Karl Slover

 Karl Slover (September 21, 1918 – November 15, 2011)

Slover was an actor best known as one of the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Diagnosed at an early age with pituitary dwarfism, Slover was barely two feet tall by his eighth birthday. Dwarfism was not a family trait; his father stood six feet six inches, and his mother was just a few inches shorter. Slover's father went to great lengths to make Slover taller, including and taking him to Hungary, where doctors fixed stretchers to his arms and legs. When Slover was just nine years old, his father sent him to work for a traveling show based out of Berlin, Germany. After working with the show for several years, Slover moved to the United States where he joined another traveling show It wasn't long before Slover began appearing in films like The Terror of Tiny Town, Block-Heads, Bringing Up Baby, and They Gave Him a Gun. Slover was working in Hawaii when his circus manager sent him to Hollywood, where little people were needed for an upcoming film called The Wizard of Oz. At the age of 21 and standing just 4 feet 4 inches, Slover played the parts of four Munchkins in the movie; the first trumpeter, a soldier, one of the sleepy heads, and was among those who sang "Follow the Yellow Brick Road". Slover remained very active in his later years and participated in several celebrations related to The Wizard of Oz. Every June, Slover attended festivities celebrating Judy Garland's birthday at the Judy Garland Museum & Birthplace in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Slover died on November 15, 2011, at age 93. He was a lifelong bachelor, and resided at an assisted living facility in Dublin, Georgia, at the time of his death. He is buried at Rentz Cemetery in Rentz, Georgia.