Joshua Ryan Evans (January 10, 1982 – August 5, 2002) was an American actor who became known for his role of Timmy Lenox in the soap opera Passions. Evans was aged 17 to 20 during his tenure on Passions, but had the appearance and voice of a small child due to achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. He was tall.
Early life and career Born in Hayward, California, Evans began his career at age twelve, appearing in various television commercials. He made his film debut portraying a toddler in Baby Geniuses in 1999. The following year he played the role of the young Grinch (Jim Carrey's character) in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He also appeared as General Tom Thumb in the A&E original movie P.T. Barnum. Evans also had guest spots on Ally McBeal, 7th Heaven, and Poltergeist: The Legacy.
In 1999, Evans began portraying Timmy on the soap opera Passions. Evans' character was a doll that the evil witch Tabitha Lenox brought to life with magic. For his work on the series, he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2000 and won two Soap Opera Digest Awards in 2000 and 2001.
The character of Timmy was intended to become an angel and remain a presence on the show, but the storyline had to be rewritten after Evans' death.
Death On August 5, 2002, Evans died at the age of 20, while undergoing surgery to correct a congenital heart condition. His body was cremated and his ashes were interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills. On the day of his death, his character Timmy on Passions also died and was aired on the same day.
Filmography Year Title Role Note 1996–1997 Family Matters Stevil 1998 Ally McBeal Oren Coolie1999 Poltergeist: The Legacy Being (voice) Hey Arnold! Third Grader (voice) credited as Josh Evans 7th Heaven Adam P.T. Barnum Tom Thumb Rugrats Small Boy (voice) credited as Josh Evans1999–2002PassionsTimmy 2000How the Grinch Stole Christmas 8-year-old Grinch2004All Grown Up!Dude #1 (voice)Final role; posthumous release; credited as Joshua Ryan
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Title of work Result2001Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Younger Actor in a Drama SeriesPassions2000Soap Opera Digest AwardsFavorite Scene StealerPassions2001Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Male Scene StealerPassions2000Young Artist AwardBest Performance in a Soap Opera - Young ActorPassions2000YoungStar AwardsBest Young Actor/Performance in a Daytime TV SeriesPassions
References
External links
Josh Ryan Evans and Achondroplasia at About.com