Malcolm Dixon was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Time Bandits (1981) and The Dark Crystal (1982).
He also played as an Oompa Loompa in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (1971), but was left uncredited.
Biography[]
Malcolm Dixon was born in Crook, County Durham, in 1934, as the youngest of seven brothers and the only child with dwarfism. He was raised in Crook where he worked on his parents' poultry farm and as a floral artist. His parents died when he was young and he outlived all his brothers.
Career[]
Dixon as discovered by a talent agent who was keen on Dixon's talents with ice skates at the Durham Ice Rink. He then worked in an ice show at Empire Pool, Wembley. His stature and physical abilities landed him work with Jim Henson's Creature Shop, where he worked in multiple films and television shows until becoming an independent actor, most notably starring in Time Bandits and also in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as an Oompa-Loompa (an uncredited role). He featured in many music videos for artists including David Bowie, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet.
Theatre[]
His main leading role in theatre was as Bilbo Baggins in an adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit at the Fortune Theatre in London, England, from 1986 to 1989. From 2000 to 2020, he was a regular in panto productions of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. His other theatre roles included:
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at Phoenix Arts Center, Leicester, England
- Peter Pan at The Palladium
- Sleeping Beauty on Ice in 1968 at Empire Pool, Wembley