Deep Roy

Template:Realworld

...as Keenser

Deep Roy (born 1957) is an actor and stuntman who played the role of Keenser in 2009's Star Trek and 2012's Star Trek Into Darkness. He is noted for playing Max Rebo Band member Droopy McCool and an Ewok in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi and for his frequent collaborations with director Tim Burton, particularly his portrayal of all 165 Oompa-Loompas in 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In the special features of Star Trek, he is shown doing the Oompa-Loompa dances between takes.

Personal life

Deep Roy was born Muhinder Purba in Nairobi, Kenya, to Indian parents. He stands at 4 ft. 4 in. tall. Roy began his career in entertainment in England as a stand-up comic in local cabaret clubs.

Career

Roy's first film role was the Italian assassin in the 1976 comedy The Pink Panther Strikes Again. The following year, he appeared as Mr. Sin in the Doctor Who serial "The Talons of Weng-Chiang". (This means that Roy, along with costar Simon Pegg, are among the ranks of actors who have appeared in both Doctor Who and Star Trek.) He also worked on the British science fiction series Blake's 7 as both a stuntman and a guest star. Given his role in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, he is the first and only actor to appear in Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Star Wars.

In the 1980 cult film Flash Gordon, Deep Roy played Princess Aura's pet, Fellini. He later appeared as Teeny Weeny, the rider of the "racing snail", in the popular 1984 fantasy film The Neverending Story. Fellow Star Trek alum Alan Oppenheimer lent his voice to this latter film.

Roy's subsequent film credits included Rising Storm (with Zach Galligan and John Rhys-Davies), Disturbed (starring Malcolm McDowell and Clint Howard), Freaked (with William Sadler), and Under the Hula Moon (with Carel Struycken and William O. Campbell). He also played the post office clerk in the 2000 blockbuster How the Grinch Stole Christmas, working with Clint Howard. He then made a guest appearance on The X-Files, playing the role of "Beggar Man" in the 2001 episode "Badlaa". The X-Files was executive-produced by John Shiban, and the episode in which Roy appeared also featured Jane Daly and Michael Welch.

Roy first worked with Tim Burton on the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes, in which Roy played the niece of the villain, General Thade. This film also featured Erick Avari, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and David Warner in the cast. Roy's next collaboration with Burton was the acclaimed 2003 fantasy Big Fish, in which Roy played "Mr. Soggybottom."

Perhaps Roy's most notable performance is that of the Oompa-Loompas in Burton's 2005 adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Roy played all 165 Oompa-Loompas in the film, which sometimes required him to repeat the same movements several hundred times. Each individual performance was then digitally inserted into the film. Roy's most recent collaboration with Tim Burton was the 2005 stop-motion animated Corpse Bride, in which he voiced General Bonesapart.

Roy made a cameo appearance as an Egyptian guard in 2009's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which was co-written by Star Trek screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The film also featured David Bowe, Spencer Garrett, Aaron Lustig, Glenn Morshower, Eric Pierpoint, and the voices of Robert Foxworth, Tony Todd, and Frank Welker. Roy and Star Trek co-star Leonard Nimoy both lent their voices to the 2012 South African animated film Zambezia.

In 2010, Roy played the role of "Aaron" in three episodes of the hit HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down, including one with Adam Scott. Roy also appeared with Leon Russom in an episode of the web series Wolfpack of Reseda.

In addition to his acting career, Roy has performed stunts in such films as Hook, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Matilda, BASEketball, and Van Helsing.

External links

• DeepRoyInc.com - official site
• Deep Roy at Wikipedia
• Template:IMDb-link