In life, it happens that we meet someone and we instantly know that’s the person we would like to spend our eternity with. However, not everyone is lucky enough to match with their soulmate during the adventure called life, so when you do, make sure you grab that individual firmly and never let go.
Rosalynn’s family lived next to Jimmy’s and she was a very good friend with his sister. She remembers that Jimmy’s sister had a photo of him on the wall and she fell in love with that photo showing young Jimmy wearing his uniform.
During a visit of his hometown from the Naval Academy, Jimmy laid eyes on Rosalynn and immediately knew she was the one. Speaking to People, the former president said: “She was beautiful and innocent, and there was a resonance.” They started dating but didn’t marry until she turned 18 because she made a promise to her dying father that she won’t marry before finishing school.
During the first years of marriage, the couple constantly moved places because Jimmy was often deployed at different locations. However, Rosalynn didn’t mind that. In fact, she loved being on the move with him and when he made the decision to give up his career in the Navy, she wasn’t glad. “I had been self-sufficient and independent from my mother and Jimmy’s mother,” she told The New York Times.
Being married for so many years must be a challenge, but the Carters don’t see it that way. They have always been by each other’s side; during presidency and while he battled cancer. Speaking of the secret to a long and happy marriage, both Rosalynn and Jimmy say that they have never went to bed angry at one another and know how to enjoy the simple things that many take for granted, like cherishing each other’s company.
“We’ve just grown closer and closer together,” Jimmy said.
According to the oldest living U.S. president, there are only two things necessary to ensure a happy and long marriage: “First of all, choose the right person to marry,” Jimmy told ABC’s Good Morning America. “And every night, we try to make sure we’re completely reconciled from all the arguments during the day.”
In a 2014 interview, he revealed that there is a phrase he tells his wife every single day, ‘I love you the goodest.’
“That’s what my mother and daddy used to say back and forth, and I picked it up with Rosa.” The phrase, ILYTG, became such a significant part of their lives together that Jimmy had it engraved on a compact he presented to Rosalynn and even their children use it very often. “Now all our children do the same thing – ILYTG on the phone or in emails. They generally just put the initials,” he said. “And sometimes they change the initials and make you guess what they’re talking about.”
The two share a lot of interests together, like bird watching and helping the community through the organization Habitat for Humanity, which builds homes for people in need.
They also give each other the space to do the things that fulfill them. “Jimmy and I are always looking for things to do together.” Rosalynn told CBS42. “Each [person] should have some space. That’s really important.”
It’s impossible not to love these two. We wish them more happy and healthy years together.
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Being different is not a bad thing, but it certainly comes with plenty of challenges and one of the people who know that best is Adam Pearson, the man who never let anything stand in his way to success and happiness.
From being called names such as “Elephant Man” and “Scarface” to starring alongside Scarlet Johansson, Adam has experienced a lot and today he serves as inspiration to many people who live their life with disability.
When he was born, on January 6, 1985, in London, he looked like a completely normal child, but then, when he turned five, his life changed completely. One day, he knocked his head on a windowsill, but the resulting bump on his face never went away. Instead, it triggered the growth of numerous tumors which disfigured his appearance completely. Adam was then diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition that causes tumors to grow along the nerves.
Sadly, he experienced a lot of bullying and considered himself an outsider.
Youtube/OnlyHuman
He recalled a particular incident when speaking to The Guardian. A boy from his class told him that one of the teachers was waiting for him in the next classroom, but when he went there, there was no teacher there but a group of students who made fun of him. “I went home with spit all over my blazer,” he explained. “That was horrific.”
In another interview, he told The Mirror, “I used to stand outside the school gates in the morning, take a massive deep breath and let it happen. I knew what I was in for. It was continuous name-calling – the classic Elephant Man, freak.”
But he knew he needed to find a way to stand for himself.
“Once I started thinking like them, the bullies had won. It’s about the life you have, not the one you don’t. It wasn’t an emotionally productive thing to do,” Adam explained. “For me, it’s all I’ve ever known. It’s very much a part of me. It would have been like asking: ‘Why am I this tall?’”
