Active within the industry since he was eleven, Davis is one of the highest grossing supporting actors of all time and has the highest average gross revenue of all time. Davis starred as a fictionalised version of himself in the sitcom Life's Too Short β Davis was born with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita , a rare bone growth disorder that results in dwarfism.
When Davis was 11, his grandmother heard a radio advertisement calling for people who were 4 feet cm tall or shorter to be in Return of the Jedi. Davis was originally cast as an extra Ewok , but when Kenny Baker , who was originally going to be Wicket , fell ill, George Lucas picked Davis to be the new Wicket after seeing how he carried himself as an Ewok.
Davis based his Ewok movements on his dog, who tilted his head from side to side whenever he saw something strange. The unreleased film was a fictional look at his decision to become an actor and act in the film and his transformation into Wicket the Ewok.
In , Davis was called to Elstree Studios near London to meet with Ron Howard and George Lucas to discuss a new film project called Willow , which was written with Davis specifically in mind. Willow was his first opportunity to act with his face visible.
In , he played the villainous Irish lead character in Leprechaun , opposite Jennifer Aniston , a role he reprised in five sequels, from to He also played a leprechaun in the family film A Very Unlucky Leprechaun.
