The Real Heights Of 300 Hollywood Actors, Finally Settled

Height is the single most disputed statistic in show business, and the reason is structural rather than personal. This collection works through three hundred actors and the figures that have actually been established - which is a slightly different question from what appears on most websites.

Almost Every Published Celebrity Height Came From A Press Office

For most of the industry's history, an actor's listed height came from a studio publicity department whose job was not accuracy. It was rounded up as a matter of routine.

Those rounded numbers were then copied into reference books, onto early websites, and from there into permanent circulation. A figure invented in 1962 to make a leading man sound taller can still be the first result you find today.

The Four Tricks Films Have Used To Fake Height Since The Silent Era

Height matters more than it should because film is a business of illusions, and this is one of the easiest to manufacture. The standard techniques have been in continuous use since the silent era:

• Apple boxes. Wooden crates for the shorter actor to stand on, in almost every shot where both are in frame.
• Camera angle. Shooting slightly up or down adjusts apparent height without anyone moving.
• Trenches. Digging out the floor for the taller performer to walk in during a two-shot.
• Built-in steps. Ramps and staircases hidden in what looks like a flat set.

What This Collection Actually Establishes

Some of the results are unremarkable. A handful will directly contradict something you have believed since childhood, which is the reason the format works.

Some Results Will Contradict Something You Have Believed For Years

The scale is the point. More oddities in the Star Files section.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

Three hundred measurements, and at least one that will annoy you. Watch above, then browse the rest of the Star Files section.