'Ally McBeal,' 'Passions' actor dies at 20

Evans

SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- Actor Josh Ryan Evans, who played a child prodigy lawyer in the hit "Ally McBeal" and starred in the NBC daytime drama "Passions," has died at age 20 due to heart problems, his publicist said Tuesday.

Evans, who was 3 feet, 2 inches tall, had a rare disease that prevented his body from maturing. He died Monday in San Diego.

"I always knew I wanted to be a character in the movies," Evans once said. "When I was growing up, I had to have a lot of surgery, and I spent a lot of time recovering at home and in the hospital. Watching movies took me away from my own problems and gave me a total escape."

Born in Hayward, California, Evans began his acting career in commercials and eventually won roles in movies and television series.

He appeared in "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," playing a young Grinch in the movie. He also had a role in the 1999 movie "Baby Geniuses." In addition, he did voice-overs for several characters in the Nickelodeon series "Rugrats."

His most prominent role was in the NBC drama "Passions," in which he played Timmy, a doll magically turned into a real boy. He also played the child prodigy lawyer Oren Koolie, a young attorney who butted heads with Ally McBeal in the Fox series.