Here’s The Short On Hollywood’s Shortest Men Who Have Reached Great Heights. Despite how often we see our favorite Hollywood stars on screen or in the media, it’s hard to tell just how tall they really are. Add to it the fact that videographers and photographers know exactly how to work their camera angles, and we can almost guarantee that whatever we’re seeing is deceiving in some way.
Dustin Hoffman: 5’6 ft, 1.68 m
A versatile actor who’s been in the business since the ’60s, Dustin Hoffman is most recognized for his roles in movies such as The Graduate and Meet the Fockers. And while he puts a lot of effort into his auditions – he even dressed head-to-toe as a homeless man before meeting director John Schlesinger and landing the role in Midnight Cowboy – not all of his roles were as thought-out.
In The Holiday, he unintentionally stumbled across the set during filming and was asked to film a cameo, which ended up making it into the final cut of the film. But that’s not the actor’s funniest fact! According to The Guardian, Hoffman holds the Guinness world record for “Greatest Age Span Portrayed by a Movie Actor” for playing Jack Crabb in Little Big Man: a character he portrays from the age of 17 to 121.
Ken Jeong: 5’5 ft, 1.65 m
The Hangover and Community comedian, Ken Jeong didn’t pursue acting from day one. In fact, he first chased a career in medicine, having received his M.D. certificate at the UNC School of Medicine in 1995. And despite being a licensed physician in the state of California, Jeong gave up his medical career to focus on acting instead.
He first dabbled his toes in the world of improv and theater while studying at UNC. A regular at open mic nights, Jeong’s stand-up comedy led to a number of television appearances, such as in HBO’s Entourage and NBC’s The Office. His first film debut was in Knocked Up, where he played Dr. Kuni. Now, how fitting is that?!
Ben Stiller: 5’7 ft, 1.70 m
We suppose the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree – and funny guy, Ben Stiller is living proof. Born to two comedian-actors, father Jerry Stiller and mother Anne Meara, the Zoolander star claims to have had an unusual childhood, and not because of his height.
He said, “In some ways, it was a show-business upbringing – a lot of traveling, a lot of late nights – not what you’d call traditional.” But it seems it helped him get his foot in the door, as his first acting debut was in his mother’s television series, Kate McShane. And like mother, like son – Stiller went on to produce and host his own short-lived show, The Ben Stiller Show.
Al Pacino: 5’7 ft, 1.70 m
Because having one talent apparently just isn’t enough these days – Al Pacino is known for his prolific career in acting, screenwriting, and directing. He is a cult film superstar, having taken on roles in The Godfather franchise, Serpico, and Scarface to name a few.
Aside from his artistry, Pacino is known for being one of Hollywood’s greatest bachelors. Despite never being married, he has three children: a daughter with his former acting coach Jan Tarrant, and a son and daughter with actress Beverly D’Angelo. As of October 2019, he has been linked to Israeli actress, Meital Dohan. The two are said to be dating after making their first public appearance at The Irishman premiere on September 27, 2019.
Michael J. Fox: 5’4 ft, 1.63 m
Michael J. Fox – aka Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy – is widely admired for more than just his time on the big screen. Not only is he a worldwide acclaimed Hollywood actor, but he is also an advocate for Parkinson’s disease research.
Fox was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease at the age of 29 in 1991. However, it wasn’t until 1998 that he went public with his condition and in 2000, he started The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. The foundation is the largest not-for-profit funder of developing a drug to cure Parkinson’s disease.
Dave Franco: 5’7 ft, 1.70 m
Despite having two successful brothers, James and Tom Franco, to look up to, 21 Jump Street actor, Dave Franco has certainly paved his own path in Hollywood. He began his acting career in 2006 after landing a small role in Superbad and Charlie St. Cloud.
His appearances in front of the camera led to even bigger roles like his 2012 Jump Street debut. According to IMDB, his first purchase after earning the big bucks was a flat-screen television that he bought for his mother. It was meant to replace the TV set in her living room that was from the ’90s, and was “like a 10 x 10 brick.” Aww!
Joe Pesci: 5’3 ft, 1.60 m
Recognized for his “tough guy” roles in movies like Home Alone, My Cousin Vinnie, Casino, and Goodfellas, Joe Pesci is an acclaimed Hollywood actor – and with good reason. And even though he hasn’t made an appearance on screen for almost a decade, his unofficial retirement is finally over.
Pesci’s latest project, crime film The Irishman, stars Pesci alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. The Netflix film, directed by legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, received rave reviews at its New York Film Festival premiere in September 2019. We’re just glad he finally agreed to join the Martin Scorsese film, for according to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor was propositioned 40 times by De Niro before finally giving in.
Jack Black: 5’6 ft, 1.68 m
Starring primarily in comedy films, Jack Black has an uncanny way of making an audience laugh. With such a talent, comedy must run through his veins. Interestingly enough, his parents weren’t comedians, but satellite engineers who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope. Similar but different, right?
