Matthew Roloff

Matthew James "Matt" Roloff (born October 7, 1961)[2][3] is an American television personality, author, farmer, business entrepreneur, and motivational speaker best known for participating with his family on the TLC reality television program, Little People, Big World.[4] The show featured the Roloffs' daily life. Roloff has dwarfism, as does his ex-wife Amy and one of their four children, Zachary.

Matthew Roloff
Roloff in October 2014
Born (1961-10-07) October 7, 1961
San Francisco, California, U.S.
OccupationTelevision personality, author, farmer, business entrepreneur, motivational speaker
Years active2005–present
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1987; div. 2016)​
[1]
Children4

Early life

Roloff was born with diastrophic dysplasia, a degenerative dwarfism that caused him to have fifteen operations as a child.[2] He was born to Ron and Peggy Roloff, who are often featured on Little People, Big World. They are of average height as is his older sister, Ruth.[2] His younger brother Sam, an artist and founder of Back-Story Underpainting,[5] has diastrophic dysplasia and uses crutches to walk as well. His middle brother Joshua was born with a severe heart malformation; he died in 1999 at age 34.[6]

Family

The Roloff family includes Matt, Amy, also a little person with achondroplasia, and four children: fraternal twins Jeremy and Zachary (born 1990), Molly (born 1993), and Jacob (born 1997). Zach, like his mother, has achondroplasia, while the other three children are average height. Matt and Amy met at a Little People of America convention in 1987. The couple were engaged quickly and were married on September 12, 1987. In March 2014, the couple announced that they had separated.[7] On June 5, 2015 the couple announced they would be divorcing. Their divorce was finalized in May 2016.[1]

Farm

The Roloffs bought a fixer-upper farmhouse on 34-acres in Helvetia, Oregon, in 1990. Roloff worked to create Roloff Farm, which now features pumpkins, pirate ship on a lake, three-story treehouse, full-size Medieval castle, regulation soccer field, volleyball court, mine shaft, and tunnels. There are also outbuildings and restored barns.[8]

Roloff Farm is open to the public during certain seasons of the year, such as pumpkin season. It receives approximately 30,000 visitors annually.[2]

The Roloffs expanded with the purchase of the 80-acre property next to the farm in 2010.[9]

Early career

Roloff appeared as an extra in the movie, Under the Rainbow.[2] He also appeared as an Ewok in the Star Wars TV movie Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.[10] He is good friends with fellow little person and actor Martin Klebba, who appeared in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise and is also a member of a leading athletic club for little people, the LA Breakers.

Silicon Valley

Roloff worked as a computer programmer for Silicon Valley companies including Altos Computer Systems in the late 1980s. He sold systems software to Fortune 500 companies.[8] A friend encouraged him to take a job with Sequent Computer Systems, which was headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, in order to escape the long work hours and stress of Silicon Valley. Matt and his wife Amy relocated to the Portland area in 1990, while she was pregnant with twins Jeremy and Zachary.

Direct Access Solutions

Roloff also has a number of other business ventures. On Little People, Big World, he is shown running the business he co-founded, Direct Access Solutions, a company that provides accessibility products for little people to the hospitality industry.

Little People, Big World

Little People, Big World premiered in August 2005.[11] It was filmed 320 days a year for six seasons.[12] Roloff is an executive producer of the show.[13]

The first season took seven months to film.[11] At the end of the first season of Little People, Big World, Roloff is shown again taking a job in computer sales for the software company Amdocs, for which he worked as a consultant.

In 2008, Roloff traveled to Iraq to assist an Iraqi family with three dwarf children who needed medical attention. His trip was the subject of the season-ending episodes of the fourth season of Little People, Big World, and it was covered by CNN and other national news outlets. The entire family appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2008.

In December 2010, Little People, Big World concluded its sixth full season. After taking a short break, TLC/Discovery once again reached out to the Roloff family to film 4 one-hour "Little People, Big World" Specials.

In the summer of 2012, the Roloffs began filming another season, a spin-off called Little People Big World: Wedding Farm. Six episodes were filmed and the show was released in November 2012.[9][14]

Little People, Big World: Conquering Mt. St. Helens premiered in March 2013. In this episode, Amy and Zach train to climb Mt. St. Helens and Matt builds a one-room schoolhouse.[15] More specials like this aired.

