Herve Villechaize

1. Fantasy Come True
2. Mini Bio
3. Little Big Man
4. Da Plane
5. The Plain
6. Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon
7. Anaconda
8. Hot Tomorrows
9. The Telephone
10. The One And Only

1. Fantasy Come True

Herve Villechaize appeared in supporting character roles in 13 feature films, but everyone remembers him best for playing Ricardo Montalban's energetic sidekick, the character that made him famous - Tatto on the 80's hit show "Fantasy Island". His words, "Boss...Da Plane, Da Plane" made him an 80's icon and will ring throughout TV history.

2. Mini Bio

Herve was born in Paris, France on April 23, 1943. His father was French and his mother was English. Before becoming an actor, he studied art in Paris and then in New York. Finally choosing acting, he studied under the famed drama teacher, Julie Bovasso. He made his feature film debut in 1971's comedy caper, "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight".

3. Little Big Man

Standing only three feet eleven inches tall, Herve quickly became a giant among character actors during his time. In 1974, he made his big break with two high exposure roles, back-to-back. He appeared in Oliver Stone's "Seizure" and then opposite Roger Moore in James Bond's "The Man With the Golden Gun".

4. Da Plane

The airplane used for "Fantasy Island" was previously owned by Richard Bach, the author of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull". He had to auction it and several other planes due to a bankruptcy procedure.

After the show wrapped, the plane was auctioned off for an upgraded sum of money, partly because it had been autographed by Every Single Guest Star that had appeared on the show during the six year run.

5. The Plain

Herve quit "Fantasy Island" in 1983 over a salary dispute. When he left he had been making $25,000 per episode. He later did a commercial in parody of the show for Dunkin' Donuts where he was seen ordering, "The plain, the plain".

6. Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon

Herve Villechaize was in Crazy Joe (1974) with Paula Prentiss. Paula Prentiss was in Mrs. Winterbourne (1996) with Brendan Fraser. Brendan Fraser was in Younger and Younger (1993) with Donald Sutherland. Donald Sutherland was in JFK (1991) with Kevin Bacon. That's even faster than six, Herve was a popular guy in Hollywood.

With archival footage he appeared along side Paul Newman, Bob Hope, Ali McGraw and Dustin Hoffman in the 2002 documentary, "The Kid Stays In the Picture". The documentary became a hit, chronicling the escapades of movie mogul "bad boy" Robert Evans.

7. Anaconda

The famous opening scenes of "Fantasy Island" were shot at the Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia, California. The same place where they shot key scenes for the 1997 film, "Anaconda", starring Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Ice Cube, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez. Strange isn't it?

8. Hot Tomorrows

In 1977 Martin Brest made a strange little film called, "Hot Tomorrows" for the tiny sum of $33,000. It was about a young New York writer who moves to LA and spends his days writing about his elderly aunt when he is not busy exploring his obsession with death. Herve plays a character called Alberict in this film, but the more astonishing thing was that Martin Brest went on to become one of the biggest producers in Hollywood; even teaming with heavy weight Jerry Bruckheimer to produce the runaway hit film, "Beverly Hills Cop". Unfortunately, Herve was not in "Beverly Hills Cop".

9. The Telephone

In 1987 Whoopi Goldberg made the comedy-drama, "The Telephone". She played Vashti Blue, a struggling actress who takes out her frustrations via the telephone. Much like the recent comedy hit, "Crank Yankers". Herve provided one of the voices as a character on the freeway.

10. The One And Only

Herve resided in North Hollywood on W. Killion Street. Health problems had plagued him most of his life. He was born with undersized lungs and nearly died of pneumonia in 1992. He also suffered from ulcers and a spastic colon. Sadly on the afternoon of Saturday September 4th, 1993, he wrote a note and left a tape recording stating he was extremely discouraged about his growing health problems. He then went to his backyard, behind his garage, and shot himself in the chest. Herve's body was cremated and scattered at sea off Point Fermin in Los Angeles. Herve Villechaize was 50 years of age.