Youtube/RealStories
Over the years, Adam had undergone numerous surgeries. During a regular visit to Great Ormond Street Hospital, a children’s hospital in London, Adam saw a poster about the organization Changing Faces, he would later became an ambassador of. The organization is “UK’s leading charity for everyone with a scar, mark or condition on their face or body.”
Upon graduating from Brighton University where he studies business management, Adam landed several jobs, including at Channel 4 and the BBC, and appeared in The Undateables and Beauty and the Beast, both of which deal with how society views disabilities in all forms.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 20: Adam Pearson and Jess Weixler during the 10th Annual BAMcinemaFest Opening Night Premiere Of “Sorry To Bother You” at BAM Harvey Theater on June 20, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
It wasn’t until 2011, however, that more people learned of him and his life changed drastically. Changing Faces contacted him one day and told him that producers were looking for a male character for the film Under the Skin, starring Scarlet Johansson. Adam was quick to land on a role in the film which turned out to be a great success.
“One of the main reasons for taking the role was because it was so moving and honest,” Adam said.
“For me, the film is about what the world looks like without knowledge and without prejudice. It’s about seeing the world through alien eyes, I guess.”
Youtube/RealStories
Working alongside Johansson was a dream come true. Speaking of her, Adam described her as exceptional, not only as an actress but as a human being. The two even had to film a nude scene together.
“They just said ‘action’ and you do it,” he said. “I didn’t really think about it, I didn’t broadcast the information [that he was in the film] until quite near the release. I didn’t tell some people at all and just took them to see the film, I mean, my friend Heidi hasn’t made eye contact with me for a week.
“[Scarlett Johansson was] brilliant. She’s really nice, charming, funny and intelligent once you get over the feeling of ‘Oh my God, this is Scarlett Johansson!’”
Adam didn’t see the film as his personal success only because he believed that being part of it was a way to show the world that people with disabilities have a lot to offer.
He wanted to be seen as a proof that nothing is impossible, even if you are different than what societies consider ‘normal.’
“There’s a lot of fear around the unknown. If I can try to be as normal as possible and show there’s nothing to fear – either on film or day to day, going round the corner to go shopping for milk – then the more people see it in wider society, the less stigma there is. If I just sit at home and mope, hugging the dog and crying, nothing’s going to change.”
Youtube/RealStories
Following Under the Skin, Adam starred in other productions as well, including DRIB, in which he played himself, Chained for Life, and A Different Man among the rest. The New York Times described him as “an actor of great charm.”
Having been working hard to break down the stigma surrounding his disability, Adam has been serving as a motivational speaker at different events such as the World Health Innovation Summit. He has also been given multiple TED talks. Adam won a RADAR Award and a Diana Award for his work and is serving as an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, Changing Faces, and Us In A Bus. His influence in the fight against the stigma surrounding people with disabilities is immense. In 2022, he was included in the list of UK’S 100 most influential people with disabilities.
“Often with minority talent, and particularly disabled talent, they get pigeonholed into only doing massive air quotes here, disability thing,” he told Metro. “I’ve got no idea what disability things are, so if someone could let me know and I could start doing them, that would be great! But no, it was something that existed outside of that realm, and it seemed like a real opportunity to sort of step out of that bubble.”
Adam is single and doesn’t have children. In case he does, there is 50% chance they will inherit his condition. “My kids will be genetically awesome anyway,” he proclaimed.
Adam Pearson is a fascinating man who has become a role model for many.
We wish him even more success in the years to come.
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When it comes to sci-fi movies, the first thing that comes to mind is Back to the Future. It is a legendary trilogy which is still as popular and as loved as it was over 30 years ago when the third and final part aired.
Of course, the movie wouldn’t be what it is hadn’t been for Michael J. Fox who played the role of Marty and Christopher Lloyd in the role of Doc Brown.
But did you know that when he was first handed the script, Lloyd threw it in the garbage? Luckily, a friend of his made him reconsider his decision and give it a go, and well, the rest is history.
Back in October 2022, the cast gathered together at the New York Comic-Con. Among the rest, they shared with the viewers interesting information that have never been revealed before. Michael J. Fox replaced Eric Stotz in the role of Marty McFly, the producers said, although shooting had already begun at that point. Apparently, Lloyd wasn’t happy with the changes because it meant he needed to shoot the same scenes again.
