Warwick Davis
Actor
Warwick Davis began his career at the age of 11 when film producer George Lucas put out a call for actors under four feet tall. Soon Warwick was battling Stormtroopers in a galaxy far, far away as Wicket the Ewok in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. From there the actor went on to star in Willow, had several parts in the Harry Potter movies, and has made numerous appearances in the Star Wars movies since.
Warwick has been a household name for decades. A fact he played on when portraying a fictionalised version of himself in the Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant sitcom, Life’s Too Short, which ran for two seasons.
In 2014 Warwick became the first disabled person to regularly present a primetime show when he hosted ITV’s Celebrity Squares. For the last three years he’s presented ITV’s quiz show Tenable. Warwick has also appeared with survivalist Bear Grylls on Bear’s Mission with Warwick Davis and starred in a season of the comedy travel show An Idiot Abroad with Karl Pilkington.
He says: “Instead of seeing disability as a disadvantage, I think it is important to embrace one’s difference and see it in a positive light. Doing this will influence other people, enabling them to see past the disability, dissolving any prejudice they might have had.”
Warwick has helped others build careers in show business. He co-founded the talent agency Willow Management, which specialises in representing actors under five foot tall, working for positive representation and more than niche roles. Warwick also founded the Reduced Height Theatre Company which casts theatrical productions entirely with actors who are little people, giving talented short actors a platform. Warwick also produced a musical, Eugenius!, which has had multiple theatre runs.
Warwick co-founded the charity Little People UK, which provides support to people with dwarfism and their families.