Eerie coincidence on day actor who played The Grinch as a child tragically died

There was an eerie coincidence on the day the actor who played the Grinch as a child tragically died.

Josh Ryan Evans was born on this day (10 January) in 1982 and despite being in his late teens when he began appearing in films, had the appearance and voice of a young child.

The American had a form of dwarfism, called achondroplasia, and was 3ft 2in when he died aged 20 in August 2002.

Evans also had heart problems which meant he underwent multiple surgeries as a child. And when he was recovering he would watch plenty of TV and films, inspiring him to pursue a career in acting.

He began appearing in TV ads at 12 before making his debut as a toddler in 1999’s Baby Geniuses.

Josh Ryan Evans played the young Grinch (Universal Pictures)

His big role then soon came through as the young Grinch in the legendary How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Portraying the child version of Jim Carrey’s iconic character, Evans’ role was intense, seeing him spend five and a half hours in the makeup chair each day to transform into the character. However, he really enjoyed working on the film and got on well with the director, Ron Howard.

According to Howard, the role was originally planned as a small walk-on part as a class misfit, but he changed his mind as soon as he met Evans

"Evans generated a lot of heart for the story," the director said.

Shortly after, Evans landed the biggest role of his career as the living doll, Timmy Lenox, in the NBC soap opera Passions.

Evans died aged 20 (Maury Phillips/WireImage)

The actor won multiple awards for this, including a Hollywood Reporters' YoungStar Award for 'Best Young Actor in a Daytime TV Series'.

However, just as Evans was reaching stardom in 2002, he passed away suddenly from complications related to his heart condition during a medical procedure on 5 August.

In a rather eerie coincidence, on the day the actor died, the network aired the episode of Passions where his character also passed away.

The episode had been taped weeks in advance and his character was originally due to return later in the series as an angel, but following his death, those plans were scrapped and the episode was dedicated to his memory.

"We are deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of Josh Ryan Evans," NBC said at the time. "He was a truly unique talent with a remarkable spirit.

"He will be sorely missed by his Passions family and by all of us at NBC."