E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) is one of the most beloved films in cinema history — a timeless story of friendship, wonder, and childhood innocence. Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison, the movie tells the story of a gentle alien who becomes stranded on Earth and befriends a young boy named Elliott, played by Henry Thomas. Alongside his siblings Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and Gertie (a young Drew Barrymore), Elliott hides and protects the alien, whom he names E.T., from government agents while trying to help him “phone home.”
Carlo Rambaldi, who designed the aliens for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, was hired to design the animatronics for E.T. Rambaldi’s own painting Women of Delta led him to give the creature a unique, extendable neck. Its face was inspired by those of Carl Sandburg, Albert Einstein and Ernest Hemingway.
In the film, the character E.T. was physically portrayed by three actors: Pat Bilon and Tamara De Treaux, both under 3-feet (91-cm) tall, as well as 12-year-old Matthew DeMeritt, who was born without legs.
Pat Bilon (1947–1983)
Pat Bilon was the primary performer inside the E.T. suit for much of the film. Standing 2’10”, he was a deeply thoughtful actor and motivational speaker from Ohio. Bilon had an extraordinary sense of movement and timing that made E.T. seem alive in scenes like the kitchen exploration and walking through the forest.
He worked closely with Rambaldi’s team to understand how to move within the mechanical body, which had dozens of cables and servos controlling E.T.’s eyes, neck, and fingers.
Spielberg praised him for capturing E.T.’s “innocence and wonder.” Bilon reportedly lost weight from the intense heat inside the costume and described the experience as “physically draining but spiritually uplifting.”
Sadly, he passed away less than a year after the film’s release, at age 35, before fully seeing how beloved E.T. had become.
Leave a Reply