Felix Silla is a man known for many roles. Despite how few know his name, many more people are familiar with his work. From being on television in the 1960s as Cousin Itt to fighting the Empire in the 1970s, we know his work. Like many from his time, we are must also say goodbye to Mr. Silla.
Felix Silla Known Most For Iconic Role as Cousin Itt
News has broken recently on Twitter of the passing of veteran actor Felix Silla. Buck Rogers (1979-81) co-star Gil Gerard shared that the Addams Family actor was dying of pancreatic cancer.
In the 1960s, the actor took on the role of Cousin Itt. And it would prove to be one of his most iconic roles. Despite the fact that the character spoke only gibberish, he was still one people spoke about the most. He was also in the original Battlestar Galactica (1978-79) as Lucifer and in Spaceballs (1987) as Dink. Out of the 64 episodes that originally aired, Felix Silla only appeared as Cousin Itt in 17 episodes. And surprisingly, he provided only the physical talent for the character. That credit for the gibberish he spoke belongs to sound engineer Tony Magro.
Felix Silla also provided stuntwork to other films as well. In 1985, the Cousin Itt actor provided his talent to Steven Spielberg’s ET: The Extraterrestrial. He also provided work for The Golden Child and Tim Burton’s Batman Returns.
Cousin Itt was indeed a popular character, most notably after indication. Not many may know this, but the character was not in the original Addams Family cartoon. The character is the work of a producer from the live-action 1960s series. Felix Silla is survived by his two children Bonnie, Michael, and his wife Sue. Memorial plans have yet to be announced.
