The Best Short Actors

Updated August 20, 2018 42.0k votes 6.6k voters 471.9k views115 items

List RulesActors at or under under 5' 7".

Who are the best short actors? Some of the incredibly famous actors on this list are surprisingly diminutive, coming in at 5'7" or under. These actors might loom large on the big or small screens, but in person, they're actually, well, somewhat tiny. Vote up the short actors you think are the best, and vote down any small fries that you just don't care for. Feel free, as well, to re-rank this list any way you like.

Many of the great short male actors on this list are among the best actors in film history and certainly among the hottest male celebrities ever. Does height matter? Not if the actor is super hot! That's why ballet flats were created, people!

And height sure doesn't matter when it comes to acting talent: consider Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Joe Pesci, Richard Dreyfuss and Woody Allen, for example. Ever single one of these incredible, award-winning actors is 5'7" or under (way under, in some cases). Does it matter? No. No, it sure doesn't. Just imagine the acting world without the genius of Pacino or the humor of Dudley Moore or Martin Lawrence - it's not a fun thing to consider, is it? These are some of the greatest film actors of all time, after all.

Who's on this short actors list? Just because an actor is tall doesn't mean he's automatically a leading man. Sure, it might help in some respects, but it isn't a deal breaker. Camera angles can easily disguise an actor's stature, making him appear far taller than he actually is. As with many things in Hollywood, it's all about the tricks of the trade, and every single one of the shortest male actors listed here knows this, very well.

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Robin Williams
5'7"
Age: Dec. at 63 (1951-2014)
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
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2
1,163
410
Peter Dinklage
1.35
Age: 46
Birthplace: Morristown, New Jersey, USA
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3
1,279
493
Al Pacino
5'6"
Age: 80
Birthplace: East Harlem, New York City, New York, United States of America
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965
336
Danny DeVito
4'10
Age: 75
Birthplace: Neptune City, New Jersey, United States of America
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1,010
380
Michael J. Fox
1.63
Age: 59
Birthplace: Edmonton, Canada
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913
453
Dustin Hoffman
5'5"
Age: 83
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States of America
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989
490
Tom Cruise
5'6"
Age: 58
Birthplace: Syracuse, New York, United States of America
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686
367
Joe Pesci
5'4"
Age: 77
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
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Daniel Radcliffe
5'4"
Age: 31
Birthplace: Fulham, London, England
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515
244
Ben Stiller
5'6"
Age: 54
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
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525
197
James McAvoy
5'6"
Age: 41
Birthplace: Port Glasgow, United Kingdom
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461
274
Martin Sheen
5'6"
Age: 80
Birthplace: Dayton, Ohio, USA
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13
478
258
Elijah Wood
1.68
Age: 34
Birthplace: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America
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312
166
Frank Sinatra
1.72
Age: Dec. at 83 (1915-1998)
Birthplace: Hoboken, New Jersey, United States of America
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369
228
Mel Brooks
5'4"
Age: 94
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
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16
454
267
Jack Black
5'6"
Age: 46
Birthplace: Santa Monica, California, USA
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352
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Henry Winkler
5'6"
Age: 74
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States of America
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Richard Dreyfuss
5'4"
Age: 72
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
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371
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Rick Moranis
1.55
Age: 67
Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
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Martin Freeman
5'6"
Age: 49
Birthplace: Aldershot, United Kingdom
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348
177
Jet Li
5'6''
Age: 57
Birthplace: Beijing, China
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283
133
Emile Hirsch
1.66
Age: 35
Birthplace: Topanga, California, United States of America
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Tim Roth
1.7
Age: 59
Birthplace: Dulwich, London, United Kingdom
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359
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Josh Hutcherson
5'6"
Age: 27
Birthplace: Union, Kentucky, United States of America
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Don Knotts
5'6"
Age: Dec. at 82 (1924-2006)
Birthplace: Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
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