Verne Troyer passes away at age 49 Verne Troyer, who was best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers films and for his height of 2 ft 8 in due to achondroplasia dwarfism, has passed away at the age of 49. Born on January 1, 1969, Troyer also briefly appeared as Griphook the goblin in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.