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Why were so many tough guy actors so short?

posted 5 years ago by NotoriousRio (12927)
18 replies | jump to latest

Humphrey Bogart was 5ft 8, George Raft was 5ft 7, James Cagney was 5ft 5 and Edward G Robinson was 5ft 4.

All great actors and among my very favourites, but their height is noticeable when they are fist fighting goons in their movies, although I doubt the goons are much taller, I know the average height was much smaller than today but its curious that smaller actors always got the tough guy roles!

It’s also a good job they stayed clear of westerns! John Wayne, Jack Palance, James Stewart and Gary Cooper were all well over 6 ft!

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[–] ProductionNow (1072) 5 years ago

I'm confused: you said they "always" got the tough guy roles, but then mentioned all of the tough guys(except for Stewart) who were tall. Anyway, height hasn't changed much due to evolution in a minuscule 60 years; 5 8" is just about average height for men (technically, it's 5.9")

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[–] NotoriousRio (12927) 4 years ago

The other actors I mentioned who were tall were best known for starring in westerns, the shorter actors were better known as gangsters.

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[–] Adam60z (3774) 4 years ago

Edward G. Robinson was 5'7", not 5'4". Bogart at 5'8" wasn't "short". One inch below average US, but taller than an average Brit at the time. Anyway glad they didn't play in Westerns, because with a few exceptions I can't stand them!

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[–] NotoriousRio (12927) 4 years ago

I love Bogart and Cagney but the western they were in together was awful!

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[–] Adam60z (3774) 4 years ago

I meant can't stand Westerns, love the actors too! Of course High Noon, Once upon a time in the West, and Good, the Bad, and the Ugly are exceptions.

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[–] NotoriousRio (12927) 4 years ago

Those are a good choice of exceptions. 😉

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[–] davodikum (6198) 4 years ago

Has average height changed much in the past hundred years? I wouldn't have thought so.

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[–] Adam60z (3774) 4 years ago

People have gotten a little taller on average.

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[–] NotoriousRio (12927) 4 years ago

Mostly due to better diet and medical care in early life over the past hundred years.

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[–] davodikum (6198) 4 years ago

But really it must be negligible in the general public.

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[–] huwdj (4567) 4 years ago

Raft, Cagney and Robinson all grew up in the rougher areas of New York and probably were genuinely tough guys. Bogart not so much. But I suspect the real reason is they were all at Warner Bros when Gangster Movies were the big thing.

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[–] NotoriousRio (12927) 4 years ago

Yeah, Bogart was relatively wealthy, he was great as a menacing gangster though!

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[–] liscarkat (18600) 4 years ago

You can name a handful of shorter actors in 1930s - 1940s crime dramas, and tall actors in westerns. But there were also tall guys in gangster movies and short guys in westerns. Ladd, Bogart, and Cagney all did westerns. Robert Ryan, Robert Mitchum, and Fred MacMurray, all above average height, were well known for films noir as well as westerns.

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[–] jewoogle (2269) 4 years ago

Napoleonic syndrome, sometime the shortest guy in the room is the most dangerous since he the most to prove

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[–] ducksoup (3933) 4 years ago

Short guys are scrappy, it's a matter of survival.

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[–] stones78 (426) 3 years ago

they all have "little man syndrome".

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[–] TheArgentinian (7111) 4 years ago

You missed the toughest of them all: Joe Pesci!

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[–] AbercrombieJolen (70) 4 years ago

I don't consider 5'8 short. it's under average, and far from tall, but not short. 5'7 is borderline. I always figured Bogart was about 5'10. I was surprised to learn only 5'8

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