“The news at one o’clock in the morning was that the actor portraying Marty would no longer be playing Marty and that tomorrow, we would start filming with Michael,” Lloyd revealed. “I felt that I barely got it through the [first] six weeks and now I was going to have to do it again… As the cliche goes, ‘there was chemistry instantly.’”
Fox, on the other hand, had a fantastic time right from the start. “Just take everything in and let it wash over me,” the actor said. “To me, he was a genius.” The 61-year-old actor added: “That’s it. Enjoy being with Chris and letting him be Chris. This was a thrilling experience. It was always a pleasure to spend the day at the office with him.”
Further, Fox said of his co-star, “Chris is a fantastic human being. He’s really mysterious. I had to see a couple movies with him before I could say I knew him. At the end of Back to the Future Part III, we felt a deeper bond than in the previous films. I wanted to see firsthand his deep-seated passion for performing. To be honest, I had no idea. For a friendly chat about acting, Shakespeare, and King Lear… A convincing King Lear, I tell you! Few anticipate such a move from him. His character is full of unexpected twists and turns.”
Fox often speaks of his health condition. He disclosed his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis some 30 years ago, when he was just 29. It took young Fox a lot of time to accept the reality, but he finally decided to make the best out of his life despite the struggles the disease forced him to face.
At the New York Comic-Con Fox said he “struggles” with the pain from his broken bones.
He also said how he used to have a “real proficiency for lines and memorization,” but how “the last couple of years have been trickier than most.” Michael added, “And I had some extreme situations where the last couple of jobs I did were actually really word-heavy parts. I struggled during both of them.”
Recently, in an interview with comedian Mike Birbiglia, Fox opened up about never-before-shared aspects of his condition and explained that he had lost his sense of smell. Although this saddened him a great deal, he said he still remembers most of the smells, including that of pine, just before Christmas.
A few years ago, he experienced yet another health scare when he started falling down for no reason and it appeared he had a problem with his spinal cord and he needed to do something about it.
“I was told it was benign but if it stayed static I would have diminished feeling in my legs and difficulty moving. Then all of a sudden I started falling – a lot. It was getting ridiculous. I was trying to parse what was Parkinson’s and what was the spinal thing. But it came to the point where it was probably necessary to have surgery,” he said as per The New York Times.
Facebook/The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
Along with his wife, Michael established the Michael J. Fox Foundation whose goal is finding cure for Parkinson’s disease through funded research. The organization is currently the largest non-profit founder of Parkinson’s disease research in the world. His dedication to helping patients with the disease he suffers from himself placed him on the 2007 Time Magazine‘s list of 100 people “whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world.”
Michael J. Fox is an incredibly talent actor and an extraordinary man. We only wish him the best in the years to come. We hope he stays as optimistic as he has throughout all his life.
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Hoda Kotb is a much-loved TV personality, so her two-week absence from the Today show caused concerns at her many fans.
As people started speculating about the reasons behind this sudden absence, her colleagues decided to share the truth. “We know a lot of you have been wondering how she [Hoda] is doing. We can tell you that Hoda is OK. She has got a family health matter that she has been dealing with, so we look forward to seeing Hoda and Savannah back at the desk real, real soon,” Craig Melvin said Wednesday morning.
“We love you both,” Al Roker, who has been dealing with health issues recently, added.
Both @SavannahGuthrie and @HodaKotb are off today, with Savannah recovering from a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. As for Hoda, she is okay and handling a family health matter. We’re sending our love to them both and can’t wait to see them in the studio soon 🧡 pic.twitter.com/EcfVV1zsac
Despite Kotb’s absence on the show, she has been very present on social media. Recently, she has been posting inspirational and encouraging messages on her Instagram account.
“Choose hope,” a message on Monday read. “Sometimes miracles are just good people with kind hearts,” she shared on Sunday. “Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them,” Kotb’s post on February 24 read. “I see you… you strong women ❤️,” the news anchor added.
Speculation about the reasons for Kotb’s leave have persisted since her last on-air appearance alongside Jenna Bush Hager for their Today With Hoda & Jenna show.
