We’ve learned the sad news tonight that Felix Silla, an actor and stuntman best known for playing Cousin Itt on “The Addams Family,” has passed away today at the age of 84.
Silla died Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer, THR reports.
Felix Silla played Cousin Itt in multiple episodes of the original “Addams Family” live-action series between 1965 and 1966, subsequently appearing in several popular shows including “H.R. Pufnstuf,” “Bewitched,” “Night Gallery,” “Lidsville,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” and “Star Trek: The Original Series.”
Silla reprised the role of Cousin Itt in the 1977 TV movie Halloween with the New Addams Family, returning alongside original series cast members John Astin and Carolyn Jones.
Felix Silla also appeared in several horror films including Sssssss, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Demon Seed, The Manitou, The Brood, The Dungeonmaster, and House. As a stunt performer, he worked on Poltergeist, The Monster Squad, and Phantasm II, as well as E.T., Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Howard the Duck, Dennis the Menace, and Batman Returns.
In 1983, Felix Silla played an Ewok in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. A few years later, in 1987, he portrayed the character Dink in the Mel Brooks spoof Spaceballs.
Silla is survived by his wife, Sue, and children Bonnie and Michael.