Felix Silla, Cousin Itt on 'The Addams Family,' Dies at 84

[CousinIT]

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/felix-silla-dead-cousin-itt-addams-family-1234953729/

Felix Silla, the actor who played beloved hairy Addams family member Cousin Itt, has died. He was 84.

His “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” castmate, Gil Gerard, confirmed the news on Twitter. “Felix died just a few hours ago and the only good I can draw from his passing is that he didn’t suffer any longer,” he wrote. “I will miss him terribly, especially the time we had at our panels. Just telling me to ,” go ‘ f ‘ myself”.”

Silla’s death on Friday comes after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a longtime resident of Las Vegas, where he used to perform with his own musical combo, “The Original Harmonica Band,” between movies.

Born in a small village just outside Rome, Italy in January 1937, Silla came to the United States in 1955. A trained circus performer, he toured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Show, which ultimately led him to Hollywood. His skills as a tumbler, bareback rider and trapeze artist landed him stuntman roles, beginning with 1963 comedy “A Ticklish Affair.” Silla also worked as a body double, often for children, in movies like “The Towering Inferno” (1974) and “Battlestar Galactica” (1978). His resume also boasted roles in the original “Star Trek,” “Space Ball” and “Star Wars: Episode VI,” in which he played an Ewok.

Before a series of roles in science fiction projects, Silla played Cousin Itt, part of the kooky clan on “The Addams Family,” which ran from 1964-1966 on ABC. His costume was a single body-length hairpiece topped by a bowler hat and pair of sunglasses. A Los Angeles Times interview revealed the costume was in fact made out of real human hair.

(My DU name refers to "IT" as in Information Technology -- so I'm still very much alive! R.I.P. to Silla though, Addams Family was one of my favorite things to watch as a kid and I adored Cousin Itt)

[Kali]

1. loved the old show

[Hugin]

2. Wow! What a life.

[IcyPeas]

3. It was a fantastic show. Cousin Itt was a very memorable character.

[NullTuples]

4. For those who are curious, he was the robot Twiki on Buck Rogers.

My condolences to his friends & loved ones as well as his fans.

[MustLoveBeagles]

5. RIP

[crickets]

6. Felix Silla was in so many movies and TV shows; it's amazing.

I wondered about the above picture on the left with the Maltese Falcon.

https://deadline.com/2021/04/felix-silla-dies-cousin-itt-on-the-addams-family-tv-show-was-84-obituary-1234737466/

One role where he could be seen was as the villain Litvak, who took on George Segal’s Sam Spade Jr. in The Maltese Falcon sequel The Black Bird (1975).

Mystery solved! Apparently the movie stunk, which is too bad. Another interesting article:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/felix-silla-cousin-itt-on-the-addams-family-dies-at-84

A year later, he worked in the Gig Young-Shirley Jones comedy film A Ticklish Affair and appeared on the Bonanza episode "Hoss and the Leprechauns," and in 1965, he was in "The Cage," the 1965 first pilot for Star Trek.

Silla's size allowed him to stand in, double and/or play youngsters, as in Planet of the Apes (1968), Demon Seed (1977) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and he did stunt work in The Towering Inferno (1974), The Hindenburg (1975), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Poltergeist (1982), The Golden Child (1986), Howard the Duck (1986) and Batman Returns (1992).

His big-screen résumé also included Point Blank (1967), The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), The Brood (1979) and Spaceballs (1987), and on TV, he was a regular performer for Sid and Marty Krofft on H.R. Pufnstuf and Lidsville

The article goes on, with many more roles mentioned. ...Wait a minute. Felix Silla was in ST: The Cage?

https://www.startrek.com/article/catching-up-with-the-cage-talosian-felix-silla

Short article about his appearance in the episode as well as an interview, well worth the read:

I'm fully retired. I retired in 1996. I did my last movie in Romania and then I just retired. I gave it up. I got my pension. There's not much work left in California. As a matter of fact, not too much work now, because little people, there's so many little people and not enough work for everybody. So, I gave it up, and in 2003 I decided to move out of the San Fernando Valley, and I moved to Las Vegas. And, yes, now I do a lot of conventions, signing autographs, making appearances. I enjoy it. I get to see all of my fans and I get to meet some new ones. I'm having a lot of fun, traveling, a lot of traveling. I’ll be in Las Vegas for the big Star Trek convention. I live here, in Vegas, so it’s an easy one for me. [snip]

When I do these shows, everyone says, "You're a part of my life" or "I grew up with you." I love to hear that. I made a living, I worked with some very talented people, and I also made a lot of people happy. I’ve also got my family… (his wife, two daughters, a son and five grandchildren). So, I’ve got plenty to keep me busy. [more]

Yes, he did make a lot of people very happy. It sounds like he had a good time doing what loved and was very happy himself, which makes me glad. What a long interesting career (and life) Felix Silla had.

[Lucinda]

7. ❤️ ✿❧🌿❧✿ ❤️

[hlthe2b]

8. I loved the old Adam's family and have to admit that I'd never known who played Cousin Itt.

It sounds like he had a very rough time of it. Pancreatic cancer is horrendous.

RIP, sir. I learned a lot about your long career today.

[raccoon]

9. I guess John Astin (Gomez) and Lisa Loring (Wednesday) are

Are the only ones from that show who are still living.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Wow.

I didn't realize some of the older actors were still around. And damned if I didn't realize he was in those cited shows/films (all of which I have seen). Looks like he probably outdid Billy Barty in some of these parts!



So sorry to see this, R.I.P. and thanks to him for all the iconic roles!!!