Maurice Tillet
Encyclopedia
Maurice Tillet was a French professional wrestler known as The French Angel who was a leading box office draw in the early 1940s and was recognized as world heavyweight champion by the American Wrestling Association
run by Paul Bowser
in Boston. His usual finishing move was the bearhug.
, he could speak 14 languages and was also a poet and actor.
In his twenties, he developed acromegaly
, a rare disease that causes bones to grow wildly and uncontrollably. Soon his whole body was disfigured as a result. Seeking a new identity to fit his disfigurement, Tillet moved to the United States where he made a living on his appearance by becoming a professional wrestler, and was dubbed as the "freak ogre of the ring". His villain persona ("the French Angel") was an instant success with the crowds, becoming one of the largest draws in professional wrestling and spawning a series of "Angel" imitators. On August 1, 1944, The French Angel defeated Steve "Crusher" Casey for the Boston-based world championship.
Tillet would often visit. There the pair would often play chess together. Tillet died in 1954 from heart disease
at age 51. Wrestler Bobby Managoff asked Tillet on his death bed if he could make a plaster cast of his face
. Tillet agreed, and Managoff made three masks of his face, one of which was given to Milo Steinborn, while two ended up with Patrick Kelly. Steinborn donated his mask to the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame inside the York Barbell Building in York, Pennsylvania
. One of Kelly's masks sat on his office desk for years, he donated the other to the International Wrestling Museum in Iowa.
in Chicago, Illinois. The bust was done in 1950 by Louis Linck
. Irving Penn
made several publicity photographs of Tillet in 1946, and in 1990 reprinted one of these using the fine art Platinum/Palladium process
.
He has allegedly inspired the creation of Shrek
.
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
run by Paul Bowser
Paul Bowser
Paul Forbes Bowser was a professional wrestling promoter who was active from the 1920s to the 1950s in the Boston area.-Wrestler:...
in Boston. His usual finishing move was the bearhug.
Career
Born in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, he could speak 14 languages and was also a poet and actor.
In his twenties, he developed acromegaly
Acromegaly
Acromegaly is a syndrome that results when the anterior pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone after epiphyseal plate closure at puberty...
, a rare disease that causes bones to grow wildly and uncontrollably. Soon his whole body was disfigured as a result. Seeking a new identity to fit his disfigurement, Tillet moved to the United States where he made a living on his appearance by becoming a professional wrestler, and was dubbed as the "freak ogre of the ring". His villain persona ("the French Angel") was an instant success with the crowds, becoming one of the largest draws in professional wrestling and spawning a series of "Angel" imitators. On August 1, 1944, The French Angel defeated Steve "Crusher" Casey for the Boston-based world championship.
Later years
He became a recluse, although a few people did manage to befriend Tillet, including the businessman Patrick Kelly, whose home in Braintree, MassachusettsBraintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
Tillet would often visit. There the pair would often play chess together. Tillet died in 1954 from heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
at age 51. Wrestler Bobby Managoff asked Tillet on his death bed if he could make a plaster cast of his face
Death mask
In Western cultures a death mask is a wax or plaster cast made of a person’s face following death. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or be used for creation of portraits...
. Tillet agreed, and Managoff made three masks of his face, one of which was given to Milo Steinborn, while two ended up with Patrick Kelly. Steinborn donated his mask to the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame inside the York Barbell Building in York, Pennsylvania
York, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...
. One of Kelly's masks sat on his office desk for years, he donated the other to the International Wrestling Museum in Iowa.
Memorials
There is a life-size bust of Tillet on display at the International Museum of Surgical ScienceInternational Museum of Surgical Science
The International Museum of Surgical Science is a museum located in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It is operated by the and features exhibits dealing with various aspects of Eastern and Western medicine. It was founded by Dr. Max Thorek in 1954.- External links :*...
in Chicago, Illinois. The bust was done in 1950 by Louis Linck
Louis Linck
Louis Linck was born in Paris, and emigrated to the United States in 1926. During his lifetime of sculpting he worked for a number of private clients as well as the WPA , and the International College of Surgeons...
. Irving Penn
Irving Penn
Irving Penn was an American photographer known for his portraiture and fashion photography.-Early career:Irving Penn studied under Alexey Brodovitch at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art from which he was graduated in 1938. Penn's drawings were published by Harper's Bazaar and he...
made several publicity photographs of Tillet in 1946, and in 1990 reprinted one of these using the fine art Platinum/Palladium process
Platinum print
Platinum prints, also called platinotypes, are photographic prints made by a monochrome printing process that provides the greatest tonal range of any printing method using chemical development....
.
He has allegedly inspired the creation of Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
.