Joshua Ryan Evans won hearts worldwide with his adorable portrayal of the baby Grinch in the hit 2000 film, but the actor tragically passed away just two years after the film’s release.
Due to a rare condition called achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, Joshua appeared younger than his age – and he played the eight-year-old version of Carrey’s Grinch when he was still a teenager.
Joshua died during a medical procedure at a San Diego hospital on August 5, 2002 at the age of 20 while undergoing surgery to correct a congenital heart condition.
Creepily, the day Josh died, this also happened to his character Timmy the Living Doll in the episode of the soap opera Passion that aired that evening, having been filmed a month earlier.
His girlfriend and Passions co-star Juliet Mills said this Soap Opera Digest that despite the tragedy, “He was a showbiz kid through and through. That’s what he loved more than anything: showbiz.
‘It was a legendary thing to do [to pass away the same day his character died on air]. It was on the news. He made a big bang when he went.”
Evans, born on January 10, 1982 and living in Hayward, California, was best known for his role in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a 2000 adaptation of Dr. Seuss from 1957.
He was only 97cm tall and had achondroplasia, a rare form of dwarfism that gave him the appearance of a child even though he was already an adult.
Joshua Ryan Evans won hearts worldwide with his adorable portrayal of the baby Grinch in the hit 2000 film, but the actor tragically passed away just two years after the film’s release
Joshua died during a medical procedure at a San Diego hospital on August 5, 2002 (pictured in June 2002 at the Soap Opera Digest Awards)
Achondroplasia is a form of short-limbed dwarfism and literally means ‘without cartilage formation’.
Evans was also born with a congenital heart defect and had to undergo three operations as a child – which would ultimately prove fatal.
Due to his health problems, he spent a lot of time at home watching TV as a child, which inspired him to take up acting and contact an agent at the age of 12.
In a 2000 interview, he told the LA Times, “I thought, if it’s all pretend, why can’t I do that?”
He added: “Watching films has taken me away from my own problems and given me a total escape.
“I knew that if I could do that for just one person — that if I could help one person escape the way the movies helped me — that would be a great way to spend my life.”
His first acting gig was the commercial ‘The Dancing Baby’ for Dreyer’s/Edy’s ice cream.
He next starred as Stevil in the 1990s sitcom Family Matters, playing a ghostly ventriloquist’s dummy in two of the Halloween episodes.
Due to his achondroplasia, Evans often played children’s roles despite being an adult (pictured in the 2000 Grinch premiere)
Evans was also born with a congenital heart defect and had to undergo three operations as a child – which would ultimately prove fatal. Pictured in 1998
Josh Ryan Evans at the How The Grinch Stole Christmas DVD Launch Party on November 20, 2001 – less than a year before his death
In 1998, he played prodigy lawyer Oren Koolie in two episodes of Ally McBeal.
The following year, he played a toddler in Baby Geniuses, despite being 17 years old.
However, the role that made him famous was 2000’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas, in which he played the younger version of Jim Carrey’s Grinch.
Evans played the eight-year-old version of the Grinch during his school years, who tells the story of how he came to hate Christmas and its festivities.
While in school, the Grinch had a crush on his classmate, Martha May Whovier.
However, Augustus MayWho was jealous that Martha liked the Grinch and would bully the Grinch because of his furry appearance.
His classmates started laughing at him and eventually he snapped, fled to Mount Crumpit and vowed to always hate Christmas.
Evans played an adorable smaller version of Carey’s character, wearing the same iconic green makeup and wig.
To get into character, his makeup alone took five and a half hours — two more than that for Carey.
He was only 97 cm tall and had achondroplasia, a rare form of dwarfism (photo in June 2000)
Evans played the eight-year-old version of the Grinch during his school years – which tells the story of how he came to hate Christmas and its festivities
According to director Ron Howard, the role was originally only intended to be a small walk-on part, but he says Evans brought “heart” to the story.
As it turns out, he managed to create a beloved character and was given a much bigger role, with Howard commenting, “Josh was just delightful.”
Another notable role was as the living puppet Timmy Lenox in the NBC soap opera Passions, for which he won two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Daytime Emmy Award.
Timmy the doll was eventually turned into a real boy by a witch named Tabitha.
“I love my life,” he told E! Online in 2000. ‘Acting is not just what I do, it is what I am. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life.’
Tragically, Evans died suddenly on August 5, 2002 from complications with his heart condition during a medical procedure in San Diego.
Oddly enough, NBC aired an episode of Passions that day in which his character had died and donated his heart.
He was meant to return to the show as an angelic ‘presence’, but the storyline had to be rewritten after his death.
Another notable role was that of the living doll Timmy Lenox in the NBC soap opera Passions (photo)
NBC said at the time: “We are deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of Josh Ryan Evans.
‘He was truly a unique talent with a remarkable mind. He will be deeply missed by his Passions family and by all of us at NBC.”
When writing autographs, Evans reportedly always told his fans to “dream big” and his personal motto would be, “It’s not the size of the dreamer, it’s the size of the dream.”
‘Dream big’ was also added below his name on his gravestone in Forest Lawn, Beverly Hills.