Pat Bilon

Bilon was born in the mid-sized industrial town of Youngstown, Ohio, to Michael and Esther Bilon.[3]

He attended Ursuline High School in Youngstown, and graduated from Youngstown State University's school of speech and drama.[3]

Although he appeared in various television commercials and was hired for promotional events, Bilon described himself as a "starving actor".[1]

When not acting, he held several jobs, including a bouncer at a bowling alley and a basketball coach for elementary school students.[3] He worked as a radio dispatcher for the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department in Youngstown. He occasionally assisted in undercover operations, facilitated by his diminutive stature.[3]

In 1979, while attending a Little People of America convention, he was seen by producer Steve Rash and director Fred Bauer, who were seeking cast members for the slapstick comedy Under the Rainbow.[4] Of over 400 auditionees, Bilon was among 150 selected to appear in the film.[4] He took a leave of absence from his dispatching job and went to Hollywood to "begin his new role",[4] where he was able to perform with prominent actors including Chevy Chase, Carrie Fisher and Eve Arden. He later said in a newspaper interview, "When a star like Chevy Chase sees you after a scene and says it was hilarious, as you watch him practically falling out of his seat, it makes you feel real good".[4]

Bilon's next film opportunity came in 1981, when he was selected to operate one of the mechanical "creatures" in the filming of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.[5] Four mechanical E.T.s were created for the production. The puppets, constructed of fiberglass, polyurethane and foam rubber, were designed for different functions. A newspaper article reported: "One of the 'bodies' contained mechanical controls for large body movements and was operated by cables, the second had electronic controls and the third was operated by a combination of controls".[5] Bilon operated a fourth E.T. that was needed for scenes where the creature "lurched" across the floor.[5] For five months, Bilon performed in the 40 lb (20 kg) costume that weighed nearly as much as he did.[5]

Fred Skidmore, a spokesman for Universal Studios, confirmed that Bilon played the alien in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial through most of the film. "Pat did do the majority of the movie", he said. "He was also E.T. when E.T. appeared at the Hollywood Bowl last summer".[2] Steven Spielberg, producer-director of the film, called Bilon "E.T.'s biggest helper".[6]

Bilon was passionate about his ethnic heritage; he once hosted a Ukrainian Radio Hour on WKTL-FM, based in Struthers, Ohio,[1] part of the Youngstown area. He was active in St. Anne's Ukrainian Catholic Church in nearby Austintown, Ohio,[1] where he taught Sunday school.[3] He was also a member of UNA Branch 119.[7]

Bilon died in his home at 1 a.m.[7] on January 27, 1983, aged 35, of complications from a blood infection[3] after a bout of pneumonia.

• Pat Bilon at IMDb