They say the camera adds 10 lbs, but what does it do for height? There are so many actors that are actually much shorter than they look, as the camera angles, or even clever lifts, make them look taller than they really are. Conversely, sometimes it’s tough to tell how toweringly tall an actor might be when seeing them on screen from the comfort of your couch.
When it comes to The Big Bang Theory, a lot of the cast members are actually pretty short, with only two that often appear on-screen being above six feet tall, and one is even under five feet. So, who are the tallest and shortest?
Melissa Rauch: Shortest (4'11’')
It’s obvious that Rauch, who plays Howard’s firecracker wife Bernadette, is super-small on the show. They mention her tiny stature often, complemented by her high-pitched, shrill voice—not her real voice, by the way. Standing under five-feet tall, Rauch measures in at just 4'11’’, making her the shortest actor on the show.
Despite this, however, she has the biggest personality and often dominates over not only her husband Howard, but the others in the group. Most of them talk about how they are afraid of her, proving that size does not matter when it comes to confidence.
Sara Gilbert: Shortest (5'3")
Fans missed Leslie’s dynamic with Leonard and Sheldon in later seasons when she slowly stopped popping up. She was a lot like Leonard but didn’t know how to tolerate Sheldon quite as well. Nevertheless, Leslie wasn’t the shortest of the group but she wasn’t the tallest either. She was most known for her quick comebacks against Sheldon and her up-and-down relationship with Leonard. Like Leonard, she’s one of the shortest on the list.
Some believe Leslie is one of the most underrated characters on The Big Bang Theory. She was one of only a few female colleagues, knew how to handle Sheldon, and she was downright hilarious.
Aarti Mann: Shortest (5'3")
Like many others on this list, Aarti Mann is of average height on The Big Bang Theory. Her character Priya started as Raj’s sister and ended with her being the ex-girlfriend of Leonard. Priya and Leonard had a solid relationship and probably would have ended up together if it weren’t for the long-distance aspect of their relationship. However, it was for the best because fans wanted Leonard and Penny to be endgame more than Leonard and Priya.
A lawyer, fans, however, did not like how she treated Leonard at times. As Raj’s sister, she and Leonard staying together could have become awkward for their friendship.
Simon Helberg: Shortest (5'4’')
Yes, Helberg is an inch shorter than Galecki, two inches shorter than Cuoco, and a full three inches shorter than Nayyar, who plays his best friend on the show. Helberg, of course, plays Howard, an engineer with an inflated sense of confidence and a weirdly close relationship with his mother. Howard is often made fun of by his friends for being an engineer and not having a doctoral degree. In addition to this role, Helberg also gained critical acclaim for his role in Florence Foster Jenkins.
He doesn’t appear to be as short since the other guys are similar in height to him, with the exception of Sheldon. With his wife Bernadette, played by Rauch, several inches shorter, it also makes Helberg appear taller than he is since many of his scenes include her by his side.
Mayim Bialik: Shortest (5'4’')
Interestingly, Bialik is the same height as Helberg at just 5'4’’, which makes her one of the shortest women on the show, and also a full nine inches shorter than her on-screen boyfriend Sheldon. Bialik plays Amy, Sheldon’s love interest and eventually his wife. There are many ways Amy matured throughout The Big Bang Theory, but most importantly, she was pivotal in helping Sheldon grow and mature.
Bialik was known prior to this role, however, for her leading role on the ’90s sitcom Blossom. She is also known for being the only cast member from TBBT to actually understand the scientific lingo they use since she actually has a Ph.D. in neuroscience.
Johnny Galecki: Shortest (5'5’')
It is pretty well-known that Galecki isn’t exactly one of the tallest actors in Hollywood, as he is only 5'5", which is a full inch shorter than Cuoco, who plays his love interest and eventual wife on the show. In fact, the two also dated in real life at one point.
Galecki has been acting for decades. While he is best known for playing Leonard on this show, other notable roles include playing Darlene’s boyfriend in Roseanne—and ex-husband in the sequel series The Conners—as well as from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and the film I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Kaley Cuoco: Shortest (5'6’')
As the tallest of the shortest cast members on the show, Cuoco is an average 5'6’’, which is fairly tall considering the height of some of the others. As one of the original cast members of the show, it’s her presence in the building when she moves in that sets the stage for the entire premise.
Cuoco rose to fame with her role on the sitcom 8 Simple Rules, but it was really her role as Penny on this show that put her on the Hollywood map. She’s now appearing in The Flight Attendant, a show she also created and executive produces.
Laurie Metcalf: Shortest (5'7")
Laurie Metcalf plays Sheldon Cooper‘s mom, Mary Cooper. Mary is a devout Catholic who wastes no time sharing her personal beliefs and hopes of spreading her message. Oftentimes, Mary is out of touch and dated but she adds comic relief whenever she comes to visit her “Shelly.” Although her son is very tall, Mary is of slightly above average height at 5'7". She ranks among the best relatives on The Big Bang Theory.
Of course, Metcalf rose to fame as Aunt Becky on the series Roseanne, a role she has reprised for the sequel series The Conners. Fans who notice that the actor who plays a younger version of Mary on The Big Bang Theory prequel series Young Sheldon bears a striking resemblance to Metcalf are correct: the actor, Zoe Perry is Metcalf’s daughter in real life.
Kunal Nayyar: Shortest (5'7’')
Kunal Nayyar is in the middle when he comes to height of the actors on the series, standing at 5'7’’. But, indeed, he just inches into this category with this fairly average height. Many of the women he dated on the show stood taller than him, though he is slightly taller than his best friend Howard.
