Gurdeep Roy (born Mohinder Purba; 1 December 1957), known professionally as Deep Roy, is a Kenyan-British actor, puppeteer and stuntman. At 132 centimetres (4 ft 4 in) tall,[1] he has often been cast as diminutive characters, such as Teeny Weeny in The NeverEnding Story, all the Oompa-Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Keenser in Star Trek and its sequels, and in television series such as The X-Files, Doctor Who, and Eastbound & Down.
Deep Roy | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Roy at the 2024 Brussels Comic Con | |
| Born | Mohinder Purba 1 December 1957 |
| Other names | Gurdeep |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Height | 132 cm (4 ft 4 in) |
Life and career
editRoy was born on 1 December 1957[2] in Nairobi[3] to Indian parents in a Sikh family. He studied accounting in London before dropping out at 18. He later enrolled in The Slim Wood School of Comedy and got his start in the entertainment arena in England in 1970 as a stand-up comic in local cabaret clubs. In April 1970, Roy opened on the UK stage in Ray Cooney's Miracle Worker at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea. He made his professional screen acting debut in a 1976 episode of The New Avengers, titled "Target!" as a character named Klokoe. He made his film debut later that same year, in The Pink Panther Strikes Again, as the Italian Assassin. Another early role was as Mr. Sin, the "pig-brained Peking Homunculus", a villain with a distinct appetite for homicide, in the Doctor Who serial The Talons of Weng-Chiang. In 1979, Roy played a genetically engineered life form "Decima" in the first season of Blake's 7 episode "The Web", the diminutive chess genius, "The Klute", in the second season of Blake's 7 episode "Gambit" and he voiced the character "Moloch", in the third season of Blake's 7 episode "Moloch". He was a stand-in for the Jedi Master Yoda in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.[citation needed] He is uncredited on the film but can be seen in many behind-the-scenes photos dressed as Yoda for perspective shots filmed towards the end of production.
He has played apes in two movies: Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, and again in the Tim Burton remake of Planet of the Apes (2001) in two roles, one as a young gorilla boy and as Thade's niece. He has worked for Burton in three other films, Big Fish (2003), Corpse Bride (2005), where he supplied General Bonesapart's voice, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (also 2005).[4] He played all the Oompa-Loompas (165 of them) in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.[5] In referencing his workload during production, director Tim Burton called Roy the "hardest-working man in show biz".[6] Roy had extensive training for the role in dance, yoga, and some minor instrument playing.
He has performed many other roles in films and on television, including The X-Files, Flash Gordon, Return to Oz (as the Tin Woodman), Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal as a puppeteer extra, The NeverEnding Story as Teeny Weeny, the rider of the "racing snail", Alien from L.A., Howling VI: The Freaks as Mr Toones and Return of the Jedi as Droopy McCool.[citation needed]
He appeared in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) as an Egyptian border guard and in the film Star Trek (also 2009) as Keenser, Scotty's assistant on the ice planet Delta Vega; he reprised the Keenser role in the sequels Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond. In one of his more prominent speaking roles, Roy played Aaron, a violent Mumbai-born Mexican criminal in the second season of the HBO comedy Eastbound & Down. Roy starred as Sandeep Majumdar in the 2012 short film The Ballad of Sandeep.[7]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Pink Panther Strikes Again | Italian Assassin | |
| 1978 | Benji's Very Own Christmas Story | Key Elf | Uncredited |
| 1979 | The Muppet Movie | Stunt performer | |
| Licensed to Love and Kill | Dwarf | ||
| Die Brut des Bösen/Roots of Evil | Van Bullock | ||
| 1980 | Flash Gordon | Fellini | |
| The Empire Strikes Back | Yoda stand-in[8][9][10] R2-D2 (double) |
Uncredited | |
| 1982 | The Dark Crystal | Additional performer | |
| Return of the Ewok | Droopy McCool | ||
| 1983 | Mini Gulliver | Mini Gull | |
| Return of the Jedi | Droopy McCool/puppeteer R2-D2 (body double) Ewok |
||
| 1984 | This Is Spinal Tap | Stunt performer | |
| Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes | Primate sequences | ||
| The NeverEnding Story | Teeny Weeny | Voice overdubbed | |
| The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension | Stunt performer | ||
| Lorca and the Outlaws a.k.a. Starship | Grid | ||
| 1985 | Return to Oz | Tin Man (puppeteer) |
|
| Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome | Stunt performer | ||
| 1986 | Weekend Warriors | Little girl | Uncredited |
| Poltergeist II: The Other Side | Stunt performer | ||
| 1987 | Going Bananas | Bonzo | |
| 1988 | Alien from L.A. | Mambino | |
| 1989 | Rising Storm | Joker Arroyo | |
| Lethal Woman | Grizabella | ||
| 1990 | Disturbed | Marty | |
| 1991 | Howling VI: The Freaks | Toones | |
| Hook | Stunt performer | ||
| 1992 | The Resurrected | Main monster | |
| 1993 | Freaked | George Ramirez No. 3 | |
| Leprechaun | Stunt double for Warwick Davis | ||
| Josh and S.A.M. | Stunt performer | ||
| 1994 | Dickwad | Little Telephone Bully | |
| Wes Craven's New Nightmare | Stunt performer | ||
| The Little Rascals | Stunt performer | ||
| The War | Stunt performer | ||
| The Jungle Book | Stunt performer | ||
| 1995 | Sudden Death | Stunt performer | |
| Under the Hula Moon | Bus driver | ||
| 1996 | Matilda | Stunt performer | |
| 1997 | Retroactive | Stunt performer | |
| 1998 | Mafia! | Small hitman | Uncredited |
| BASEketball | Stunt performer | ||
| The Adventures of Ragtime | Stunt double for Justin Cooper | ||
| 2000 | Disney's The Kid | Stunt double for Spencer Breslin | |
| How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Post office clerk | ||
| 2001 | Planet of the Apes | Gorilla kid / Thade's niece | |
| 2003 | The Haunted Mansion | Hitchhiking ghost | |
| A Man Apart | Stunt performer | ||
| Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood | Stunt double for Warwick Davis | ||
| Big Fish | Mr. Soggybottom | ||
| 2004 | Surviving Eden | Indian Mo | |
| Van Helsing | Stunt performer | ||
| 2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Oompa-Loompas | Singing voice provided by Danny Elfman; narrator's voice provided by Geoffrey Holder |
| Corpse Bride | General Bonesapart | Voice | |
| 2009 | Star Trek | Keenser | |
| The Unborn | Stunt performer | Doubled[further explanation needed]Atticus Shaffer | |
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Egyptian guard | ||
| 2012 | Zambezia | Mushana | Voice |
| The Ballad of Sandeep | Sandeep Majumdar | ||
| 2013 | Paranormal Movie | Demon | |
| Star Trek Into Darkness | Keenser | ||
| 2014 | Mantervention | Massage parlor owner | |
| 2016 | Star Trek Beyond | Keenser | |
| 2017 | God Came 'Round | Sandeep | Short film/music video[11] |
| 2019 | Deep Into Love | Dr. Love | Short film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The New Avengers | Klokoe | Episode: Target! |
| 1977, 1986 | Doctor Who | Mr. Sin/Posicarian delegate (uncredited) | The Talons of Weng-Chiang/Mindwarp |
| 1978–1980 | Blake's 7 | Decima/The Klute/Moloch/Link | 4 episodes |
| 1989 | Desperado: The Outlaw Wars | Uncredited | |
| 1996 | Evil Has a Face | Stunt performer | TV movie |
| 2001 | The X-Files | Beggar man | Episode: Badlaa |
| 2003–2004 | The Jamie Kennedy Experiment | Himself | 9 episodes |
| 2010 | Eastbound & Down | Aaron | 4 episodes |
| 2012 | Wolfpack of Reseda | Mr. Jo | Episode: Hungry Like the Wolf |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Role | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Grind" | Evil Cherub 1 | Alice in Chains |
| 2007 | "Calm Down Dearest" | Jamie T | |
| 2021 | "Atenção" | Oompa-Loompas | Pedro Sampaio and Luísa Sonza |
References
edit- ^ Abramovitch, Seth (25 August 2016). "Little People, Big Woes in Hollywood: Low Pay, Degrading Jobs and a Tragic Death". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ "Famous Birthdays". Minneapolis Star Tribune. 1 December 2017. p. A2; "Today's Birthdays". The Baltimore Sun. 1 December 2014. p. A9.
- ^ "Roy | Star Trek". StarTrek.com. CBS Television Distribution and CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ Scott, A. O. (15 July 2005). "Film review: Looking for the Candy, Finding a Back Story". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ Kung, Michelle. "The sole Oompa-Loompa". people.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ Colbourne, Scott (15 July 2005). "How'd They Do It? The Oompa-Loompa Factor". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- ^ "About the film". The Ballad of Sandeep. Retrieved 31 January 2021.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Newbold, Mark (17 April 2021). "Star Wars 100 Interviews: Walking Yoda Deep Roy". fanthatracks.com. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "The making of Yoda, Part II". www.netdwellers.com. Retrieved 31 January 2021.[better source needed]
- ^ "Cut Scenes: Dagobah". www.starwarz.com. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2021.[better source needed]
- ^ "GOD CAME 'ROUND Starring Deep Roy, Directed by Derek Frey, song by Professor T & the East Side Shredders". 30 July 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