Motivational speaking

Roloff is an avid motivational speaker and is listed with the American Program Bureau and is a member of the National Speakers Association. His speeches usually cover inclusion, overcoming odds, and sales leadership.[16]

Roloff has spoken at corporate events for companies like Tyson Foods, Walmart,[17] and United Healthcare.[18] Additionally, he has spoken for associations, such as the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) during their annual conference,[19] the Kansas State Council of SHRM,[20] the Manitoba Childcare Association,[21] and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.[22] Roloff was the keynote speaker at the Kids Included Together (KIT) International Conference on Inclusion 2013.[23]

Roloff also speaks at universities, and has spoken at institutions such as New Mexico State,[24] Adelphi University in New York, Indiana University,[17] Minnesota St. Cloud State University,[25] and Penn State Worthington Scranton.[26] He gave a speech on diversity at the 8th annual diversity conference at Indian Hills Community College in 2011.[27]

In addition, Roloff has appeared as a celebrity guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Rachael Ray, The Bonnie Hunt Show, Chelsea Lately, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.[28][29]

Books

Roloff has authored three books.[30] In 1999, with the help of a ghostwriter, Roloff authored the book Against Tall Odds: Being a David in a Goliath World.

In April 2007, a second book, Little Family, Big Values: Lessons in Love, Respect and Understanding for Families of Any Size, was released. Amazon.com credits The Roloff Family and Tracy Summer, the same ghostwriter that helped with Roloff's first book. In May 2018, Roloff's third book was released. The book is a children's book titled "Little Lucy, Big Race" and it's dedicated to his grandson, Jackson.

Activism

Roloff is the former President of Little People of America.[11] He also co-founded and serves as President of Coalition for Dwarf Advocacy, a non-profit for short-statured individuals.[31][32] Roloff established Direct Access Solutions, which sells a Short Stature Accessibility Kit to hotel chains with tools for little people and people of short stature to ensure a safe hotel stay.

Roloff has traveled to Iraq three times to visit U.S. troops and help an Iraqi family get medical attention for their three children with dwarfism.[30][33][34]

Lawsuit

In early 2013, the Roloffs sued Washington County, Oregon, when a county building inspector allegedly entered their property without permission or a warrant.[35]

In 2003, Roloff agreed to enter an alcohol diversion program after being charged with driving under the influence. The arrest stemmed from an incident in which Roloff swerved his vehicle off the road and into a ditch.[36] Upon his completion of the program, the charges were dropped.[36][37]

On June 19, 2007, Roloff was pulled over by Washington County Sheriff's Deputy and charged with DUI. The deputy claimed that Roloff was driving outside the travel lane after leaving a bar parking lot.[38][39] Roloff claimed that he had difficulty controlling the SUV because it was fitted with smaller pedal and brake extensions for his wife, and that he had dropped someone off in the bar parking lot.[39]

Roloff pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge.[39] A witness stated that the bar parking lot was used as a meeting spot and that he did not see Roloff drinking that night.[40][41] Judge Donald LeTourneau acquitted Roloff on the DUI charge and dismissed the case due to jury misconduct and inability to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.[39][42] Judge Le Tourneau also stated "I have found Mr. Roloff credible in this case."[41] The trial was the subject of the season opener of Little People, Big World on March 3, 2008, and its conclusion on March 10, 2008.

Bibliography
  • Roloff, Matt & Tracy Summer (1999). Against Tall Odds: Being a David in a Goliath World. Multnomah Publishing. ISBN 1-57673-583-4.
  • Roloff, Matt & Tracy Summer (2007). Little Family, Big Values: Lessons in Love, Respect, and Understanding for Families of Any Size. Fireside. ISBN 1-4165-4910-2

