Biography

Schlitze's actual birth date and name remain unknown. Schlitze suffered from the condition microcephaly and mental retardation, commonly referred to as a "pinhead". It is also rumored that he had a sister, who also was a microcephalic. He was exhibited by Barnum as Maggie, the last of the Aztecs. Because the Mayans and other Meso-American cultures bound the heads of their elite to give them a cone shape, it is easy to see how Schlitze and the so-called Aztec children got their show names. For most of his career, Schlitze was dressed and exhibited as a girl, mainly because dresses simplified his bathroom needs.

Schlitze was placed in an institution after 30 years in the sideshow business, where his health began to decline sharply. Mr. Sam Alexander, a Canadian promoter, took Schlitze back on the road, where he remained on the sideshow circuit until he died at age 70 in 1971.

- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous

Schlitze was a sideshow performer who was born with microcephaly, a neurological developmental disorder that that left him with an unusually small brain and pointed skull, a small stature (four feet tall), myopia and moderate to severe mental retardation. In the carnival circuit, oddities with this condition were billed as pinheads, missing links, or in extreme cases, visitors from another planet.

Schlitze's real name, birthdate and birth location will never be truly known, but according to his death certificate and gravesite, he was born on September 10, 1901 in the Bronx, New York and his alleged birth name was Simon Metz. Other sources claim he was born in Santa Fe, NM, and still another in Yucatan, Mexico, due to his billing as "The Last of the Aztecs." He was also known as "The Monkey Girl" and "The What Is It?," and in some sideshows, he was paired with other microcephalics.

In accordance with the common practice of the carnival business at the time, it can be assumed that Schlitze was either given to, or purchased by, a sideshow from his parents, and his guardians were usually his employers. Responsibility tended to change hands as different carnivals traded different attractions, but most accounts state that he was widely known, well cared for and treated affectionately throughout his career.

It was said that Schlitze had the mind of a three or four-year-old. He was unable to fully care for himself and could only speak a few phrases in monosyllabic words, but he was able to perform simple tasks. It's believed he could understand most of what was said to him, due to a very quick reaction time and his ability to mimic. Those who knew Schlitze described him as affectionate, exuberant and sociable, who loved dancing, singing and being the center of attention, and he would perform for anyone he could stop and talk with.

He was often dressed in a loose-fitting dress, or frock, and most sources say that his urinary incontinence made wearing a diaper a necessity. Dresses were more practical for his care, but some who knew him report that he did not develop incontinence until later in life. Schlitze was presented as either female or androgynous to add to the mystic of his unusual appearance, but his friends used both masculine and feminine pronouns when addressing him.

The sideshow circuit was a tremendous success for Schlitze. He performed throughout the 1920's and 1930's with many upscale circuses, including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Clyde Beatty Circus, Tom Mix Circus, West Coast Shows, Crafts 20 Big Shows, Vanteen & Lee Circus Sideshows and Foley & Burke Carnival, among others. He made his film debut in The Sideshow (1928), a drama set in the circus which featured a variety of actual sideshow acts.

In 1932, Schlitze landed his most famous role in Tod Browning's iconic horror film Freaks, la monstrueuse parade (1932), which was also set in a carnival and featured a number of genuine sideshow oddities. Along with Elvira and Jenny Lee Snow, he shared a scene with Phroso (Wallace Ford), who compliments "her" dress and offers to buy "her" a new hat with a long feather. For the most part, Schlitze's lines are gibberish, but he loved wearing new dresses and hats, playing with stringed instruments (either the violin or cello) and enjoyed cards and board games. He also taught himself to imitate the tone of director Tod Browning's voice. That same year, he also appeared in L'Île du Dr. Moreau (1932) (with Charles Laughton) as a furry manimal, although there is debate whether the performer was actually Schlitze or a lookalike.

While Schlitze was performing with the Tom Mix Circus in 1935, George Surtees, a chimpanzee trainer with his own act in the show, adopted him and became his legal guardian. Schlitze's last name was changed to Surtees, and his final film role was as a sideshow performer, Princess Bibi, in Meet Boston Blackie (1941).

Schlitze continued performing on the sideshow circuit, but after George Surtees' death in 1965, his daughter (who was not in show business) committed Schlitze to a Los Angeles county hospital. He remained there for some time until he was recognized by Bill Unks, a circus sword-swallower who happened to work at the hospital during the off-season. According to Unks, Schlitze seemed sad and depressed; he missed being away from the public eye and the adoration of the crowds. Hospital authorities determined that the best care for Schlitze would be to make him a ward of Bill Unks's employer, Canadian showman Sam Alexander, and he immediately returned to the sideshow, where he remained until 1968. According to Schlitze's guardian, he had learned to talk by California speech therapists; he could count to ten, but refused to say the word "eight."

In his later years, Schlitze lived in Los Angeles, occasionally performing on various sideshow circuits, both locally and internationally, and frequently performing in Hawaii and London. His last major appearance was at the 1968 Dobritch International Circus at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. He spent his final days living in an apartment on Santa Monica Boulevard in MacArthur Park, and became a notable attraction performing on the streets of Hollywood. He would visit the lake with his guardian, feeding the pigeons and ducks and performing for everyone that passed by.

Schlitze passed away on September 24, 1971 at the age of 71 of bronchial pneumonia at Fountain View Convalescent Home. His death certificate lists his official name as Schlitze Surtees. and his birth year as 1901. He was interred in an unmarked grave at Queen of Heaven Cemetery and Mortuary in Rowland Heights, CA, but in 2007, a fan took up a collection to have a marker placed at his grave.

In the 1960's, Tod Browning's "Freaks" was rediscovered, enjoying a long run as one of the first "midnight movies" and becoming a cult classic. In 1994, it was selected by the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." Schlitze's iconic image has lent itself to many products, including shirts, hats, models and masks, and it's been cited as an inspiration for Bill Griffith's comic strip, "Zippy the Pinhead."

- IMDb mini biography by: mgnylander@yahoo.com