Jerry Maren

Jerry Maren was an American actor.

Maren was 18 and new to Hollywood when he was cast along with over 100 other little people to portray "munchkins" in The Wizard of Oz. Maren landed the role as the green-clothed member of the Lollipop Guild trio, one of the more prominent munchkin parts.

Maren’s other film work includes appearances in The Terror of Tiny Town (released in 1938, one year prior to The Wizard of Oz), Samson and Delilah, Planet of the Apes (1968), Hello, Dolly!, Where the Buffalo Roam, and Spaceballs.

Television appearances include roles in episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, The Wild Wild West, Get Smart, Here’s Lucy, The Odd Couple, Switch, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Lou Grant, The Twilight Zone (1980s incarnation), and Seinfeld.

In the late 1970s, Maren appeared regularly on The Gong Show at the end of each program, throwing handfuls of confetti as the house band played the show off the air.

Maren had several roles in television commercials, including Mayor McCheese and the Hamburglar for McDonald’s, Little Oscar for Oscar Mayer, and Buster Brown for the shoe company.

Maren died May 30, 2018, in San Diego, California. He was 98.