It has been rumored[4] that Tillet was the inspiration for the animated movie character Shrek, based on the resemblance; but there's no evidence for this.
Early life
Tillet was born in 1903 in the Ural 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 was even given the nickname "The Angel" by his mother due to his innocent face. In 1917, Tillett and his mother left Russia due to the Revolution and moved to France, where they settled in Reims. When Tillet was twenty years old, 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][5]
Tillet completed his law degree at the University of Toulouse, but felt he would never be successful due to his deep voice and physical appearance. Tillet served in the submarine service of the French Navy for five years as an engineer.[1][3][5][6]
Professional wrestling career
The French Angel against Lou Thesz in the ring, 1940Tillet being interviewed in Montreal, 1940.
In Boston, Massachusetts, in 1940, promoterPaul Bowserpushed 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, and was unbeaten for a span of nineteen consecutive months. Tillet was the AWA World Heavyweight Champion from May 1940 until May 1942. He reappeared 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]
Maurice Tillet in 1953
By 1945, Tillet's health began to fail and he was no longer advertised as unstoppable. In his final wrestling match, in Singapore on 14 February 1953, working The National Wrestling Alliance Mid South Area then known as Tri-State and owned by Leroy McGuirk 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. Another is now in the personal collection of Bruce Prichard.
Death
Tillet died on 4 September 1954 in Chicago, Illinois. He suffered from a heart attack after hearing of his friend and former trainer, Karl Pojello's death.[1] Tillet and Pojello are buried together at the Lithuanian National Cemetery in Justice, Illinois, Cook County, 20 miles (32 km) south of Chicago. Their gravestone reads: "Friends Whom Even Death Couldn't Part".[7]
^Ryan Grenoble (December 29, 2014). "Meet Maurice Tillet, The Man Rumored To Have Inspired Shrek". Huff Post. Retrieved September 1, 2023. Despite the uncanny physical similarities between Tillet and Shrek, DreamWorks -- the studio which released the film -- has never officially addressed the long-standing rumor that Tillet's appearance served as the basis for the animated character. A spokesman at the company did not immediately return a request for comment from The Huffington Post.
^ abCroal; Louden; Smith; Wismer (1948). General Biology. The Copp Clark Co. Ltd. p. 449.
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