The French Angel
| The French Angel | |
|---|---|
 Tillet in 1940 | |
| Birth name | Maurice Tillet |
| Born |
April 23, 1903 Ural Mountains, Russian Empire |
| Died |
September 4, 1954 (aged 51) Chicago[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
The French Angel World's Ugliest Man[2] |
| Billed height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 122 kg (270 lb)[1] |
| Trained by | Karl Pojello |
| Debut | 1937 |
| Retired | 1953 |
Maurice Tillet (April 23, 1903 – September 4, 1954) was a French professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The French Angel. Tillet was a leading box office draw in the early 1940s and was twice contracted to act as World Heavyweight Champion by the American Wrestling Association run by Paul Bowser in Boston.
Early life
Tillet was born in 1903 in the Ural Mountains in Russia to French parents.[1] His mother was a teacher and his father was a railroad engineer. Tillet's father died when he was young. As a child he had a completely normal appearance and Tillet was nicknamed "The Angel" due to his angelic face. In 1917, Tillet and his mother left Russia due to the Revolution and moved to France, where they settled in Reims. When Tillet was 20, he noticed swelling in his feet, hands, and head, and after visiting a doctor was diagnosed with acromegaly - a condition usually caused by a benign tumor on the pituitary gland, resulting in bone overgrowth and thickening.[1]
He had wanted to become a lawyer, but his acromegaly prevented him from doing so. Tillet served in the French Navy for five years as an engineer.[1]
Professional wrestling career
In February 1937, Tillet met Karl Pojello (Lithuanian Karolis Požėla) in Singapore. Pojello was a professional wrestler, and convinced Tillet to enter the business. Tillet and Pojello moved to Paris for training, and Tillet wrestled for two years in France and England until World War II forced them to leave for the United States in 1939.[1]
In Boston, Massachusetts, in 1940, promoter Paul Bowser pushed Tillet, who was wrestling as The French Angel, as a main eventer, and he became a large draw in the area. As a result of his popularity, Tillet was booked as unstoppable, scripted to win for a span of 19 consecutive months. Tillet acted as the AWA World Heavyweight Champion from May 1940 until May 1942. In early 1942, he also worked as the Montreal-based world heavyweight champion. He re-appeared with the Boston-based title for a short time in 1944.[1]
As a result of his success, several Angel imitators emerged, including Paul Olaffsen (Swedish Angel), who also had acromegaly; Tony Angelo (Russian Angel), Tor Johnson (Super Swedish Angel), Jack Rush (Canadian Angel), Wladislaw Tulin (Polish Angel), Stan Pinto (Czech Angel), Clive Welsh (Irish Angel), Jack Falk (Golden Angel), Gil Guerrero (Black Angel), and Jean Noble (Lady Angel). Tillet competed against Tor Johnson, who was billed as The Swedish Angel on those occasions.[1]
By 1945, Tillet's health began to fail and he was no longer advertised as unstoppable. In his final wrestling match, in Singapore on February 14, 1953, he agreed to lose to Bert Assirati.[1]
In 1950, Chicago sculptor Louis Linck befriended Tillet and made a series of plaster busts commemorating him for his wrestling career. One of the busts is in Chicago’s International Museum of Surgical Science.
Death
Tillet died on September 4, 1954, in Chicago, from cardiovascular disease.[1] Tillet is buried at Lithuanian National Cemetery in Justice, Illinois, Cook County, 20 miles (32 km) from Chicago.
Attacks
- Finishing moves
- Signature moves
Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling Association (Boston)
- AWA World Heavyweight Championship[3][4] (2 times)
- AWA World Heavyweight Champion (Canada/Montreal based) (1 time)
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2012[1]
Influence on Shrek
There have been rumours that the ogre from the Shrek film series was modeled after Tillet; however, DreamWorks Animation has never openly commented on this.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Oliver, Greg (December 14, 2011). "The French Angel was more man than monster". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
- ↑ http://m.imdb.com/name/nm6738160/bio
- ↑ "American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title [Boston]".
- ↑ "Title Lineages: AWA (Boston) World Heavyweight Championship".
- ↑ "Was "The French Angel" Maurice Tillet the Model for Shrek?". Digititles.
Bibliography
- Parker, Mike. The World's Most Fantastic Freaks (1983). ISBN 0-7064-2145-0.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maurice Tillet. |
- Time magazine article from Mar 04, 1940 listing his measurements
- The Human Marvels biography, J. Tithonus Pednaud
- http://www.digititles.com/content/was-the-french-angel-maurice-tillet-the-model-for-shrek