Movies are a realm of illusion, where even the shortest actor can seem like an intimidating figure. Because of this, many movie fans are often incredibly surprised to learn the true heights of the actors that they think they know and love. Even in the days of Old Hollywood, there were numerous camera tricks that could make short actors seem tall and tall actors seem small. Join Facts Verse as we take a look at Old Hollywood actors ranked by height (surprising!).
Mickey Rooney: 5 foot 2 inches
Mickey Rooney was 5 foot 2 inches tall. The American actor was born in 1920. He started his career as a child actor, acting in features for MGM. Although he rose to prominence as a child, he continued to find success in his adult years. Some of Mickey’s most memorable roles are in the features The Human Comedy and National Velvet. Later in the actor’s life, he became better known for his work on television, as well as his work as a voice actor for cartoons.
Mickey drafted into the military after America entered into World War II, and he served the country for almost two years. Once Mickey came back from the war, he found that his reduced height as an adult keeping him from getting the same number of roles that he could before he’s fully grown. However, the actor managed to persevere and eventually carved a niche for himself as a character actor. Some of Mickey’s later career hits include It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in 1963 and the Walt Disney film Pete’s Dragon in 1977. He passed away in 2014, at the age of 93.
Dustin Hoffman: 5 foot 6 inches
Dustin Hoffman is 5 foot 6 inches tall. The American actor was born in 1937, and is still currently with us! While most people are already aware that Mickey Rooney wasn’t very tall, the revelation of Dustin Hoffman’s below-average height may come as a bit more of a surprise. The actor came on the scene with his performance in the hit 1967 dramedy The Graduate, which earned him an Academy Award nomination.
After Dustin’s role in The Graduate, he played the memorable character of “Ratso” in the 1969 drama Midnight Cowboy. The film solidified Dustin as a force to reckoned with when it came to his acting abilities. Even if his height left a little to be desired. Over the course of Dustin’s career as a leading man, one can be sure that numerous camera tricks have been employed to make him look tall! In recent years, Dustin has continued to act. Recently, he was featured in the 2017 drama The Meyerowitz Stories. Over the course of the actor’s long career, he has received two Academy Awards, six Golden Globes, and two Emmy Awards.
Bing Crosby: 5 foot 7 inches
Bing Crosby was 5 foot 7 inches tall. The American singer and actor was born in 1903 and rose to fame as a singer before venturing out into film. Bing memorably won the Academy Award for Best Actor after giving a performance for the ages in the 1944 film Going My Way. He also received a nomination for that film’s 1945 sequel, making him the first actor ever to receive two separate nominations for playing the same character. Bing died in 1977, at the age of 74.
Gene Kelly: 5 foot 7 inches
Gene Kelly was 5 foot 7 inches tall. The American actor, singer, dancer, and director was born in 1912. Gene rose to fame via his performances in numerous Hollywood musicals, some of which the star even directed. Some of the star’s most highly regarded performances include his turns in the films Brigadoon and Singin’ in the Rain. Other films the star appeared in during his career include An American in Paris and On the Town, the latter of which was his directorial debut. The actor passed away in 1996, at the age of 83. Join Facts Verse as we take a look at Old Hollywood actors ranked by height (surprising!).
Al Pacino: 5 foot 7 inches
Al Pacino is 5 foot 7 inches. The American actor was born in 1940, and is still alive after over five decades in show business! Al is certainly one of the stars that people will be surprised to learn isn’t a little bit taller than he actually is, especially given his intimidating appearances in so many classic films! One may begin to imagine that the reason Scarface was so angry was that no one was willing to take him seriously as a gangster due to his below-average height.
