The Rice Brothers
BornJohn Rice
(1951-12-03)3 December 1951
Greg Rice
(1951-12-03) 3 December 1951
St. Mary's Hospital, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
DiedJohn Rice
5 November 2005(2005-11-05) (aged 53)
Cause of deathJohn Rice
Complications of injuries
Occupation(s)Estate agents
Investors
Known forShortest living twins (former)
Height2 ft 10 in (86 cm)

John Rice (December 3, 1951 – November 5, 2005) and Greg Rice (born December 3, 1951), sometimes known as the Rice Brothers or Rice Twins, were identical twin dwarfs, known throughout the United States for their appearances in various commercials and infomercials. Until the death of John Rice on November 5, 2005, the two held the world record for being the shortest living twins, standing only 2 ft 10 in (86 cm).

Early lives

John and Greg Rice were born on December 3, 1951, at St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida. Their biological mother abandoned them a few hours after giving birth, purportedly due to the diagnosis of dwarfism. After eight months of being cared for by hospital staff, the infants were taken in as foster children by Frank and Mildred Windsor. Mildred died when the boys were in eighth grade due to ovarian cancer. Following the loss of their foster mother and the death of their foster father three years later, the two were raised by their foster sister, Betty Windsor. Despite the difficulties of their condition as well as the loss of their foster parents, John and Greg participated in "normal" childhood activities such as the Boy Scouts, took regular classes throughout their education, and even played cornet in the junior high and high school band.

During their senior year at Palm Beach High School, John and Greg made money selling cleaning and personal care products door to door. After a number of years practicing their sales skills the two enrolled in community college, and after a year of school were promoted to training other salespeople in the company they worked for.

Professional careers

In the mid-seventies the Rice Brothers went into the real estate business, starting out as real estate agents and then successful investors. It was there they became two of the most recognizable experts in their field in the U.S. They later went into the motivational speaking business.[1]

in 1980, the brothers appeared in Hardly Working, a comedy directed by Jerry Lewis. The twins appeared on the television series Real People as motivational speakers, and then went on to play landlords in the 1981 television series Foul Play.[2] They also hosted a short-lived game show titled That Awful Quiz Show in 1982.[1] In 1989, the twins appeared in commercials for a chain of pizza restaurants known as Pizza Factory.[3]

In the 1990s, the twins became local celebrities in south Florida when they began starring in commercials for a pest control company.[4]

Death of John

John Rice died November 5, 2005, from complications of injuries when he broke his leg coming out of a Palm Beach bank. He was scheduled for surgery and died as anesthesia was being applied..[4]

Greg Rice continues to carry on the work that he began with his late brother in marketing and advertising as well as teaching and lecturing people.

References

  1. 1 2 Stiteler, Rowland (1986-11-09). "Little Big Men John And Greg Rice Started Small. But With A Good Sales Technique And A Positive Attitude, They Found Neither Fame Nor Fortune Beyond Their Reach". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
  2. ↑ Witbeck, Charles (1981-04-05). "Tiny Twins Rise Above Dull Series". The Palm Beach Post. p. 81, § Post TV. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
  3. ↑ Morris-Versaw, Arlene (1989-05-22). "Pizza Factory Growth: 45 Units, 6 States". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2017-07-14 – via NewsLibrary. As a little pizza chain making it big, Pizza Factory hired the Rice brothers, dwarves who like to be called "little people," to represent them in their television commercials.
  4. 1 2 "John Rice Dies". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. 2005-11-25. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
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