DID YOU KNOW THAT THE SHREK OF THE CARTOON WORLD WAS IN REALITY TOO

The animated character Shrek was a real-life inspiration. The real Shrek – MAURICE TILLET named as  “The French Angel” or the Freak Ogre of the Ring – A French Wrestler. He was born in St. Petersburg, Russia on October 23, 1903. The real-life Shrek i.e. Maurice resembled a green ogre with a heart of gold in his features. Due to his blonde hair and angelic face, his friends used to call him the French angel. He was nicknamed the “Ugliest Man in the World by some narrow-minded people.

The real-life inspiration for the animated character Shrek might just be a man nicknamed “The French Angel.”

 

Maurice, in his twenties, developed acromegaly, a hormonal condition where growth hormone-producing cells of the anterior pituitary gland become excessively active. As a result, large quantities of growth hormones are produced. The person cannot grow taller. All body tissues grow rapidly, including the bones become thicker and the soft tissues can continue to grow and tissues continue to get large.

 

Early Life of Maurice Tillet

Tillet was born in 1903 in the Ural Mountains in Russia to French parents. 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, Tillet 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. 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 French Navy for five years as an engineer.  

 

The Visual Inspiration For DreamWorks – Shrek

 

 

Despite having a similar physical appearance between Maurice and Shrek, the studio – DreamWorks never addressed Maurice’s appearance as it was the inspiration for the animated character Shrek.There were three casts. Two masks of Maurice having a greenish tinge are displayed at The Weightlifting Hall of Fame, Lowa and York Barbell Museum by sculptor Louis Linck, where it would allegedly be used as a model to design the popular cartoon character and One is with his friend.