Al broke out onto the acting scene with a minor role in the 1969 feature Me, Natalia. When he got the role, he was only 29 years old. Several years later, Francis Ford Coppola cast him in 1972’s The Godfather, and the rest is history! The actor still works today, having recently shown up in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
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James Dean: 5 foot 8 inches
James Dean was 5 foot 8 inches tall. The American actor was born in 1931, and rose to immense fame before his untimely death in 1955. Over the course of the actor’s brief career, he only turned in three performances for his fans to remember him by. Those performances were in the classic films Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, and Giant. Although the actor’s career was brief, he left a huge impression on both the entertainment industry and the world. However, he wasn’t the tallest actor in Old Hollywood. After James’ early death as a result of a car crash, he became the first actor to win a posthumous Academy Award.
Frank Sinatra: 5 foot 8 inches
Frank Sinatra was 5 foot 8 inches tall. The American singer was born in 1915. Over the course of his long and storied career, he rose to prominence as one of the most iconic crooners in history. In addition to singing, Frank also dabbled in acting, winning an Academy Award for his performance in the 1953 war film From Here to Eternity. After an unmatched career in show business, Frank passed away in 1998, at the age of 82. Although the singer wasn’t the tallest guy around, the shadow that he left was much taller than 5 foot 8 inches.
Kirk Douglas: 5 foot 9 inches
Kirk Douglas was 5 foot 9 inches tall. The American actor was born in 1916 and made his feature film debut in 1946’s The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. After his debut, Kirk soon became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. The 1949 feature Champion brought Kirk his first Academy Award nomination, and he would receive two more over the course of his career. Despite the fact that Kirk was nominated three times, he never won an Academy Award for his acting. Kirk starred in the early Stanley Kubrick features Paths of Glory and Spartacus, two films that brought both figures a great deal of critical acclaim. These films helped Kubrick gain notoriety, leading to his later groundbreaking hits. Kirk lived to be 103 before passing away in 2020.
Robert De Niro: 5 foot 10 inches
Robert De Niro is 5 foot 10 inches tall. The American actor was born in 1943, and is still with us today! The actor rose to fame predominantly due to his turns in many of Martin Scorsese’s most successful features, including Mean Streets and Raging Bull. The actor received another notable early role with Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part II in 1974. Robert still acts today, having recently reunited with Martin Scorsese once again for 2019’s The Irishman.
Sean Connery: 6 foot 2 inches
Sean Connery was 6 foot 2 inches tall. The Scottish actor was born in 1930, and passed away only recently, in 2020. Before the actor’s death in 2020, he had been retired for several years due to the low quality of acting roles that he was getting in his later career. During the height of Sean’s fame, he was best known for playing James Bond. Sean was the first actor ever to play the character, and remains many fans’ favorite actor to have ever played the part.
Clint Eastwood: 6 foot 4 inches
Clint Eastwood is 6 foot 4 inches tall. The American actor and director was born in 1930, and is one of the figures on this list that is still alive. The star is currently 91 years old, but that isn’t stopping him! Clint currently has a film in theaters at the time that this video is being written. Clint’s career began with roles in Spaghetti Westerns, such as Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy. Clint eventually made a name for himself as a director in addition to being an actor. Nowadays, Clint directs more movies than he stars in, but he still makes occasional appearances in front of the camera!
John Wayne: 6 foot 4 inches
John Wayne was 6 foot 4 inches. The American actor was born in 1907 and achieved immense fame as a star in Western and war films early into his career. John began acting in silent features as early as the 1920s before venturing out into bigger roles in the 1930s. John’s first role as a lead came in the 1930 feature The Big Trail. Though the film wasn’t a success, it led to an incredibly successful career for the actor down the line. Some of John Wayne’s most iconic roles remain his turns in the films The Searchers, True Grit, and Rio Bravo. John passed away in 1979, at the age of 72. In the years since his death, he has remained an icon, despite some minor controversies.
Hopefully, this video opened up your mind about how Hollywood can use camera tricks to make small actors look tall! Comment down to below to share if you were surprised to learn about the true heights of any of these Old Hollywood actors, or if your opinion has changed about any of them! As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
