#30. Tom Cruise
How proportional is Tom Cruise’s height compared to his glamour? When Nicole Kidman, his ex-wife was asked how her life was after their divorce, she said that she could wear high heels now. Tom’s height is 5’7″, but more often than not, he uses some tricks to seem taller than his co-stars.
In some of his movies like Oblivion, Knight and Day, and all the Mission: Impossible films, you will see Cruise appear taller than some of his costars like Olga Kurylenko, Cameron Diaz, and Ving Rhames, even though he is shorter than all of them. He and his filmmakers accomplish this by using forced perspective and sometimes even platform shoes.
#29. Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel’s height is over six feet, or at least that’s what he has stated. And his characters have matched that statement, from Dominic Toretto from Fast & Furious to Guardians of The Galaxy‘s Groot.
Turns out Diesel’s height is less than six feet and he has often been spotted wearing high shoes. Contrariwise, Diesel’s Fast & Furious costar Dwayne Johnson is 6’5″ tall. Could this difference in height be the center of their disagreement?
#28. Sylvester Stallone
When Sylvester Stallone was seen at a Hollywood swimming pool by acclaimed screenwriter William Goldman, he described him as “67 inches (5 feet 7), dripping wet“. And we all know that that is not nearly as tall as he appears on the screen.
Even though the internet reports he is 5’10” tall, first-hand reports, such as Goldman’s description, suggest that he’s closer to 5’8″. So we can assume he uses high shoes when filming.
#27. Kevin Hart
Now here’s a man who is transparent about his height. When Kevin Hart had to work with Dwayne Jhonson in Central Intelligence, Hart didn’t insist on framing shots to ease up the evident height difference. This difference was even used in the movie’s slogan: “Saving the world takes a little Hart and a big Johnson.”
Being 5’4″ tall, Hart knows how everyone sees him, and he doesn’t care about any joke that you could possibly think of making. This attitude is a huge part of his screen appeal. Hart has said before that he is beyond confident about his height.
#26. Al Pacino
Al Pacino is without a doubt one of the greatest actors of all time. He’s dazzled us with his brilliant performances, such as his portrayal of Vito Corleone in The Godfather. But here’s a fun fact you probably didn’t know: it turns out he almost lost that role. Apparently, the producers of The Godfather thought he was too short for the part.
Pacino is 5’7″ tall, but the producers wanted a taller, more traditional actor for the role, someone like Robert Redford (who is actually 5’10”). Thankfully, Francis Ford Coppola ended up picking Al Pacino for the memorable role.
#25. Humphrey Bogart
“Here’s looking at you, kid.” Familiar with that phrase? This iconic line was brilliantly said by legendary actor Humphrey Bogart to Ingrid Bergman in the drama movie Casablanca. There is just one problem -if you could call it that- with this unique piece of poetry. Apparently, to look directly at Bergman, Bogart had to look up!
Bogart is 5’8″ tall, while Bergman is two inches taller than him. So, to properly display the classical gender stereotypes of Hollywood at the time, Micheal Curtiz, the director, had Bogart stand on blocks and sit on cushions.
#24. Dave Franco
It would be hard to believe that Dave Franco is shorter than the average Franco, right? Well, turns out he is. But this isn’t at all an impediment for him; after all, his height may have been the reason why he was able to get roles in all kinds of celebrated works like the Neighbors movies or The Disaster Artist.
When 5’7″ Dave Franco took his first steps in the acting world, he would play characters who were younger than him because of his young-looking appearance. I guess anyone would like to appear younger than they are, right? Well, not Dave Franco! When he was in his mid-20s, he once said: “sometimes I just want to look 27.”
#23. Jonah Hill
From Superbad and 21 Jump Street to True Story, Jonah Hill’s wise character choices have molded his career over the years. Jonah’s comedic and also dramatic confident style stems from his attitude and height.
Jonah Hill is 5’7″, which is short under Hollywood standards. This has a curious effect, since when his characters get very angry or emotional, we tend to find it funny rather than scary or intimidating. Interestingly enough, Jonah got his first Oscar nomination from his part in Moneyball, a drama.
#22. James McAvoy
Ever wondered how tall James McAvoy is? Well, let’s see what he has to say about this.
“I’m 5-foot-7, and I’ve got pasty white skin. I don’t think I’m ugly, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not your classic lead man, Brad Pitt guy”, the actor claimed. Well, he pretty much said everything, right?
Regardless of his height, no one can deny that McAvoy is a very attractive man. Plus, he has proven he can take on any kind of role, including lead characters on action films that are usually portrayed by tall, well-built actors. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t notice he was so short when I saw him on Split, X-Men: Days of Future Past, or even on It Chapter Two.
