Christopher Greener
Encyclopedia
Christopher Paul Greener (born 21 November 1943) is the United Kingdom
's second tallest British-born man (after Neil Fingleton
) at 7 foot in height. His weight ranged from 20-30 stone during his adulthood. Greener, from a very young age, had a tumour at the base of his pituitary gland
, which controls the release of human growth hormone. The tumour caused Greener's pituitary to grow to several times the size of that of an average person, and he would not have stopped growing had the tumour not been surgically removed when he was in his late 20s. Amazingly, his condition, pituitary gigantism
, was not diagnosed until 1970, when Greener was 27 years old, already at his current height and the record-holder as the tallest man in Britain. He held the record for 40 years.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Greener was an international basketball player for the Great Britain team, and was often seen at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.
Greener has worked as an actor, often serving in various comedic roles focused on his great height. He played the circus giant in the David Lynch
's The Elephant Man
. He has also appeared in several documentaries chronicling the lives of the very tall, including the World's Tallest People television special on The Learning Channel in the United States
and Superhuman: Giants on the UK's ITV
.
On 14 February 2011 he appeared on an episode of 'The Gadget Show' on Five in the UK to test out some strong phones by dropping them from a height. It was a joke on the height that the phones are not dropped from the normal height of an ear, but an extra test as of his height.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's second tallest British-born man (after Neil Fingleton
Neil Fingleton
Neil Fingleton is the United Kingdom's tallest British-born man at 7 ft 7.56 in in height.This title has been confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records in the summer of 2007 and he takes over from Christopher Greener who stands at 7ft 6 ¼in in height.-Life and career:Fingleton won a basketball...
) at 7 foot in height. His weight ranged from 20-30 stone during his adulthood. Greener, from a very young age, had a tumour at the base of his pituitary gland
Pituitary gland
In vertebrate anatomy the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 g , in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, and rests in a small, bony cavity covered by a dural fold...
, which controls the release of human growth hormone. The tumour caused Greener's pituitary to grow to several times the size of that of an average person, and he would not have stopped growing had the tumour not been surgically removed when he was in his late 20s. Amazingly, his condition, pituitary gigantism
Gigantism
Gigantism, also known as giantism , is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average...
, was not diagnosed until 1970, when Greener was 27 years old, already at his current height and the record-holder as the tallest man in Britain. He held the record for 40 years.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Greener was an international basketball player for the Great Britain team, and was often seen at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.
Greener has worked as an actor, often serving in various comedic roles focused on his great height. He played the circus giant in the David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's The Elephant Man
The Elephant Man (film)
The Elephant Man is a 1980 American drama film based on the true story of Joseph Merrick , a severely deformed man in 19th century London...
. He has also appeared in several documentaries chronicling the lives of the very tall, including the World's Tallest People television special on The Learning Channel in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Superhuman: Giants on the UK's ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
On 14 February 2011 he appeared on an episode of 'The Gadget Show' on Five in the UK to test out some strong phones by dropping them from a height. It was a joke on the height that the phones are not dropped from the normal height of an ear, but an extra test as of his height.