After Melvin’s update Wednesday, fans have been sending and sharing messages of support online. “So glad she’s okay and hope her family member gets well soon,” one Twitter user wrote. “Sending hugs and healing prayers to both Hoda and Savannah,” another added. A third called Kotb and Guthrie “two inspiring leaders” and “awesome people.”
Whatever Kotb is dealing with, we hope things would turn out for the best.
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Kyle Jacobs, the 49-year-old husband of country singer Kellie Pickler, was found dead inside the couple’s Nashville, Tennessee home on Friday. The death of Jacobs, who was a songwriter, was being investigated as an apparent suicide.
Following a 911 call, first responders found Jacobs’ lifeless body. “Mr. Jacobs’ wife, Kellie Pickler, reported that she awoke a short time earlier, did not see her husband, and began looking for him,” according to the statement. “After she and her personal assistant were unable to open the door to the upstairs bedroom/office, the assistant telephoned 911.”
The couple tied the knot in 2011 and didn’t have children together. According to people close to them, they led quite lives in Nashville.
Speaking of herself, Kellie said she was a quiet girl in love with gardening.
“I’m known as the sixth unofficial Golden Girl by my pals. I’m that 104-year-old trapped in a 35-year-old body. Sudoku is my favorite game. I appreciate exciting discussions. On the front porch, I adore swinging back and forth. I like being around kind people,” she once said.
She has also spoken of her husband during numerous occasions. “He is so brilliant at what he does,” she said in 2015. “Working with Kyle has been wonderful, and I’m beyond pleased to be in the studio once more recording a new album. It was amazing to be in the front row as an artist and see him in his element because he’s been seeing me play for years,” Kellie added.
Over the course of his career, Jacobs collaborated with various country music legends, such as Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, Darius Rucker, and Kelly Clarkson. Among the rest, he co-wrote Garth Brooks’ 2007 single “More Than a Memory” with Lee Brice and Billy Montana. The song is considered to be the first country song to debut at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart.
Late Kyle was honored with an Academy of Country Music Award in 2014 for writing and producing “I Drive Your Truck,” Lee Brice’s big hit from 2012.
“Creating songs with lovely hearts in beautiful places is one of my favorite things to do as a songwriter,” he said in a 2021 Instagram post.
Those close to Kyle said they have never noticed any signs that he was struggling in any way so they find it hard to accept the fact that he took his own life.
Kyle was always very optimistic and radiated joy wherever he was present.
When Lee Brice released his fifth studio album, Kyle was quick to post about it on the social media. “Platinum?! SWEEEET!!! “This one was created by an exceptional team of incredibly creative individuals,” he wrote in the caption. “I am quite grateful to have contributed in whatever manner… Jesus, God bless you!”
Kyle and Kellie dated for some time before he proposed her in 2010. She describes that day as one of the most beautiful in her life.
In an Instagram post from 2017, Kellie wrote, “We watched the sunset gently paint a colorful ending to a lovely day after Kyle got down on one knee and I screamed ‘YES!!!’
“When two people marry, the wedding is not about the glamour. That applies to both the bride and husband and God.” Pickler told at the time. “I can’t think of a term that describes how lovely it was,” she remarked, “with only ourselves, God, and our pastor present.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with Kellie Pickler and her family during these times of grief.
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Tom Sizemore, best known for his role in Saving Private Ryan, suffered a brain aneurysm on Saturday, February 18, a representative for the actor has confirmed the news.
“He is in the hospital,” Charles Lago told the media. “His family is aware of the situation and are hoping for the best. It is too early to know about [a] recovery situation as he is in critical condition and under observation.”
Tom collapsed at his home in Los Angeles and was transported to hospital soon after. Sadly, his family is now sharing some devastating news with the public. As per the actor’s manager, they are “deciding on end of life matters” after having been told by doctors that “there is no further hope.”
According to a statement from Tom Sizemore’s manager, on Monday “doctors informed his family that there is no further hope and have recommended end of life decision. The family is now deciding end of life matters.” https://t.co/qm0ef7LtAF
The statement reads: “In the early hours of Saturday, February 18, Tom Sizemore collapsed at his Los Angeles home and was transported to a hospital by Paramedics. He was found to be suffering from a brain aneurism that occurred as a result of a stroke.
