Slover, Karl

Karl Slover ( born Karl Slover , nee Karl Kosiczky ( Slovak: Karl Kosiczky ), September 21, 1918 - November 15, 2011 ) is an American actor of Slovak origin, best known as one of the munchkins in the movie “ The Wizard of the country of Oz ”(1939).

Born in the village of Prakovce, Slovakia (then the Kingdom of Hungary ). At a young age, he was diagnosed with pituitary dwarfism, which his parents tried hard to treat, but this did not bring success and Slover remained for the whole life of dwarf growth. At the age of 9, his father sent him to work in a street theater in Berlin , and a few years later Slover moved to the United States , where he continued his performances. ^[3] In the late 1930s, he began to be invited to episodic roles in the cinema, where he appeared in the films “They gave him a gun” (1937), “Bringing up the Baby” (1938), “Boobies” (1938), “The Wizard of the Country” Oz ”(1939) and“ The Lost Weekend ”(1945). At the same time, Slover performed in a dwarf show with which he toured the United States.

In later years, Slover took part in various celebrations associated with the “Wizard of Oz”. In 2007, he, along with other seven surviving actors who played the role of munchkins, took part in laying their name star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . ^[4] He spent the last years of his life in Dublin, Georgia , where he died in November 2011 at the age of 93. ^[5]