Harry Earles

Also Known As

Kurt Schneider

Biography

Harry/Kurt (stage name/real name) came over to the U.S. from Germany around 1915 with his sister, Grace/Freida. Once they arrived, they worked for a man named Earles, at which time they adopted his last name. In the early 1920s, their sister Daisy/Hilda joined them and in the mid- to late 1920s, their sister Tiny/Elly arrived. The four worked in the movies while simultaneously working for Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. Around 1930, the four left the movie business in favor of the circus, where they worked until the mid-1950s. During this time, they made very few film appearances (most notably The Wizard of Oz (1939)) as Munchkins and Daisy's brief blink-and-you-miss-it shot in Best Picture winner The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)). The foursome retired in the mid-1950s. Grace died in 1970, Daisy in 1980 and Harry in 1985. For more info on Harry Doll/Harry Earles/Kurt Schneider, check out Steven Cox's book "The Munchkins of Oz".