“Since that day, Tom has remained in critical condition, in a coma and in intensive care.”
Further, it reads: “Today, doctors informed his family that there is no further hope and have recommended end of life decision. The family is now deciding end of life matters and a further statement will be issued on Wednesday.”
The statement concludes: “We are asking for privacy for his family during this difficult time and they wish to thank everyone for the hundreds of messages of support, and prayers that have been received. This has been a difficult time for them.”
Tom has had quite a career. Besides what is believed to be one of his biggest roles, that of Mike Horvath in Saving Private Ryan, he has also played in “Born on the Fourth of July” alongside Tom Cruise, “Pearl Harbor” with Ben Affleck, and in the television show “Twin Peaks.” He has also worked as a writer and producer for various projects.
The 61-year-old actor has had troubles with the law in the past. In 2003 he was convicted of domestic violence against then-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss, while in 2005, he was sentenced to several months in jail after being caught trying to fake a urine test. But he has always spoken openly about his troubles, including his attempts to stay sober.
“I’ve been trying to get sober since 1991 … It became really big news much later than that, but I was trying to stop. I’ve had a problem for a long time. I had periods, long periods, of sobriety and I would end up relapsing,” Tom said in the past.
“I still go to meetings and work my steps, but I had reached a place in my life where I knew I had to stop,” he explained. “I couldn’t be arrogant anymore. If I wanted to reach a nice and pleasant old age, I had to stop. And if I wanted to watch my kids grow up, I needed to reach a place where I knew it was over.
“So far, it has remained over,” he once said. “I still have to do my daily inventory and show up.”
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Tom is a father to twins Jagger and Jayden.
We are so sorry for everything Tom’s family is going through and we hope for the best.
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Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were the Hollywood golden couple. With marriage that spanned five decades, these two soulmates showed the world what a true love is and what each of us should seek in the person we choose to spend our eternity with.
When they first met, Paul was married to his first wife Jackie Witte with whom he had three children, Scott Newman, Susan Kendall Newman, and Stephanie Newman. They were married for nine years and met when Paul still hadn’t made a name for himself.
The encounter between Paul and Joanne, his second wife and greatest love of his life, happened during his debut in the Broadway play Picnic. Wearing spotless seersucker suit and with no drop of sweat in sight, the handsome 28-year-old Paul looked “like an ice cream soda ad,” Joanne told Today.
Paul was totally charmed by Joanne’s beauty, but as he was married at the time, they remained good friends and stayed in touch until they met again during the filming of The Long, Hot Summer in 1957. Realizing Paul fell in love with Joanne, his wife Witte finally decided to sign the divorce papers. Although Paul never really wanted to speak of his first wife and was telling magazines how that chapter of his life was no one’s business, he confessed at one point that he was feeling “guilty as hell,” and he was “probably too immature to make a success of my first marriage.”
Youtube/Whatsmyline
Paul and Joanne got married in 1958 and settled down in their 18th-century Connecticut farmhouse. She believed that the two were never really a Hollywood couple and moving to Connecticut helped them “always enjoy each other’s company.”
The same year she tied the knot to Paul, Joanne won an Academy Award for Best Actress for The Three Faces of Eve. During her career, Joanne was nominated for Oscar in 1969 for her role in Rachel, Rachel, in 1974 for Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams and in 1991 for Mr. & Mrs. Bridge. She received two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in See How She Runs (1978) and Do You Remember Love (1985). She was nominated five more times.
Paul won an Oscar for his role in the movie The Color of Money. The couple starred in ten films together and both remain one of the most famous people in the history of film.
“He’s very good looking and very sexy and all of those things, but all of that goes out the window and what is finally left is, if you can make somebody laugh,” Joanne told Today. “And he sure does keep me laughing.”
In fact, their love was so deep, pure, and strong that their story is one of the best celebrity love stories the world has ever witnessed.
Instagram/theclassicsdarling
The golden couple had three daughters together, Ellinor Teresa, Melissa Stewart and Claire Olivia. They were loving and dedicated parents, but Paul could never forgive himself for the death of his son Scott who passed away of drug overdose in 1975.