References
  1. Grinberg, Emanuella (June 5, 2015). "'Little People, Big World' stars Matt and Amy Roloff filing for divorce". CNN. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  2. Emmerson, Kassidy. “Little Known Facts About Matt Roloff from ‘Little People, Big World.’” Archived December 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Yahoo! Voices July 21, 2007
  3. "Matt Roloff - About Facebook".
  4. Stevens, Suzanne. “’Little People, Big World’: Yes, I’m a Roloff Fan.” Archived April 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Portland Business Journal. March 19, 2013
  5. "Recent Works by artist Sam Roloff oil paintings". samroloff.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  6. "Matt Roloff (Little People, Big World)". Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  7. "Matt and Amy Roloff Divorcing: Little People, Big World Couple Split After 27 Years". Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  8. TLC website. Meet Matt Roloff Archived June 16, 2013, at Archive.today Accessed May 17, 2013
  9. Owen, Rob. “Roloff family returns to TLC, “Little People, Big World: Wedding Farm.” Archived January 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine The Oregonian. November 11, 2012
  10. Tresniowski, Alex. Alexandra Hardy. Tall Order; His size once kept him off amusement park rides, so 4'2" Matt Roloff built a fantasy land for his kids People, April 3, 2000.
  11. Lee, Felicia R. "Documenting a Family that Comes in Two Sizes." The New York Times. March 2, 2006
  12. Little People, Big Comeback: Our Interview with Matt Roloff Archived March 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Culture Brats. September 8, 2011
  13. IMDb. “Filmography by TV Series for Matt Roloff.” Archived February 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  14. Little People, Big World: Wedding Farm Archived December 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine TVMuse
  15. Nededog, Jethro. “Watch: The Roloffs Vs. the Mountain.” Archived March 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Celebuzz. March 7, 2013
  16. American Program Bureau website. Matt Roloff Archived March 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Speaker Profile. Accessed April 4, 2013
  17. Adelphi University press release. Little People, Big World Star Matt Roloff at Adelphi University Performing Arts Center Archived February 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine September 25, 2012. Accessed April 4, 2013
  18. United Healthcare event April 5, 2012
  19. Dvorak, Amy. "Little Person, Big Message." Archived March 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine ALA News. February/March 2010. Accessed April 4, 2013
  20. 2011 SHRM Kansas State Conference. "Keynote Speakers." Archived March 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Accessed April 4, 2013
  21. Manitoba Childcare Association. Opening the Doors to Adventure in Early Childhood Education. Keynote Speakers. Archived March 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Accessed April 4, 2013
  22. Cantrell, Jody. Trib. Local. "Overcoming Adversity: Surviving as a Little Person in a Big World." Archived March 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine September 3, 2010. Accessed April 4, 2013
  23. KIT Conference on Inclusion website. Speaker Bios. Matt Roloff Archived September 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Accessed April 4, 2013
  24. Nava, Denise. New Mexico State College of Business website. "Innovention competition: 'Little People, Big World' star makes an appearance at NMSU." Archived December 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine February 23, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2013
  25. St. Cloud State University website. "Event Calendar." Archived March 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine February 9, 2010. Accessed April 4, 2013
  26. Gruzesky, Amy. Penn State News. Worthington Scranton hosts Matt Roloff of Little People, Big World Archived May 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine October 7, 2011. Accessed April 4, 2013
  27. Allt, Kate. Heartland Connection. Matt Roloff talks diversity at Indian Hills Archived March 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine April 13, 2012. Accessed April 4, 2013
  28. IMDB. Matt Roloff: Self Archived September 8, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Accessed April 4, 2013
  29. Wolfman Productions. Matt Roloff: Against Tall Odds Archived March 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Accessed April 4, 2013
  30. Estavillo, Sonyo. "Matt Roloff — 'Little People, Big World' Visits Watertown, NY." CW 14/22. October 25, 2012.
  31. “Matt Roloff, Star of ‘Little People, Big World,’ Television Series, to give Keynote at JCC Leadership Day.” Archived March 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Jefferson Community College website accessed May 17, 2013
  32. "Biography" Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Matt Roloff Speaking website accessed May 17, 2013
  33. “Matt and the Salman Family from Iraq.” Archived June 16, 2013, at Archive.today TLC website: "Little People, Big World."
  34. Huff, Richard. "Little People, Big World has Big Impact." Archived March 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine NY Daily News. October 10, 2008.
  35. Culverwell, Wendy. “The quotable Matt Roloff on celebrity and constitutional rights.” Archived April 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Portland Business Journal. March 21, 2013
  36. Little People Big World. Season 3, Episode 2. Originally aired on March 3, 2008.
  37. "Oregon reality TV star arrested for DUI once before". KGW. July 31, 2007. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved November 25, 2007.
  38. http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/07/reality_show_star_nabbed_for_a.html "Update: Reality star ways not guilty of alleged drunk driving in Washington County."] Archived March 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Oregon Live blog. July 31, 2007. Accessed February 28, 2013
  39. Rocchio, Christopher. "'Little People, Big World' star Matt Roloff found not guilty of DUI." Archived January 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Reality TV World. January 11, 2008. Accessed February 28, 2013
  40. Kearnes, Fara. "Matt Roloff: Little People, Big Not Guilty Verdict." Archived December 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Star Blogs.net. January 11, 2008. Accessed February 28, 2013
  41. Court proceedings dated January 9, 2008
  42. Mitchell, Kay. "Roloff acquitted by judge after jury misconduct discovered." Archived January 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine The Oregonian. January 10, 2008. Accessed March 8, 2013
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