The Men Behind Buck Rogers’ Robotic Pal, Twiki: Felix Silla and Mel Blanc
What To Know
- Twiki, the beloved robot from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, was physically portrayed by Felix Silla, a versatile actor and former circus performer known for roles requiring elaborate costumes.
- The iconic voice of Twiki was provided by legendary voice actor Mel Blanc for most of the show’s run, with a brief replacement by Bob Elyea during Blanc’s illness in the second season.
- Felix Silla’s and Mel Blanc’s unique talents brought Twiki to life, making the character a memorable source of comic relief and charm in the series.
When Buck Rogers in the 25th Century debuted on motion picture screens in the spring of 1979, and then on NBC television later that year, one of my favorite characters was a cute little robot named Twiki. On the show, he was referred to a few times as an “Ambuquad.” I know. I know — it sounds like ’70s sci-fi mumbo jumbo to me now, but back then, I ate it up.
As that first season progressed, Twiki, who I started referring to as “that funny little robot guy,” really was quite endearing. Twiki was usually accompanied by Dr. Theopolis (also known as Theo), whom Twiki wore on his chest. They were a great team: Theo was the “straight man,” and Twiki provided the comic relief. With his trademark catchphrase, “Bidi-bidi-bidi, what’s up, Buck?” he was guaranteed to bring a smile to my face every time he showed up on the screen.
Who played Twiki?
(c) Universal Television/ Courtesy: Everett Collection.
Most of the time, inside that robotic outfit was veteran actor Felix Silla. You may better remember him as Cousin Itt from The Addams Family TV series, but Felix was actually an actor who had been in almost every show and film a sci-fi nut such as myself would have been watching at the time. I’m talking about Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, and even the original version of Star Trek.
Before he was an actor, Felix was a circus performer who toured with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. That background made him the “go to” guy for roles that required a relatively small person to be inside heavy prosthetics or confined suits. After Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was cancelled, he was hired by George Lucas to play a hang-gliding Ewok in Return of the Jedi, and he even did stunt work for Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
When Felix passed away in 2021, Variety shared this quote from his long-time friend, Buck Rogers himself, Gil Gerard: “I will miss him terribly, especially the time we had at our (convention) panels. Just telling me to go ‘ f ‘ myself”.
Who voiced Twiki?
Universal Television / Courtesy: Everett Collection
The voice of Twiki was supplied by Mel Blanc during most of the show’s run. It is hard to overstate just how legendary Mel was; heck, you can even find his star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Known as “The Man of a Thousand Voices,” Mel didn’t just give us Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and a host of other Looney Tunes characters; he was also the voice of another famous sci-fi curmudgeon, Mr. Spacely from The Jetsons. Bringing that level of genius to Buck’s lovable little robotic pal was a gift that I know I didn’t appreciate enough at the time.
When Mel fell ill just prior to the start of work on the second season of the show, Twiki’s voice was taken over by Bob Elyea. For some strange reason, Bob made no effort to sound at all like Twiki as he had been voiced by Mel. Fortunately for those of us who hung on during that ill-fated second season, when Mel got better, he returned to the role, and the universe found balance once again.