Their daughter Claire opened up about her mother and told the Daily Mail, “My mother was way ahead of her time. She was in the women’s lib before it became a big thing and she was a hands-on mother; when I was a baby she nursed me on set. She’d stop the cameras rolling in the middle of scenes and say, “Sorry, I’ve got to feed the baby.”’
Everyone who knew them could tell they were born to be together. Author Carol Joynt, who once saw them together, wrote, “Joanne Woodward sat on the ground with her back against the trunk of a big tree, her legs stretched out in front. In her lap rested the head of Paul Newman, who occasionally reached up to touch her face and hair as he savored the music. It’s possible I gaped. To this day it’s the most romantic thing I ever witnessed.”
Youtube/Country Living
Sadly, Paul died of lung cancer in 2008. Before he said the final goodbye, the Hollywood’s golden couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.
Their fairy-tale like story was shown on the screens as Ethan Hawke directed a documentary about them. He promised “a rare and exclusive look at the careers of both actors and a complex 50-year relationship that ultimately managed to beat incredible odds,” and that’s exactly what he delivered.
“They had the love of newlyweds,” family friend Bob Forrester told People about the couple. “When I would fly with him all over the world, the moment the plane landed, Paul would call Joanne and he always said, ‘I love you,’ even after 50 years of marriage. She was his everything. They were soulmates.”
The Newman estate was left to Joanne and various charities following her beloved husband’s death.
The success of their marriage was pretty simple, according to Joanne.
“We could talk to each other, we could tell each other anything without fear of ridicule or rejection. There was trust,” she said, according to Honey Nine.
Joanna Woodward has retired from acting. Today, she is 93 years old and she hasn’t been out in public much since she did the voice of Doris in 2013’s Lucky Them.
Reports are that she’s going through a tough health battle.
According to Closer Magazine, Woodward is battling Alzheimer’s. USA Today reports that Joanne was diagnosed with the disease in 2007, just days before Paul Newman was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
With Ethan Hawke’s intimate six-part docuseries about Woodward and Newman which premiered in 2022, Woodward once again found herself in the spotlight
Hopefully, Joanne could enjoy it.
”That’s why the family wanted me to do it now,” Hawke said in 2020 and continued:
”They wanted it to come out while she’s still alive and can see this, to support her”.
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 02: Joanne Woodward and Claire Newman attend a Celebration of Paul Newman’s Dream to benefit Paul Newman’s Association of Hole in the Wall Camps at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center on April 2, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)
According to Closer, Joanne Woodward still lives in the Westport home in Connecticut, where her husband died in 2008 at age 83.
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Being different, in one way or another, should be something to embrace, because it is the differences that make this world a beautifully diverse place. Sadly, this isn’t always the case. It is in the human’s nature to treat differences in manners that cause pain and bad feelings. Instead of acceptance, people who suffer from different conditions and somehow don’t fit in what many consider ‘normal’ are offered rejection. This is something that needs to change, but it would probably take a lot more years for that to happen.
For actor Verne Troyer, being different wasn’t an obstacle to reach fame and make a name for himself.
Namely, Verne had a rare form of dwarfism known as cartilage-hair hypoplasia and was raised in an Amish community. He is best known for the role of Mini-Me in the Austin Powers film franchise.
DFree / Shutterstock.com
Verne was born in Sturgis, Michigan, on January 1, 1969, where he grew up with his parents. “We grew up Amish, but my parents left the religion when I was a child. The Amish have lots of rules and my dad thought many people in the faith were hypocritical because they’d tell others not to do something and then do it themselves,” Verne told The Guardian.
Suffering from a rare form of dwarfism, Verne was of short stature.
“People with cartilage-hair hypoplasia have unusually short limbs and short stature from birth,” according to Medlineplus.gov.
“They typically have malformations in the cartilage near the ends of the long bones in the arms and legs (metaphyseal chondrodysplasia), which then affects development of the bone itself. Most people with cartilage-hair hypoplasia are unusually flexible in some joints, but they may have difficulty extending their elbows fully.”
s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
Growing up, Verne did what every other child does and he didn’t consider himself different, but when the time came for him to attend high-school he started thinking about his height, especially because his parents, and everyone else in the family, was of average size.
