APRIL 18, 2021 - Actor Felix Silla has passed away, according to Gil Gerard, his costar and the lead actor on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Deadline reported Silla’s death on Friday, April 16th of pancreatic cancer. He was 84.

Star Trek fans will know Silla as one of the Talosians in the original pilot “The Cage”, but his career was much, much bigger than that. Standing just 3’11”, he was a memorable performer in just about anything he took on.

Silla was born in Italy and came to the United States in 1955, travelling with the Ringling Brothers circus as a trapeze artist and tumbler. He often did stunt work in Hollywood, standing in for children in films such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, where he doubled for the role of Short Round.

But it wasn’t just stunt work that kept Silla busy, he also held notable acting roles like Cousin Itt from the television series The Addams Family, the robot Lucifer in the original Battlestar Galactica, and of course, Twiki in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. He also played a child gorilla in Planet of the Apes, as well as an Ewok in Return of the Jedi.

Silla is survived by his wife Sue and their children, Bonnie and Michael.