LOS ANGELES-Actor Verne Troyer, who was best known for his role as Mini-Me in the “Austin Powers” movies, has died at the age of 49.
“It is with great sadness and incredibly heavy hearts to write that Verne passed away today,” a statement posted Saturday on Troyer’s Facebook page said. No cause of death was given.
Troyer, who starred in a number of commercials and films over the years, gained international fame as Mini-Me, a 2-foot-8 version of Mike Myers’ Dr. Evil, in “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” and “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”
Troyer rose to stardom in the late 1990s. At that time, he roamed the red carpet, sat for celebrity interviews and passed out business cards that read “The Biggest Little Man in Show Business.”
The actor grew up in rural Michigan, where he said his parents treated him the same as his other siblings, who were average-sized.