Maurice Tillet is the man who is rumored to have inspired the character of Shrek in the animation Shrek. Shrek is one of the most iconic animations in recent times.
Even though the production company Dreamworks, has neither confirmed nor denied this similarity but it’s quite obvious.
Maurice Tillet was a Russian professional wrestler who was better known as The French Angel. He was twice the World Heavyweight Champion during his time.
Here are 10 Things to know about Maurice Tillet
1. Maurice Tillet was nicknamed “The Angel” by his mother as a child
Maurice Tillet was born on October 23, 1903, in the Ural Mountains, Russian Empire to his French parents. His father was a railroad engineer while his mother was a teacher.
As a Tillet had an innocent face and a normal appearance so his mother named him “The Angel“. His father died when he was still very young.
He was raised by his mother. He and his mother left Russia due to the Russian Revolution and settled in Reims in France.
2. He was diagnosed with acromegaly at the age of 20
Maurice Tillet began to notice swelling in his feet, hands, and head at the age of 20. He visited a doctor and was diagnosed with a condition usually caused by a benign tumor on the pituitary gland which caused the bone to overgrown and thicken. The condition is known as acromegaly.
3. Tillet wanted to become a lawyer
Before Maurice Tillet started experiencing some health challenges, he wanted to become a lawyer. He earned a law degree at the University of Toulouse but didn’t pursue it as a career because he thought he would never be successful due to his deep voice and physical appearance.
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4. He served in the French Navy
Tillet decided to change his career and so he signed up to serve in the French Navy. He served in the French Navy working as an engineer for up to five years.
He later left the Navy to become a professional wrestler.
5. Maurice Tillet’ professional wrestling career
Maurice Tillet met Karl Pojello, a professional wrestler in 1937. Pojello convinced him to join the wrestling business as the crowd would be fascinated with his unique appearance.
Tillet and Pojello moved to Paris and the latter started training Tillet. Tillet started appearing in some wrestling matches in France and England.
Maurice Tillet wrestled for two years in France and England before World War II made them leave to the United States in 1939.
His career was short-lived as his health began to fail and he was no longer advertised as unstoppable. His final wrestling match was in Singapore on February 14, 1953.
He had a successful career that several wrestlers began to imitate him. They were tagged as Angel imitators. Among them were: Paul Olaffsen (Swedish Angel), Tony Angelo(Russian Angel), Tor Johnson (Super Swedish Angel) among many others.
6. Did he ever get married?
It is not certain if the wrestler ever married as there are speculations that he was married to a very beautiful lady at the age of 19. Other reports say he was never married.
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7. Maurice Tillet died after he heard of his trainer’s death
The French Angel suffered from cardiovascular disease and died on September 4, 1954, in Chicago. This developed after Tillet heard of the death of his trainer.
Maurice Tillet was buried at the Lithuanian National Cemetery in Justice, Illinois, Cook County, 20 miles (32km) south of Chicago.
8. Series of plaster busts were made to commemorate Maurice Tillet’s wrestling career
Tillet became friends with a sculptor from Chicago named Louis Linck. Linck made a series of plaster busts commemorating Tillet for his wrestling career.
There is one in Chicago’s International Museum of Surgical Science and there is another in the personal collection of Bruce Prichard.
9. Maurice Tillet’s height and weight
The wrestler was also known as ” Ugliest Man in the World“. His billed height was 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) and his billed weight was 122kg(270lb)
10. Championships and accomplishments
The French Angel earned quite a number of titles during his time. Among them are:
- American Wrestling Association (Boston)
- AWA World Heavyweight Championship(twice)
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2012
