Another Munchkin Gone

91 year-old Clarence Swensen, who played a Munchkin soldier in the classic 1939 flick The Wizard of Oz, died last Wednesday. The news comes from a funeral home in Pflugerville, Texas, where Swensen lived.

The retired 4 foot, 6 inch electronics technician had been in failing health since he had a stroke in 2005, according to The Austin American-Statesman.

Before that, Swensen had gone to Wizard of Oz reunions, and was one of the seven of the surviving Munchkin actors who were there in 2007 when the little Ozians received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In the late 1930s, Swensen joined the Stanley R. Graham All Midget Circus, which led to him being spotted by MGM and offered a part in the film. He earned $700 for the role.