Wissenswertes

His death and that of David Rappaport were the main reasons why Terry Gilliam decided to shelve the intended sequel to Time Bandits (1981) as their characters were two of the most heavily featured in the film.

Is the only actor to be credited in all three of the original Star Wars films as a different character each time: In Krieg der Sterne (1977), he played the Chief Jawa; in Star Wars: Episode V - Das Imperium schlägt zurück (1980), he played Chief Ugnaught; and in Star Wars: Episode VI - Die Rückkehr der Jedi-Ritter (1983), he played Teebo.

Paralyzed while parking his car. The car accidentally backed up and Purvis was caught between the wall and the bumper, breaking his neck.

While in Tunisia, during filming for Krieg der Sterne (1977), co-stars Mark Hamill and Alec Guinness pulled a practical joke on Purvis after Purvis told Hamill that he had been a huge fan of Guinness since he was a boy.

Father of Katie Purvis.

Was half of the musical comedy double act The Minitones with Kenny Baker.