Even though his parents seemed to favor brains over belly laughs, Black was someone born to be in the spotlight. He told a Hollywood Reporter interviewer, “The first time I felt the fever, the magnetic pull towards acting, was at Passover Seder. I couldn’t stand being in the audience; I had to be on the living room stage.”
Martin Scorsese: 5’3 ft, 1.60 m
Of all the Hollywood directors out there, Martin Scorsese arguably takes the cake for being the most influential and quirky. While he studied film-making at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts – which helped him master his work behind the camera – he has also had some appearances on screen.
In fact, in his vigilante-thriller Taxi Driver, he played a distressed passenger who worried excessively over killing his cheating wife. Though he wasn’t originally meant to play the role, the actor called in sick the morning of filming and Scorsese stepped up to the plate as a result.
Marc Anthony: 5’5 ft, 1.65 m
It seems Marc Anthony was destined to be a salsa artist. Born in 1968 in New York City, his Puerto Rican parents named him Marco Antonio Muniz after a famous Mexican singer who had the same name. This sure gave him big shoes to fill.
When the singer began pursuing his own solo career, he changed his name to Marc Anthony to avoid any confusion. Today, Anthony is one of the top-selling salsa singers ever. Having sold over 12 million albums around the world, the “Vivir Mi Vida” singer is a six-time Latin Grammy Award winner and two-time Grammy Award, winner.
James McAvoy: 5’7 ft, 1.70 m
X-Men actor, James McAvoy has had quite an eventful 2019. Not only did he star in films Glass and Dark Phoenix, but he also portrayed an adult Bill Denbrough in It: Chapter 2. The list doesn’t stop there, though. McAvoy is set to appear in the television version of His Dark Materials, a trilogy of epic fantasy novels written by Philip Pullman.
And to top it all off – he turned 40 and married his girlfriend, Lisa Liberati in a secret October 2019 ceremony according to Daily Mail. This comes three years after his split with actress Anne-Marie Duff, who he was married to for a total of 11 years.
Daniel Radcliffe: 5’5 ft, 1.65 m
It’s hard to imagine the Harry Potter series without Daniel Radcliffe, but that was almost the case. Radcliffe’s parents, Marica Jeannine Gresham and Alan George Radcliffe, nearly stopped him from taking the role under the belief that it would be too big of a commitment for their child actor, who was only 11 at the time he was cast.
As a means to convince Radcliffe’s hesitant parents, Warner Bros. added to the contract that all filming for the movies would take place in the United Kingdom so that Radcliffe wouldn’t need to travel far. It seems the production company’s bid to win over his parents worked and Radcliffe became one of the world’s highest-paid actors during the 10-year span of the series.
Tom Cruise: 5’7 ft, 1.70 m
Risky Business actor Tom Cruise has had a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades. And not to mention – an equally entertaining life off-camera. In 1987, the actor married his first wife Mimi Rogers, who inspired him to become the outspoken member of the Church of Scientology that he is famously known to be.
While the pair split in 1990, Cruise went on two marry twice more. Interestingly enough, he happened to divorce each of his three ex-wives when the women were all 33 years old. With second wife Nicole Kidman, Cruise adopted two children: Isabella and Connor. And with third wife Katie Holmes, he had daughter, Suri. Fun fact: all three of Cruise’s ex-wives were taller than him.
Bruno Mars: 5’5 ft, 1.65 m
“Uptown Funk” singer, Bruno Mars is more than just a fedora-wearing superstar. He is a double-digit Grammy winner who has come a long way since his days growing up in Waikiki, Hawaii. Though he was born with the name Peter Gene Bayot Hernandez, he told GQ Magazine in an interview that his father nicknamed him Bruno after the professional wrestler, Bruno Sammartino.
The moniker was given to him because he was apparently a larger baby than most. Ironic, isn’t it? As for ‘Mars,’ he decided to include it in his stage name, saying, “I felt like I didn’t have pizzazz, and a lot of girls say I’m out of this world, so I was like I guess I’m from Mars.” Haha!
Kevin Hart: 5’4 ft, 1.63 m
Stand-up comedian and actor, Kevin Hart is considered by many to be one of the greatest comedic geniuses out there. Starting out as a shoe salesman in Philadelphia, he later went on to win a number of amateur comedy competitions, which ultimately earned him a coveted place on stage as a stand-up comedian.
Explaining his start in comedy, Hart once said, “I was probably around eleven. My mom was about to whup me, whup me with a belt. I said something she couldn’t help but laugh at, and I thought I might be funny. Cause if I could stop a whupping with comedy, I’m doing the right thing.” We couldn’t agree more!
Johnny Galecki: 5’5 ft, 1.65 m
Remembered as Leonard Hofstadter from The Big Bang Theory, Johnny Galecki “secretly” dated actress Kaley Cuoco for two years, despite her being a full inch taller at 5’6″. Now, however, he has snatched up his real-life Penny: girlfriend and model, Alaina Meyer. In May 2019, the couple confirmed on social media that they are expecting their first child! Aww!