Nayyar played Raj for the entire series’ run, arguably one of the most changed characters on the show, who initially had selective mutism that made it impossible for him to speak to women. He was most recently heard voicing the character of Naveen in Mira, Royal Detective and also appeared in the Apple TV+ thriller Suspicion.
Laura Spencer: Shortest (5'7’')
Laura Spencer played Dr. Emily Sweeney was a dermatologist who appeared on the show from seasons 7 through 10 and, for some time, dated Raj. The pair, who stood the same height, seemed like the perfect couple. She actually found him and sought him out from a dating app, and after a runaround, they hit it off.
The relationship ended badly when Raj, having once been unable to even speak to women, decided to date two women at the same time and they found out. Emily, however, was one of the characters with the best chance of being a soulmate for Raj.
Kevin Sussman: Tallest (5'9’')
Sussman is among the tallest on the show, standing at about 5'9’’ tall. He plays the awkward comic bookstore owner Stuart on the series, who is often depressed, down on his luck, and pining to be part of the group of friends.
By the end of the series, Stuart finally found true love and found success at his comic store. All of his hardships made him the kind of compassionate man he was by the end of the series. Sussman most recently appeared in the final season of AMC’s Breaking Bad prequel series Better Call Saul as a potential victim of Saul Goodman’s con scheme.
John Ross Bowie: Tallest (5'9’')
Also standing 5'9’’ tall is Bowie, who plays Sheldon’s rival at the university, Barry Kripke. He’s also known for his roles in Speechless, for appearing in Ford Motor Company commercials, and for sketch comedy work at theaters in New York and L.A. Despite his Elmer Fudd-like voice on the series, Bowie does not, in fact, have a speech impediment in real life.
He last appeared in the short-lived sitcom United States of Al. Even though fans loved his character on TBBT, there are many things that make no sense about Barry Kripke on The Big Bang Theory that they just can’t get over.
Christine Baranski: Tallest (5'10’')
Fans might be surprised to know that Christine Baranski, who played Leonard’s cold and closed off mother Dr. Beverley Hofstadter, is the tallest woman among the cast. Standing 5'10’’, her stature is in stark contrast to her son, who is among the shortest.
She appeared in several episodes throughout the series’ run when she was in town visiting her son, always talking down to him, talking up his brother, and doting over Sheldon as though he was the fascinating son she wished she had. One of the biggest bits of closure for the show, however, was Leonard finally getting some affection and apologies from his mother for the way she treated him as though he was a psychological experiment for her work.
Lauren Lapkus: Tallest (5'10’')
Baranski wasn’t alone however: another later-season cast addition, Lauren Lapkus, stands 5'10’’ as well. She played Denise, a young woman who entered the comic book store and mesmerized the guys by her interest in and knowledge of comics. She ended up working there alongside Stuart and the two began a relationship.
She is the first real girlfriend for Stuart and marked the only time he ever appeared to be happy while on the show. Interestingly, she stands just an inch taller than him, but as a woman who rarely wore heels, they often stood eye-to-eye.
Wil Wheaton: Tallest (5'11’')
Wil Wheaton wasn’t a main cast member on The Big Bang Theory, but he did appear in many episodes through the seasons. One of the best guest stars on The Big Bang Theory, he played an exaggerated version of himself, he was Sheldon’s rival, even though Sheldon, in some way, idolized Wil for having appeared as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The two often butted heads, trying to one-up one another at every turn. Wil was always annoyed to see Sheldon and did whatever he could to get under his skin. Height-wise, he was a few inches shorter than Sheldon, making him among the tallest to appear on the show.
Jim Parsons: Tallest (6'1’')
Parsons, who plays the socially awkward and egotistical Sheldon Cooper, is indeed one of the few cast members on the show who tops six feet, at just an inch above the threshold. He is notably taller than the others on the show, but his slim build might have given the impression that he isn’t actually as tall as he is.
Now that the series is over, Parsons has been focusing a lot on his film career, appearing in top films like Hidden Figures and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile, as well as narrating the spin-off series Young Sheldon. He also starred in the Netflix movie The Boys in the Band.
Brian Thomas Smith: Tallest (6'3')
Brian Thomas Smith portrays Penny’s ex-boyfriend, Zack. Unlike many of Penny’s exes, Zack continued to pop up throughout the series as he became friendly with her group of friends. Zack isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed but he does have a big heart and wants the best for those around him.
When Amy Farrah Fowler first started hanging out with Penny and Bernadette, she lost her breath when she saw Zack for the first time because of how tall he was. Standing at 6’3”, Brian Thomas Smith is one of the tallest characters on the show. He had a pivotal storyline in the final season when he and his new wife visit Penny and Leonard, asking Leonard to be a sperm donor so they can have a baby. It’s this that sparks a conversation with Penny and Leonard about starting a family.
Brian Posehn: Tallest (6'7’')
Coming in at a towering 6'7’’ tall, Posehn plays geologist Bert Kibbler on the show. It’s clear he’s significantly taller than anyone else on the show, but how tall did fans think he was? In addition to stand-up comedy, he has taken his strapping height to other films and TV series, as well, and has even released a musical album titled “Grandpa Metal.”
Posehn is one of the tallest figures in Hollywood, towering over many others. Despite his stature, on The Big Bang Theory, he was often quite awkward, soft spoken, and harmless, like a big teddy bear.
