Name Clarence Swensen | Role Actor | |
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Full Name August Clarence Swensen Born December 29, 1917 ( 1917-12-29 ) Austin, Texas Resting place Cook Walden Capital Parks Cemetery, Austin Died February 25, 2009, Pflugerville, Texas, United States Similar People Norman Taurog, King Vidor, Victor Fleming, Mervyn LeRoy, Sam Newfield | ||
August Clarence Swensen (December 29, 1917 – February 25, 2009) was an American actor and was one of the last surviving Munchkins from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Biography
Swensen was born in 1917 and grew up in Austin, Texas. He was not allowed to attend a public school until he was nine because of his size. At 4ft 6in, he played one of the 25 Munchkin soldiers in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
He also appeared in The Terror of Tiny Town as a preacher. Many of his Oz co-stars were cast members of this Western musical film.
After suffering a stroke in 2005, he was unable to walk and ended up in a wheelchair as a result. He suffered from poor health then after but still attended many events with the other surviving Munchkins, including the presentation of the Munchkins' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.
Swensen died on February 25, 2009. His death left Ruth Duccini, Jerry Maren, Margaret Pellegrini, Mickey Carroll, Karl Slover, Meinhardt Raabe and Olga C. Nardone as the only surviving Munchkins.