Born: December 1, 1957
Age: 67
Birthplace: Nairobi, Kenya
Gurdeep "Deep" Roy (born Mohinder Purba; 1 December 1957), sometimes credited as Roy Deep or Gordeep Roy, is a Kenyan-born Indian actor, stuntman, puppeteer, comedian. Due to his diminutive size, he has appeared in a number of similar-sized roles, such as the Oompa-Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Keenser in Star Trek, and in television series such as The X-Files and Eastbound & Down.
Roy made his professional screen acting debut in a 1976 episode of The New Avengers entitled "Target!" as a character named Klokoe. He would later make his film debut that same year, in The Pink Panther Strikes Again, as the Italian Assassin. Another early role was as Mr. Sin, the "pig-brained Peking Homonculus", a villain with a distinct appetite for homicide, in the Doctor Who serial The Talons of Weng-Chiang. In 1979, Roy also played a genetically engineered life form 'Decima' in the first season Blake's 7 episode "The Web" as well as the diminutive chess genius, 'The Klute', in the second season Blake's 7 episode "Gambit".
He 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), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and Corpse Bride (also 2005) where he supplied General Bonesapart's voice. He played all the Oompa-Loompas (165 of them) in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Deep had extensive training for the role in dance, yoga, and some minor instrument playing.
He has done many other roles in movies and on television, including The X-Files, Flash Gordon, Return to Oz (as the Tin Woodsman), 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 and in The Haunted Mansion.
He appeared in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) as an Egyptian border guard and in the film Star Trek (also 2009) as Keenser, Montgomery Scott's assistant on the ice planet Delta Vega. Roy played a green man while doing a commercial shoot for Ozocleanse. In one of his more prominent speaking roles, Roy played Aaron, a violent Mumbai-born Mexican criminal, in second season of the HBO comedy, Eastbound & Down. Deep starred as Sandeep Majumdar in the 2012 short film The Ballad of Sandeep.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | The Pink Panther Strikes Again | Italian assassin | |
1977 | Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng-Chiang | Mr. Sin | |
1978 | Benji's Very Own Christmas Story | Key elf | Uncredited |
1979 | Licensed to Love and Kill | Dwarf | |
1979 | Die Brut des Bösen/Roots of Evil | Van Bullock | |
1980 | Flash Gordon | Fellini | |
1980 | Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back | Yoda Stand In | Uncredited |
1982 | The Dark Crystal | Additional performer | |
1983 | Mini Gulliver | Mini Gull | |
1983 | Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi | Droopy McCool/Puppeteer | |
1984 | Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes | Primate sequences | |
1984 | The NeverEnding Story | Teeny Weeny | Voice dubbed over |
1984 | Lorca and the Outlaws | Grid | |
1985 | Return to Oz | Tin Man | |
1986 | Weekend Warriors | Little girl | Uncredited |
1986 | Poltergeist II: The Other Side | Stunt performer | |
1987 | Going Bananas | Bonzo | |
1988 | Alien from L.A. | Mambino | |
1989 | Rising Storm | Joker Arroyo | |
1989 | Lethal Woman | Grizabella | |
1990 | Disturbed | Marty | |
1991 | Howling VI: The Freaks | Toones | |
1991 | Hook | Stunt performer | |
1992 | The Resurrected | Main monster | |
1993 | Freaked | George Ramirez No. 3 | |
1993 | Leprechaun | Stunt performer | Doubled Warwick Davis |
1993 | Josh and S.A.M. | Stunt performer | |
1994 | Dickwad | Little telephone bully | |
1994 | New Nightmare | Stunt performer | |
1994 | Little Rascals | Stunt performer | |
1994 | The War | Stunt performer | |
1994 | The Jungle Book | Stunt performer | |
1994 | Sudden Death | Stunt performer | |
1995 | Under the Hula Moon | Bus driver | |
1996 | Matilda | Stunt performer | |
1997 | Retroactive | Stunt performer | |
1998 | Mafia! | Small hitman | Uncredited |
1998 | BASEketball | Stunt performer | |
1998 | The Adventures of Ragtime | Stunt performer | Doubled Justin Cooper |
2000 | Disney's The Kid | Stunt performer | Doubled Spencer Breslin |
2000 | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Post office clerk | |
2001 | Planet of the Apes | Gorilla kid / Thade's niece | |
2003 | The Haunted Mansion | Hitchhiking ghost | |
2003 | A Man Apart | Stunt performer | |
2003 | Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood | Stunt performer | Doubled Warwick Davis |
2003 | Big Fish | Mr. Soggybottom | |
2004 | Surviving Eden | Indian Mo | |
2004 | Van Helsing | Stunt performer | |
2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Oompa-Loompas | |
2005 | Corpse Bride | General Bonesapart | Voice |
2009 | Star Trek | Keenser | |
2009 | The Unborn | Stunt performer | Doubled Atticus Shaffer |
2009 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Egyptian guard | |
2012 | Zambezia | Mushana | Voice |
2012 | The Ballad of Sandeep | Sandeep Majumdar | |
2013 | Paranormal Movie | Demon | |
2013 | Star Trek Into Darkness | Keenser | |
2014 | Mantervention | Massage Parlor Owner | |
2016 | Star Trek Beyond | Keenser | Post-production |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | The New Avengers | Klokoe | Episode: "Target!" |
1977-1986 | Doctor Who | Mr. Sin Posicarian delegate |
7 episodes |
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 | Season 8, Episode 10: "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" |