Gurdeep "Deep" Roy (born Mohinder Purba; 26 January 1949) is a Kenyan-British actor, stuntman and puppeteer. Standing at tall, he has often been cast as diminutive characters, such as Teeny Weeny in The NeverEnding Story, the Oompa-Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Keenser in Star Trek and its sequels, and in television series such as The X-Files, Doctor Who and Eastbound & Down.
Early life Roy was born on 26 January 1949; in Nairobi to Indian parents in a Sikh family. He studied accounting in London before dropping out at 18.
Career Roy later enrolled in The Slim Wood School of Comedy and got his start in the entertainment arena in England in 1970 as a stand-up comic in local cabaret clubs. In April 1970, Roy opened on the UK stage in Ray Cooney's Miracle Worker at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea. He made his professional screen acting debut in a 1976 episode of The New Avengers, titled "Target!" as a character named Klokoe. Roy made his film debut later that year in The Pink Panther Strikes Again, as the Italian Assassin. Another early role was as Mr. Sin, the "pig-brained Peking Homunculus", a villain with a distinct appetite for homicide, in the Doctor Who serial The Talons of Weng-Chiang. In 1979, Roy played a genetically engineered life form "Decima" in the first season of Blake's 7 episode "The Web", the diminutive chess genius, "The Klute", in the second season of Blake's 7 episode "Gambit" and he voiced the character "Moloch", in the third season of Blake's 7 episode "Moloch". Roy was a stand-in for the Jedi Master Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. He is uncredited on the film but can be seen in many behind-the-scenes photos dressed as Yoda for perspective shots filmed towards the end of production.
Roy has played apes in two movies: Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, and again in the Tim Burton remake of Planet of the Apes (2001) in two roles, one as a young gorilla boy and as Thade's niece. He has worked for Burton in three other films, Big Fish (2003), Corpse Bride (2005), where he supplied General Bonesapart's voice, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (also 2005), portraying all 165 Oompa-Loompas. In referencing his workload during production, director Tim Burton called Roy the "hardest-working man in show biz". Roy had extensive training for the role in dance, yoga, and some minor instrument playing.
Roy has performed many other roles in films and on television, including The X-Files, Flash Gordon, Return to Oz (as the Tin Woodman), Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal as a puppeteer extra, The NeverEnding Story as Teeny Weeny, the rider of the "racing snail", Alien from L.A., Howling VI: The Freaks as Mr. Toones and Return of the Jedi as Droopy McCool.
Roy appeared in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) as an Egyptian border guard and in the film Star Trek (also 2009) as Keenser, Scotty's assistant on the ice planet Delta Vega. He reprised the Keenser role in the sequels Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond. In one of his more prominent speaking roles, Roy played Aaron, a violent Mumbai-born Mexican criminal in the second season of the HBO comedy Eastbound & Down. Roy starred as Sandeep Majumdar in the 2012 short film The Ballad of Sandeep.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1976 The Pink Panther Strikes Again Italian Assassin 1978 Benji's Very Own Christmas Story Key Elf Uncredited1979 The Muppet Movie Stunt performer Licensed to Love and Kill Dwarf Die Brut des Bösen/Roots of Evil Van Bullock 1980 Flash Gordon Fellini The Empire Strikes Back Yoda stand-in R2-D2 (double) Uncredited 1982 The Dark Crystal Additional performer Return of the Ewok Droopy McCool 1983 Mini Gulliver Mini Gull Return of the Jedi Droopy McCool/puppeteer R2-D2 (body double) Ewok 1984 This Is Spinal Tap Stunt performer Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes Primate sequences The NeverEnding Story Teeny Weeny Voice overdubbed The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Stunt performer Lorca and the Outlaws a.k.a. Starship Grid1985 Return to Oz Tin Man Voice Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome Stunt performer1986 Weekend Warriors Little girl Uncredited Poltergeist II: The Other Side Stunt performer 1987 Going Bananas Bonzo 1988 Alien from L.A. Mambino 1989 Rising Storm Joker Arroyo Lethal Woman Grizabella 1990 Disturbed Marty1991 Howling VI: The Freaks Toones Hook Stunt performer 1992 The Resurrected Main monster 1993 Freaked George Ramirez No. 3 Leprechaun Stunt double for Warwick Davis Josh and S.A.M. Stunt performer 1994 Dickwad Little Telephone Bully Wes Craven's New Nightmare Stunt performer The Little Rascals Stunt performer The War Stunt performer The Jungle Book Stunt performer 1995 Sudden Death Stunt performer Under the Hula Moon Bus driver 1996 Matilda Stunt performer 1997 Retroactive Stunt performer 1998 Mafia! Small hitman Uncredited BASEketball Stunt performer The Adventures of Ragtime Stunt double for Justin Cooper2000 Disney's The Kid Stunt double for Spencer Breslin How the Grinch Stole Christmas Post office clerk 2001 Planet of the Apes Gorilla kid / Thade's niece2003 The Haunted Mansion Hitchhiking ghost A Man Apart Stunt performer Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood Stunt double for Warwick Davis Big Fish Mr. Soggybottom2004 Surviving Eden Indian Mo Van Helsing Stunt performer 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Oompa-Loompas Singing voice provided by Danny Elfman; narrator's voice provided by Geoffrey Holder Corpse Bride General Bonesapart Voice2009 Star Trek Keenser The Unborn Stunt performer DoubledAtticus Shaffer Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Egyptian guard 2012 Zambezia Mushana Voice The Ballad of Sandeep Sandeep Majumdar 2013 Paranormal Movie Demon Star Trek Into Darkness Keenser 2014 Mantervention Massage parlor owner 2016 Star Trek Beyond Keenser 2017 God Came 'Round Sandeep Short film/music video2019Deep Into LoveDr. LoveShort film
Television Year Title Role Notes 1976 The New Avengers Klokoe Episode: "Target!" 1977, 1986 Doctor Who Mr. Sin/Posicarian delegate (uncredited) The Talons of Weng-Chiang/Mindwarp 1978–1980 Blake's 7 Decima/The Klute/Moloch/Link 4 episodes 1989 Desperado: The Outlaw Wars Uncredited 1996 Evil Has a Face Stunt performer TV movie 2001 The X-Files Beggar man Episode: "Badlaa" 2003–2004 The Jamie Kennedy Experiment Himself 9 episodes 2010 Eastbound & Down Aaron 4 episodes 2012 Wolfpack of Reseda Mr. Jo Episode: "Hungry Like the Wolf"
Music videos Year Title Role Artist 1996 "Grind" Evil Cherub 1 Alice in Chains 2007 "Calm Down Dearest" Jamie T 2021 "Atenção" Oompa-Loompas Pedro Sampaio and Luísa Sonza
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