Olivier Richters
Born (1989-09-05) 5 September 1989 (age 34)
Hilversum, North Holland, Netherlands
Other names"The Dutch Giant"
Occupations
Height7 ft 2 in (218 cm)
Bodybuilder
Personal info
Weight150 kg (330 lb)

Olivier Richters (born 5 September 1989) is a Dutch bodybuilder and actor who stands at 218 centimetres (7 ft 2 in).

In 2021, Richters portrayed Ursa in the 2021 film Black Widow in a minor role. He also appeared in The King's Man and Louis Wain in 2021, and in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023.

Richters also holds the record for the "tallest professional bodybuilder" as of 2021, 12.7 centimetres (5.0 in) taller than Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson.[1][2] He was on the cover of the November 2018 Netherlands' edition of Men's Health,[3] and the subject of a documentary by the magazine.[4] Richters claimed [5] his inspiration was Richard Kiel, the actor of equal height who had portrayed the henchman Jaws in two James Bond films.

Filmography

Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2018 Ravers Warehouse Guy
2019 Nailed Iwan Short film
2021 Black Widow Ursa
Miami Heat Olivier
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain Journeyman Boxer
The King's Man Huge Machine Shack Guard
2023 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Hauke [6]
2024 Borderlands † Krom Post-production
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2020 Gangs of London Duncan 1 episode

Lifestyle and health

Due to his size, Richters maintains a regimen of 5,000 calorie intake for filming, and 6,500 to 7,000 calories for all other purposes, within a 24 hour period. The intake is spread out in seven meals, with one of them at 3:00 a.m., and consists of carbs, up to 1000 grams of various meats[5] and vegetables, in addition to an oat shake, made of "ultra-fine oats, blended with a whey scoop".[2] In his interview with Adil Ray at Good Morning Britain, Richters maintained that he is "pushed" to keep up with his diet.[5]

Richters was born with pectus excavatum, causing the bones of his ribcage to grow in such a way to squeeze the cardiac muscle. CT-scans revealed his heart was 20% smaller than it should have been. He underwent a procedure involving breaking the ribs and allowing the heart and lungs to continue growing, something made possible due to his still young age at the time, and extending his lifespan. Richters spent six months recovering (two under morphine, his third month was spent learning to gain basic mobility - walking, cycling and swimming - and his fourth month saw a return to weightlifting).[7]

According to The Times, Richters' stature is the result of the natural growth process and does not suffer from gigantism, a condition where a tumor would normally affect the pituitary gland, causing abnormal height growth.[8] A DNA test revealed he was 48.2% Scandinavian.[9]

In a documentary by Joost Lammers, on 9 September 2020, Richters announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 after a visit to his mother-in-law.[10][11]

In March 2013, Richters and his two siblings founded Muscle Meat, a company which provides athletes with resources and foods supplements.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ "The Dutch Giant smashes record for tallest professional bodybuilder". Guinness World Records. 5 October 2021. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b "The World's Tallest Bodybuilder Shared His Workout for Building Monster Muscle". Men's Health. 14 June 2022. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Cover model Olivier 'The Dutch Giant' Richters (2.18m) is world's tallest bodybuilder". Men's Health. 23 October 2018. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  4. ^ How The Dutch Giant (7.2 ft/2.18m) gained 70 kg in 8 years on YouTube
  5. ^ a b c The Friendliest Dutch Giant on YouTube,
  6. ^ Lovett, Jamie (27 February 2022). "Indiana Jones 5 Wraps Filming". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Dutch Giant Towers over Phil Heath, the Mountain, Big Ramy & Others Making Everyone Look Tiny!". 13 June 2017. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  8. ^ Smith, Mark. "Dutch Giant Olivier Richters talks The King's Man and Black Widow". ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  9. ^ BIGGEST VIKING ALIVE - The Dutch Giant - Ubisoft Assassins Creed Valhalla, archived from the original on 30 March 2023, retrieved 30 March 2023
  10. ^ The Dutch Giant - ROAD TO HOLLYWOOD - Olivier Richters Documentary 2020 ENGLISH SUBS, archived from the original on 22 April 2023, retrieved 22 April 2023
  11. ^ DOCUMENTAIRE | Groot dromen: Olivier naar Hollywood, archived from the original on 22 April 2023, retrieved 22 April 2023
  12. ^ "Olivier Richters doet een boekje open over de miljoenenomzet van zijn onderneming". Gewoonvoorhem (in Dutch). 21 February 2023. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Over ons". Muscle Meat (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.

External links

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