Thankfully, his parents were there to teach him to love himself the way he was. They assured him that no matter his height, he could do anything he would put his mind into and that helped him a lot with his self-confidence.
“I never got much trouble off other kids either, although there was one incident in third grade where a kid who was much taller than me called me the M-word [midget], which is very offensive. So without even thinking, I just jumped in the air and punched him in the nose. He never bothered me again,” Troyer recalled, adding that he was told off whenever he did something wrong.
“My parents were strict on discipline – if we did something wrong, we got the belt. I certainly learned right from wrong more quickly because of it. I get that it’s a controversial issue nowadays and I don’t necessarily agree with it – it’s just how it was back then.”
s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
Until he was 21, Verne led an ordinary life and worked as a telephone company operator in Texas but one day in 1993 would change his life forever.
The producers of the film Baby’s Day Out were looking for a new stand-in stuntman but had a hard time finding one so when Verne’s friend, the president of Little People of America (LPA), got a call from Hollywood, he knew Verne could be perfect for the job.
“They were wondering if there was anyone close to a stand-in size, I guess they searched worldwide and couldn’t find anyone. I sent in my picture, and they flew me out to Hollywood to meet with them. Two days later, they offered me the job, and I quit my job at Sprint,” the actor said. After landing some minor roles, Verne was cast for the iconic role of Mini-Me in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. As we all know, he also appeared in the next movie, Austin Powers: Goldmember. His signature move of putting his pinky to the corner of his mouth became iconic.
Youtube/StyxHerceg
Becoming a celebrity helped Verne fight against the stereotype about little people and he was very proud of that. “I’m not a very confident person, but I grew up with parents who’ve given me the optimism that whatever you put your mind to, you can do, and hopefully I show that to other people,” he said in 2002.
In the film, his character was supposed to die, but fans loved to see more of him so Mike Myers needed to rewrite the script and keep Verne’s character alive.
“When they did a test screening, Mini-Me died at the end. We had to go back and reshoot that because the crowd was upset that Mini-Me was no longer there,” he recalled to Oprah.
“In the beginning, Mini-Me character wasn’t in the film that much,” he said. “Once we started rehearsal, Mike kept adding more parts and more parts and more parts,” he added. “Working with Mike was great. He improv’d a lot. It just kept you on your toes.”
Youtube/StyxHerceg
Mike Myers later said: “As written, Mini-Me is like almost a prop, but he brought it up off the page, made it better than written, and we ended up giving him more and more stuff to do.”
As his career advanced, his personal life suffered. Namely, Verne started drinking a lot and even experienced mental issues in the early 2000. He married model Genevieve Gallen in 2014 but their marriage was short lived. In 2017, the actor spoke openly of his addiction and said he was willing to brake his bad habits and even go to rehab.
“While it’s not always been an easy fight, I’m willing to continue my fight day by day,” he said at the time.
“I’ve been receiving treatment for the last week, and I am voluntarily checking into a treatment center later this week to continue to get the help that I need.”
Sadly, on April 21, 2018, Verne passed away. He was 49.
“It is with great sadness and incredibly heavy hearts to write that Verne passed away today. Verne was an extremely caring individual. He wanted to make everyone smile, be happy, and laugh. Anybody in need, he would help to any extent possible,” his family said.
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Shortly after his passing, it was revealed that Verne Troyer took his own life.
“Over the years he’s struggled and won, struggled and won, struggled and fought some more, but unfortunately this time was too much,” the statement read. “Depression and [taking your own life] are very serious issues. You never know what kind of battle someone is going through inside. Be kind to one another. And always know, it’s never too late to reach out to someone for help.”
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel, Mike Mayers said of his dear friend, “He died at 49. He wasn’t supposed to live past his teens. You saw 150 years worth of life in this photo montage.
“Verne brought so much love to people. Every day you see him, you go ‘Wow! That is a small human.’ But by the end of the day, you just saw Verne. It just sort of went away….He was part of the cast and fantastic. I miss him.”
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