Maurice Tillet billed himself as the ‘world’s ugliest man’ and turned that image into a wealthy, celebrated wrestling career.
Tillet’s distinctive look came from a rare disorder of the pituitary gland called acromegaly, which causes excess growth hormone.
Though only 5ft 8in tall, he reportedly weighed about 19 stone and had a chest exceeding 80 inches.
His head swelled so much that from ear to ear it measured over seven inches, and his hands were exceptionally large.
He competed in Britain, France and elsewhere, but achieved his biggest fame in the United States.
Despite his height, Tillet reputedly weighed an astonishing 19 stone and had a chest over 80 inches.
There he linked up with a Lithuanian wrestler who first recognised his potential.
Fans have long noted the resemblance between Tillet and the animated ogre Shrek.
Tillet died in 1954, suffering a heart attack after learning of his partner’s death the same day.
Rumours say DreamWorks animators used Tillet’s death mask as inspiration for Shrek’s look, based on William Steig’s novel.
Maurice Tillet was born in 1903 in Russia to French parents.
When the Russian Revolution began, his family returned to France.
The performer after triumphing over Luigi Bacigalupi in Boston in 1940.
Rumour links Tillet’s death mask to the creation of Shrek.
Tillet appeared to develop normally as a child, but by 17 he showed signs of acromegaly.
His skull and hands enlarged noticeably as the condition progressed.
He served about six years in the French Navy, then studied law.
However, his appearance prevented him from pursuing a legal career.
Tillet tried acting and had an uncredited role as a bartender in the 1935 film Princess Tam Tam, starring Josephine Baker.
“After returning to civilian life, I attempted a variety of jobs, but I didn’t have much luck.
I decided to go to the theater one day after watching a friend do it. I worked on many movies, but except for two or three, I was never given a significant role.
Success in the film industry requires a lot of good fortune, money and talent. I was lacking in a little bit of everything.”
His turning point came when Lithuanian wrestler Karl Pojello spotted him working as a doorman in Paris.
Tillet with a young woman before fighting in Blackfriars, London, in 1938.
Tillet during his fight against Luigi Bacigalupi in Boston in 1940.
Tillet lifting Luigi Bacigalupi into the air during their Boston fight, 1940.
Tillet, known as the ‘French Angel’, holding young Geoffrey Triplett.
Tillet had already enjoyed wins in amateur contests when Pojello began training him for the professional ring.
A 1947 report said Tillet knocked an opponent out in six and a half minutes in Nottingham.
The article described Abdul the Turk gaining an early leg lock, but Tillet knocked him out of the ring and won.
A 1948 Kent paper called him “probably the ugliest individual ever to appear in a sporting arena.”
The same piece praised his ability, saying commissions in parts of the United States were declaring him a world champion.
His 27-minute defeat of Steve Casey strengthened that claim.
The paper added that Billy Bartush, who had an almost unbeaten record in Britain, also fell to Tillet.
He reportedly ate a 14lb turkey with all the trimmings after a wrestling match.
One of his signature techniques was the “bear hug,” used to overwhelm opponents.
Tillet in a gown proudly displaying his nationality, 1938.
Tillet in a 1948 photoshoot. He enjoyed great success in the ring.
Tillet and Karl Pojello in a 1948 photo shoot.
During a Birmingham fight he lost about six front teeth after a kick to the mouth.
Tillet claimed he paused to remove them, then wrestled another 46 minutes to secure the victory.
A 1950 report said that when Tillet first appeared in Blackfriars, seven women at ringside fainted.
He enjoyed particular success in the United States.
In his first match at the Boston Garden he beat Luigi Bacigalupi.
He stayed unbeaten for almost two years.
Tillet and Pojello used earnings of $1,000 a match to purchase a mansion in Chicago.
They occupied adjoining rooms and rented out the rest.
Because of his condition, Tillet’s health worsened in his mid-40s.
In 1950 sculptor Louis Linck made a bust of Tillet.
The sculpture now sits at the International Museum of Surgical Science and is inscribed, “my old friend, Maurice (The Angel) Tillet.“
Tillet with companions. He died aged 50 in 1954 after a heart attack.
The Shrek films sprang from William Steig’s 1990 novel; Steig died in 2003.
Tillet was devastated when Karl Pojello died of lung cancer in 1954.
Stress from that loss triggered a fatal heart attack the same year.
The two men were buried together at the Lithuanian National Cemetery in Justice, Illinois.
Rumours say Tillet’s death mask, held at the York Barbell Museum in Pennsylvania, influenced Shrek’s design.
The Shrek franchise began with the 2001 film and produced four sequels, with a fifth in production.
The story follows a grumpy but kind ogre who befriends a donkey and falls for Princess Fiona.
The films are based on William Steig’s 1990 book; Steig died in 2003.
Despite widespread online claims, no verified link exists between Tillet and Shrek.