#21. Dustin Hoffman
Regarding his reputation of pervasive misconduct, Tootsie and The Meyerowitz Stories star Dustin Hoffman is often regarded as one of the best actors of the 20th century. Having this in mind, you might be surprised to learn his height to be only 5’6″.
When Hoffman auditioned for Mike Nichols’ 1967 film The Graduate, he believed he didn’t stand a chance.
“Nichols chose to give this short, funny-looking Jewish guy the role usually reserved for a tall, handsome protestant“, the actor confessed.
#20. Alan Ladd
If you ever happen to be looking for a fail-proof actor from the Golden Age of Hollywood, you would have to go to Alan Ladd. From Shane, co-starring Veronica Lake, to This Gun for Hire, Ladd has earned his reputation as a dedicated and talented actor. He would only have one question before accepting a role: How short is the co-star?
Ladd said he was 5’7″, but tons of people assure he was an inch shorter. That’s the reason why he and Lake made so many movies together, as she was only 4’11”! If the co-star happened to be taller than him, as it happened with Sophia Loren on Boy on a Dolphin, complicated ramp systems had to be used to make sure that the stars looked of equal height.
#19. Daniel Radcliffe
Starting as a little kid in Harry Potter, we watched Daniel grow up throughout the franchise. In the later movies, we can already see him as an adult. He’s only 5’5″, but this hasn’t at all killed his enthusiasm.
In an interview, Daniel made us all laugh when commenting on his height:
“Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise have very different careers, and they’re both about the same height as I am. I could play a soldier. The minimum height for a marine is five feet, and I’m well above that.”, he said.
#18. Seth Green
Even if his name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve probably seen Seth Green on some of his comedy films. To name a few of his works, he was Dr. Evil’s son in the Austin Powers series, the voice of Peter Griffin’s son in Family Guy, and he even co-created the stop-motion series Robot Chicken.
Green’s height is 5’4″ and he is a little shorter than his wife, Clare Grant. One of his last works was Changeland, a movie that he wrote, directed and even starred in. He was also a famous child actor, as he appeared in a lot of commercials when he was a kid, but obviously, height wasn’t an issue for him back then!
#17. Joe Pesci
From Martin Scorsese’s movies to the Home Alone franchise, Joe Pesci is famous for the very peculiar characters he portrays. Even though his height is 5’4″, we can’t help but find him very intimidating, right?
A year after appearing in Lethal Weapon 4, Pesci announced his retirement from acting, and since then he has only appeared on screen in a few top-notch roles. His most recent role was in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman.
#16. Charlie Chaplin
For Charlie Chaplin, his height was a big help rather than a nuisance. He was 5’5″ tall, so his nickname The Little Tramp wasn’t just effective, but also a very truthful one. He took advantage of his size all he could.
Charlie explained his theory of why his comedy was liked. In his words:
“If I am being treated harshly, it is always a big man who is doing it; so that, by the contrast between the big and the little, I get the sympathy of the audience.”
#15. Prince
5’3″ Prince once said, “People say I’m wearing heels because I’m short. I wear heels because women like ’em.” And with that, he made his confidence about his height and his image perfectly clear.
From his bangers like 1999 and Kiss to cult classics like Purple Rain and Under the Cherry Moon, you’ve probably listened to some of Prince’s songs at least once. If today’s artists wouldn’t try so hard to hide their true height, they could maybe achieve something like this.
#14. Jack Black
You’ve probably seen Jack Black on the big screen, like on Shcool of Rock. If not, maybe you’ve seen him on the small screen or maybe you’ve just listened to one of the songs from his band, Tenacious D. Jack Black is only 5’6″ tall, but this doesn’t affect his abilities to command his roles at all.
Being the great comedy performer he is, you probably didn’t know that he went through some tough times. In high school, he had a cocaine addiction, and he claims that many people wanted to kill him. Well, luckily he found a therapist and was able to turn his life around.
#13. Michael J. Fox
You probably know him from some of the ’80s classics like Back to the Future or Teen Wolf. If you’ve seen any of these films, you probably noticed that his height of 5’4″ is perfect for his charming characters.
In the making process of Doc Hollywood in 1991, Michael started to show symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and he was diagnosed with it a year later. Fortunately, he was able to treat it and later he founded an organization to fight that disease.
#12. Johnny Galecki
Staring in The Big Bang Theory, Galecki is one of Hollywood’s highest-paid TV stars. He also is 5’5″, one inch shorter than his co-star Kaley Cuoco. Jim Parsons, on the other hand, stands at an amazing 6’1″.
Some of his works as a child actor include National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Roseanne. Other than acting, he has helped found a ULCA Scholarship Fund for STEM. Go, Johnny!
