Felix Silla, the actor who played the beloved hairy Addams family member Cousin Itt, has passed away. He was 84.
His rolemate, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Gil Gerard, confirmed the news on Twitter. “Felix died a few hours ago and the only benefit I can derive from his passing is that he no longer suffered,” he wrote. ‘I will miss him terribly, especially the time we had at our panels. Just tell me to go myself. ‘
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Silla’s death Friday comes after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a longtime resident of Las Vegas, where he performed with his own musical combo, “The Original Harmonica Band”, between movies.
Born in a small town just outside Rome, Italy in January 1937, Silla came to the United States in 1955. He was a trained circus performer and worked with the Ringling Bros. and toured Barnum & Bailey Show, which eventually led him to Hollywood. His skills as a tumbler, bareback rider and trapeze artist earned him roles as a stuntman, beginning with the comedy “A Ticklish Affair” from 1963. Silla also works as a body doubler, often for children, in films such as “The Towering Inferno” ‘(1974) and’ Battlestar Galactica ‘(1978). His resume also boasts roles in the original ‘Star Trek’, ‘Space Ball’ and ‘Star Wars: Episode VI’, in which he played an Ewok.
Prior to a series of roles in science fiction projects, Silla Cousin played Itt, part of the cooking group of The Addams Family, which aired on ABC from 1964 to 1966. His costume was a single body length piece of hair, on top of a bowler hat and sunglasses. An interview in the Los Angeles Times revealed that the costume was made in real human hair.
Silla is survived by his wife Sue and their children Bonnie and Michael. The couple has been married since 1965.
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