex tape he said the website stole and posted online. His lawsuit said the tape was for his "own personal, private use".

He had a YouTube channel with more than half a million subscribers on which he frequently posted comedy skits. In his last video, posted three weeks ago, he was in an armchair and talked about his pet peeves.

"Just because I'm small, people think that they can come up to me and tap me on the head," he said. "I'm not a lap dog."

NYTIMES

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 23, 2018, with the headline Austin Powers star battled depression. Subscribe