Baby Galecki will be a boy, though the actor was hoping for a girl, admitting in an appearance on The Talk, “I got superstitious that I was manifesting a boy, when I kind of prefer a girl. I painted my nails pink to try to even out the energy there.”
Zac Efron: 5’8 ft, 1.73 m
After winning over millions of young hearts in High School Musical, Zac Efron has gone on to show off his versatility as a Hollywood entertainer in films like The Greatest Showman, Neighbors, and Netflix’s Ted Bundy film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
And while we know he can sing and act, it turns out he also has a knack for playing the guitar. In fact, he told Ellen DeGeneres in 2012 that he received his first lesson from none other than Taylor Swift, who said, “He’s really good at it.” But his talents don’t end there. In a round of questions with Vogue, Efron admitted that if we weren’t an actor, he’d most likely be a chef.
Jonah Hill: 5’7 ft, 1.70 m
Superbad superstar, Jonah Hill has remained in Hollywood’s spotlight since his 2004 film debut in I Heart Huckabees. With a childhood dream of being a filmmaker, Hill got into acting on an accident. According to The Guardian, he became an actor thanks to Dustin Hoffman, whose son was Hill’s classmate growing up.
Hoffman used to watch Hill make prank calls and once convinced a hotel that he was Tobey Maguire’s assistant, requesting that they “install a tank for Maguire’s fictional pet seal.” Impressed with his improv skills, Hoffman gave Hill an invitation to audition for I Heart Huckabees. And the rest was history.
Josh Hutcherson: 5’7 ft, 1.70 m
In The Hunger Games series, Josh Hutcherson plays Peeta Mellark: a player in The Games who competes alongside Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence. While Peeta develops a crush on Katniss as a child, the two go on to get married and have two children together.
Given J-Law’s height of 5’9 ft (1.75 m) compared to Hutcherson’s height of 5’7 ft (1.70 m), the camera crew sure had their work cut out for them when it came down to getting the perfect camera angle. Not to mention – imagine the kissing scenes! Somehow, however, they managed to make it come together perfectly.
David Spade: 5’5 ft, 1.65 m
As a 1990s cast member of the beloved late-night television series Saturday Night Live, actor and comedian David Spade rose to Hollywood stardom. But unbeknownst to many, he actually started out as a writer for the show before becoming a member of the cast and showing America his brilliant sarcasm.
In 2015, Spade released his witty, pun-dropping memoir, Almost Interesting, which chronicles the story of his life. He talks about a number of uncommonly-known facts, like how he was a spelling bee champion and read a total of 47 books in a year for a contest. For someone with such a way with words, we can’t say we’re all that surprised!
Elijah Wood: 5’6 ft, 1.68 m
American actor, Elijah Wood catapulted to fame following his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But since then, his career has unfolded in quite a curious way. In 2010, he founded SpectreVision: a film production company that mainly focuses on horror films.
While he claims the company was started to produce films – not projects in which he’d appear as an actor – he did star in Cooties and Open Windows. Speaking to this, he said, “For the most part, there’s a separation of church and state. Wearing one hat for producing is slightly different than being an actor. I have to consciously take one hat off to put the other one on.”
Ryan Seacrest: 5’7 ft, 1.70 m
It seems Ryan Seacrest was destined to be a television host and radio personality since he was a child. In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, his mother Constance Marie said, “Instead of playing with G.I. Joes or Cowboys and Indians, [Ryan] would always have a little microphone and do shows in the house.”
His first stint in the spotlight was as a fourth-grader when he sang in a school musical. But after forgetting his lines, it seems he chose to pursue a different form of entertainment. Seacrest started his career with an internship at Atlanta radio station WSTR, and though he was originally meant to be a judge on American Idol, it wasn’t until two days before production started that he changed to the role of host.
Martin Freeman: 5’6 ft, 1.68 m
Known as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit trilogy, Marin Freeman is an English comedian and actor who is also famous for his appearances on The Office, Sherlock, and Fargo. And unbeknownst to many – aside from interviewers who have experienced this firsthand – Freeman is also considered to be quite the “tricky conversationalist” when it comes to revealing details of his personal life.
According to the Financial Times, Freeman has previously refused to disclose information about when he was born or whether he was married. In an interview with the newspaper, he said, “I like to keep something in reserve… I think it’s nice not knowing stuff. And sometimes I do like lying to people. Occasionally, just fibbing.”
Danny DeVito: 4’8 ft, 1.47 m
Part actor, producer, and director, Danny DeVito is a Hollywood triple threat. He first rose to fame for his portrayal of Louie de Palma – the taxi dispatcher – in the 1978 television show, Taxi. After the show ended, DeVito’s film career took off.
Approaching his fifth decade in Hollywood, DeVito is set to star in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s 14th season. Not only that, but Marvel fans are demanding that he play Wolverine, given his height isn’t too far off from the comic series. Fans want this so badly, in fact, 30,000 have already signed a change.org petition to put him in the role as of June 2019.
