Patty Maloney, a versatile actress renowned for her roles in “Little House on the Prairie” and as Lumpy, Chewbacca’s son, in the “Star Wars Holiday Special,” has died at the age of 89.
Her brother, Dave Myrabo, confirmed Maloney passed away on Monday, March 31, 2025,while in hospice care in Winter Park, Florida, following several strokes over the years.
“For a little person growing up in a big world, she did everything she wanted to do,” Myrabo told The Hollywood Reporter.
Standing at 3 feet 11 inches, Maloney developed a career over four decades in entertainment, spanning television, film, and voice acting. Her determination and talent allowed her to overcome substantial barriers in an industry with often limited opportunities for little people.
Maloney began her career with carnivals and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus before marrying Joseph Vitek in 1961. This early performance work laid the groundwork for her later achievements in Hollywood.
After Vitek’s death in 1968, Maloney returned to entertainment, initially as a puppeteer in “Fol-de-Pol,” a 1972 filmed version of a live Sid and Marty Krofft brothers puppet show. This puppetry role marked the start of her extensive career in entertainment.
Her career gained momentum in the 1970s with the role of Honk on the Sid & Marty Krofft family show “Far Out Space Nuts,” where she conveyed emotions without speaking.
“Her extensive dancing and mime skills enabled her to convey a full range of emotions for Honk without ever speaking a word of dialogue — and with her facial features utterly obscured,” noted Hal Erickson in his 2007 book about Saturday morning children’s television.
Science fiction fans remember Maloney for playing Lumpy, Chewbacca’s son, in the 1978 “Star Wars Holiday Special,” a production that achieved cult status despite critical panning. The special aired only once on television but persists through bootleg recordings, preserving Maloney’s performance for Star Wars fans.
Maloney’s varied resume included roles on popular television shows like “Charlie’s Angels,” “The Love Boat,” “Married… with Children,” and “My Name Is Earl.” She appeared on the “Brady Bunch Variety Hour” and “Donny & Marie” series during the 1970s.
Her TV work extended to made-for-TV movies such as “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” and “Punch and Jody,” showcasing her versatility in different formats and genres.
Film audiences may remember Maloney from roles in “Ernest Saves Christmas,” “The Ice Pirates,” and “Swing Shift.” She frequently collaborated with fellow little person actor Billy Barty, including on “Under the Rainbow,” a feature film loosely based on “The Wizard of Oz.”
Her voice acting brought characters to life in animated series like “The Little Rascals,” where she voiced Darla Hood, and “Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School.”
Maloney started facing significant health challenges in 2010 when diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that blurred her central vision and limited her script reading ability.
Despite this, Maloney continued performing, even presenting a one-woman show called “I’m Right Tonight” in 2005.
Born in Perkinsville, New York, in 1936, Maloney was raised in Winter Park, Florida. She began as a dancer in Florida before joining National Airlines in New York, where she met her husband.
The couple’s marriage was short-lived due to Vitek’s death, and Maloney also lost her premature baby. Friends encouraged her to return to acting, helping launch her successful entertainment career.
Maloney is survived by her brother Dave, nieces, and a brother-in-law. Her long career in entertainment left a lasting impression on audiences across generations, from children’s programming to sci-fi cult classics.
