A rare genetic disorder has left 22-year-old actor Sam Humphrey standing at 127 centimetres tall. Mr Humphrey was born with acrodysostosis- a condition which affects bone growth and physical development- restricting his height to that of an eight-year-old.
The Melbourne man’s size often attracts unwanted attention. Mr Humphrey, who uses a booster seat to drive said: ‘I had a guy walk in front of my car the other day to take a picture, I had to swerve so I wouldn’t hit him.’ He told The Daily Telegraph the hardest part of growing up was not knowing if he would make it to adult hood.
‘Every year I wasn’t sure if I was going to be alive for the next one; that was hard to live with,’ he said. But recently the actor has been attracting attention for all the right reasons. Mr Humphrey will on Thursday night debut on long-time Australian soap Neighbours, with a guest role written for him.
Mr Humphrey got his big break after appearing on a documentary shot by a New Zealand film crew that focused on young people with disabilities and the challenges they overcome to achieve their goals, Digital Spy reported. Initially the acting newcomer was brought in as an extra, but after executive producers viewed his other material, a larger role was written for Humphrey. Mr Humphrey said filming for the show was the most fun he’d ever had.
-dailymail