Who Played E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial? The Matthew DeMeritt Story
Matthew DeMeritt helped bring E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to life by providing the character’s full-body movement on set. About three feet tall and born without legs, DeMeritt was able to fit inside a custom-built E.T. suit, performing scenes where the alien needed to walk, shift naturally, or appear in wider shots.
His work let Steven Spielberg’s team lean heavily on practical effects rather than depending only on animatronics. Paired with puppeteers, mechanical rigs, and voice performance, DeMeritt’s physical acting added a smooth, lifelike quality that helped E.T. register on screen as a real, expressive character not just a puppet.
