How Tall Was Manson Exactly? As Short As 'Mindhunter' Mentions?

Netflix's critically acclaimed Mindhunter recently dropped the trailer of its second season and as the format is, there are way too many villains to be taken care of in the series. One amongst the many in the list is the infamous cult leader, Charles Manson.

For the uninitiated, Charles Manson was a criminal and became a known name owing to the extremely notorious acts he and his quasi-commune Manson family committed in the 1960s. The most popular of those acts was the killing of actress Sharon Tate, which was orchestrated by Manson and three of her followers - Leslie Van Houten, Susan Atkins, and Patricia Krenwinkel.

Coming back to the trailer of the series, the character of Manson is being played by Damon Herrima. However, even before he appears on the screen, his small stature is mentioned. "Manson is really small, like really small. Try not to stare," says Ed Kemper, played by Cameron Britton. 

And it is true Manson was short, but he was not as short as was reported, which apparently was a point of contention with him. 

Letting his guard down while the camera was still rolling after an interview with Diane Sawyer in 1993, Manson, whose "family" was responsible for numerous killings, including the actress Sharon Tate in late 1969, asked for a favor.

Manson had been listed as 5-foot, 2-inches (and that is his listed height to this day when Googled). But, that was not accurate.

At least, not from what Manson said.

"Everyone says I'm 5'2". When I was arrested, I was 5'7"," Manson said. "Then I went down to 5'6", then 4-feet ... by the time you all die, I will be about 3-feet tall."

Sawyer asked how tall he was, officially.

Manson responded, "5'6" — and three-quarters."

Herrima plays a younger Manson, already running the "family," but before any killings, in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In Mindhunter, Herrima is an older, incarcerated Manson, sought out to help catch a new serial killer. Herrima is repped by APA. 

The actual Manson died Nov. 19, 2017 at the age of 83.