FELIX Silla, who played Cousin Itt in The Addams Family, has died at the age of 84. Silla, who had lived in Las Vegas for many years, died Friday after battling pancreatic cancer, his friend Gil Gerard, a co-star on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, announced on Twitter. At just under 4 feet tall, […]
FELIX Silla, who played Cousin Itt in The Addams Family, has died at the age of 84.
Silla, who had lived in Las Vegas for many years, died Friday after battling pancreatic cancer, his friend Gil Gerard, a co-star on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, announced on Twitter.
At just under 4 feet tall, the actor appeared in the 1960s ABC comedy as the mumbling Cousin Itt wearing a full-length hairpiece that covered his entire face and body as well as a hat and sunglasses.
He also played the robot Twiki in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and a villain battling Sam Spade Jr. in The Black Bird.
Silla also appeared as a hang-gliding Ewokk in the 1983 Star Wars film Return of the Jedi.
Speaking about his role in The Addams Family in a 2014 interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said his costume was originally made out of real human hair, making it heavy and combustible too.
“All the guys on the set smoked,” he said. “They just dropped their butts and stepped on them. The producers worried that I might step on a smoldering cigarette and go up in flames. They gave me synthetic hair, which was flame-retardant.”
Silla was born in Roccacasale, Italy, on January 11, 1937 and came to the US in 1955.
He toured with the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus before staying put in Hollywood as a stuntman in 1962.
More to follow…
For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online.
The Sun is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Download our fantastic, new and improved free App for the best ever Sun Online experience. For iPhone click here, for Android click here.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS.