#11. Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller is an acclaimed writer, director, comedian, and actor. To name a few of his works, Tropic Thunder, Meet the Parents and Zoolander. In this last one, he plays a not so smart and ridiculously handsome model who happens to be rather short. Stiller is lucky his character was meant to be short, as he’s only 5’7″-tall in real-life!
He also directed Tropic Thunder and also starred in it alongside 5’6” Jack Black and 5’7” Tom Cruise. When he pitched the idea for this film to Robert Downey Jr., Downey said it was the stupidest idea he had ever had. Well, he proved him wrong, didn’t he?
#10. Tom Hardy
From superhero movies like The Dark Knight Rises and Venom to dramas like The Revenant, British actor Tom Hardy never fails to incorporate an eccentric accent to his roles.
Tom Hardy is 5’9″ and Christian Bale, his co-star in The Dark Knight Rises, is six feet tall. Since Tom’s character, Bane, is supposed to be a lot bigger than Bale’s Batman, the production had to put lifts on Hardy’s shoes to make him look bigger.
#9. Elijah Wood
Of course Elijah Wood is not as short as a hobbit! In The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the actors’ height was shortened by using tricks and forced perspective. Regardless of this, Wood is 5’6″ in real life.
Ever since his portrayal of Frodo, his career has taken a dark turn. Turns out he is a horror-head and he co-founded a genre production company called SpectreVision. He also stared in the creepy 2012 movie Maniac.
#8. Martin Freeman
Guess what? Martin Freeman is not as short as a hobbit either! Even though he played the main role in Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth trilogy, his size was also accomplished by using visual tricks. Freeman is just one inch taller than Wood, as he es 5’7″.
He is mostly known to play characters who are treated with no respect, such as his character on Sherlock (co-starring six-foot-tall Benedict Cumberbatch), Fargo‘s first season, or Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Panther.
#7. Robert Downey Jr.
In 2010, Robert Downey Jr. co-starred with Gwyneth Paltrow in the superhero film Iron Man 2. When asked in an interview about something her fellow co-star, Paltrow said:
“He doesn’t like me to wear high heels around him, because he doesn’t want me to be taller than him, ‘cause he’s Iron Man!”
Robert is 5’9″, shorter than your average MCU actor. For this reason, when he plays Iron Man or some other roles like the one in the Sherlock Holmes franchise, he has to wear lifts in his shoes.
#6. Mark Wahlberg
Apparently, any leading man in an action movie can work perfectly regardless of his height, as long as his co-star is Dwayne Johnson. This worked for Kevin Hart and Vin Diesel, and in Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain, it worked for Mark Wahlberg.
Wahlberg is 5’8″ and in spite of his small size, he has played some pretty intimidating roles in films like The Departed or The Fighter. He is currently helping run a Whalburgers, a chain restaurant, with his brothers Donnie and Paul.
#5. Scott Caan
On the Hawaii Five-0 reboot, Scott Caan and his co-star Alex O’Louhglin solve crimes together. They have very notable chemistry together, although we can’t help but notice their height difference. Caan is 5’5″ while Alex is 6’1″.
Caan started as a hip-hop artist under the name Mad Skillz. He even worked with hip-hop producer The Alchemist, but when he realized his singles weren’t being successful, he decided to turn his career to acting.
#4. Zac Efron
From his performance in High School Musical to his performance in the Neighbors franchise, where he acted alongside 5’7″ Dave Franco, Efron proves that his 5’8″ isn’t any kind of impediment.
In The Greatest Showman, Efron co-starred with Zendaya, who is 5’10” tall, and she even wears heels most of the time. Despite all this, nothing can stop Zac Efron’s Hollywood delight.
#3. Josh Hutcherson
Hunger Games franchise’s co-stars Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawrence are 5’7″ and 5’9″ respectively. This was on Hutcherson’s mind all the time, and he once confessed he felt very insecure about his height.
Ever since his appearance in The Hunger Games, Hutcherson has taken a different approach to his work. He now stars and produces Hulu action-comedy Future Man and he has also produced other low-budget projects.
#2. Jason Statham
Jason Statham is 5’10”, and he is famous for having co-starred with Dwayne Johnson in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. This movie contains a lot of explosions, set pieces, and great moments between this odd couple.
Statham’s fondness for action movies probably stems from his background. He was a professional athlete, he used to play football (American soccer) when he was a kid, and he even joined the British diving team. Now it all makes sense!
#1. Tom Holland
You probably know him for his performance as Spider-Man in the MCU film or his role in the upcoming Dolittle, where he also co-stars Robert Downey Jr. Unlike Robert, Tom Holland is 5’7″.
Holland also co-stars 5’10” Zendaya in the latest Spider-Man film. In an interview, he said the following when asked about his height:
“You have to give a brief summary of who you are and say how tall you are. Every actor lies so I told them I am five foot ten!”