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Katie Purvis is an actress who played the "Maternal Ewok" in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. She is also the daughter of Star Wars actor Jack Purvis, and is good friends with Maureen Charlton.

Biography[]

Katie Purvis was born in England in 1966 with dwarfism. Katie inherited this condition from her father, Jack Purvis. She was 3 feet, 11 inches as an adult.

Her first appearance in a mainstream movie was Terry Gilliam's extravaganza Time Bandits (1981), where she doubled for short actor Tiny Ross in a stunt in the movie. Other Star Wars actors featured in this project, including Katie's own father, Jack, as well as Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Mike Edmonds (Logray), Marcus Powell (Rycar Ryjerd), Declan Mulholland (Opun Mcgrrrr) and Malcolm Dixon (Ewok warrior).

Katie became a part of the Star Wars saga with her small but iconic role in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, where she portrayed the Maternal Ewok who held a wokling in her arms. Her father and many other actors of short stature were featured in that scene.

Experienced in "small creature" roles, Katie was called again to act as a goblin in both Ridley Scott's Legend and Jim Henson's Labyrinth; as usual, acting as "one of the small creatures," she met again with other actors from previous works.

Katie was also one of the Nelwyns (alongside her father) in acclaimed film Willow (1988), and she appeared as a widget in Look-and-Read TV children's drama series Through the Dragon's Eyes in 1989.

Katie Purvis also worked as a stand-in within Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow (1999), where she stood in for Sean Stephens as Thomas Killian during the Headless Horseman's (Ray Park) attack on the Killian family house.

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