Nelson de la Rosa
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Alchemica
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added interwiki to french article
'''Nelson Aquino de la Rosa''' (June 1968 – [[October 22]] [[2006]]), a.k.a. '''Mahow''', was one of the shortest men of the twentieth and twenty first centuries and an [[List of actors|actor]] from the [[Dominican Republic]]. Nelson measured 71 centimeters tall (about 2 feet 4 inches).
He was discovered by Dominican reporter [[Nuria Piera]].{{Fact|date=October 2007}}
==Acting career==
De la Rosa starred in a 1987 feature [[horror film]] made in [[Italy]] called ''Ratman''. During the 1990s Nelson continued his path to international success by becoming a staple guest at [[Venevision]]'s [[television]] show ''[[Sabado Sensacional]]'' in [[Venezuela]], and, later on, he would be invited as a guest to [[Don Francisco (television host)|Don Francisco]]'s show, ''[[Sábado Gigante]]'', and to other [[Univision]] shows. His popularity took him to other [[Hispanic]] countries such as [[Argentina]], where he featured several times in [[Susana Gimenez]] show, [[Puerto Rico]], [[Mexico]], [[Spain]] and others. He married, and had a son.
He had a minor role in the [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]] production, ''[[The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996 film)|The Island of Dr. Moreau]]'', where he shared lines with [[Marlon Brando]], among others. This role is said to be the inspiration for the ''[[Austin Powers]]'' movie character, "[[Mini-Me]]". Another very popular appearance was in the video for the song ''A mover el culo'' (SIC) of the Argentine hip hop group [[Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas]]. De la Rosa had been approached by many [[United States|American]] media operators and television shows, such as [[ESPN]] and others, for a feature about his life. So far, however, no plans to film a documentary about him have been completed.
==Life==
De la Rosa befriended then [[Boston Red Sox]] pitcher and fellow Dominican, [[Pedro Martínez]], who began to take de la Rosa to playoff games as a good luck charm during the 2004 [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] playoffs. He was often referred to as "Pedro's Midget."
He had recently been a main attraction in the "Hermanos Mazzini" and "Las Águilas Humanas" circuses, which marketed him as the [[Guinness World Record]]-holder for world's smallest man at 54 cm (21.25 inches) [http://www.lacuarta.cl/diario/2005/09/10/10.17.4a.ESP.CHIQUITIN.html], though this organization does not endorse this claim [http://www.guinnessrecords.com/content_pages/record_category_a.asp].
While no official diagnosis of the cause of de la Rosa's short stature is known, it has been speculated that he was born with the genetic syndrome MOPD II (microcephalic osteodysplastic [[primordial dwarfism]] type II)[http://www.primordialdwarfism.com]. The primary symptoms of the syndrome include extreme proportional short stature, as well as distinct facial features similar to those exhibited by Nelson de la Rosa. A recent documentary by Granada Television highlighting the syndrome was aired on TLC several times in 2006. [http://shopping.discovery.com/product-60096.html] There are approximately 100 known cases of MOPD II in the world at this time, spread throughout various races and ethnic backgrounds. He also went by the American name of Phil Stone while acting in the U.S.
==Death==
He died at the age of 38, [[October 22]], [[2006]] in [[Providence, RI]], [[USA]], reportedly from [[heart failure]]. He is survived by his wife, [[Jennifer De Leonel]], and nine-year-old child [http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/10/22/nelson_de_la_rosa_dominican_actor_and_boston_red_sox_fan_dies_1161563655/]. His remains were transferred to the Dominican Republic, and buried in the Cristo Salvador [[cemetery]].
==External links==
*{{imdb name|id=0209394|name=Nelson de la Rosa}}
*[http://www.mojunkprod.com/mahow/ Video of de la Rosa dancing]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosa, Nelson de la}}
[[Category:1968 births]]
[[Category:2006 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths by myocardial infarction]]
[[Category:Dominican-American actors]]
[[Category:Dominican Republic actors]]
[[Category:Actors with dwarfism]]
[[Category:People with dwarfism]]
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