Entertainer. Born Hilda Emma Schneider, the daughter of Gustav and Emma Schneider in Stolpen, Germany. She and three older siblings all inherited dwarfism. The two eldest, Grace (Frieda) and Harry (Kurt), traveled to the US in 1914, and toured with a Wild West show. Their manager then brought sisters Hilda (Daisy) and Elly (Tiny), to the United States by 1926 where they joined Harry and Grace in their act. They billed themselves under their manager's name of Earles until his death almost a decade later, when they took the stage name Doll. They left the Wild West show and started touring with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Off season, the family also began appearing in films; Harry, Daisy and Tiny were cast in the 1932 film, "Freaks," she also appeared in "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) where she and her siblings played Munchkins, and "The Greatest Show on Earth" (1952). The family billed themselves as "The Moving Picture Midgets" at that time. In 1942, she married Louis E. Runyan, which ended in divorce less than a year later. They continued to work the circus sideshow for thirty seasons, and Daisy was often called "the midget Mae West." When the Ringling traveling shows ended in 1956, the Dolls toured with the Christiani Circus. She stood half an inch shorter than her elder sister at three feet, five inches. In 1958, they retired as a group, purchasing a custom equipped house for themselves in Sarasota, Florida, where they lived out their retirement.
Entertainer. Born Hilda Emma Schneider, the daughter of Gustav and Emma Schneider in Stolpen, Germany. She and three older siblings all inherited dwarfism. The two eldest, Grace (Frieda) and Harry (Kurt), traveled to the US in 1914, and toured with a Wild West show. Their manager then brought sisters Hilda (Daisy) and Elly (Tiny), to the United States by 1926 where they joined Harry and Grace in their act. They billed themselves under their manager's name of Earles until his death almost a decade later, when they took the stage name Doll. They left the Wild West show and started touring with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Off season, the family also began appearing in films; Harry, Daisy and Tiny were cast in the 1932 film, "Freaks," she also appeared in "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) where she and her siblings played Munchkins, and "The Greatest Show on Earth" (1952). The family billed themselves as "The Moving Picture Midgets" at that time. In 1942, she married Louis E. Runyan, which ended in divorce less than a year later. They continued to work the circus sideshow for thirty seasons, and Daisy was often called "the midget Mae West." When the Ringling traveling shows ended in 1956, the Dolls toured with the Christiani Circus. She stood half an inch shorter than her elder sister at three feet, five inches. In 1958, they retired as a group, purchasing a custom equipped house for themselves in Sarasota, Florida, where they lived out their retirement.
Bio by: Iola
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