Athletes - Maurice Tillet

Home > Listing Index > Athletes > Maurice Tillet

	Athletes - Maurice Tillet

Maurice Tillet ( 1903?- August 4,1954 ) was a professional wrestler in the early years of the entertainment-sport. Born in France, he was highly intelligent and could speak 14 languages.

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 chronic disfigurement, Tillet fled to America 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. Perhaps the highlight of his career was on August 1, 1944, when The French Angel defeated Steve "Crusher" Casey for the American Wrestling Association World championship.

He soon became a recluse, although a few people did manage to befriend Tillet, including the businessman Patrick Kelly, whose home in Braintree, Massachusetts Tillet would often visit. There the pair would often play chess together.

When Tillet died in 1954 from heart disease at age 51, Kelly had a plaster cast mask made of Tillet's face, in his memory, which he placed on his desk.

Paranormal anecdote

A story exists that, in 1980, 25 years after Tillet's death, Patrick Kelly installed a computerized chess machine which he frequently played against, next to Tillet's mask. One morning, Kelly played against the computer. That morning, the computer deviated from its set program and used a different style of play, including the French 18th Century Opening chess move. On further inspection, Kelly observed that the computer wasn't even plugged in. This supposedly happened on numerous occasions, but only as long as Tillet's mask was nearby. Kelly claims that he had engineers x-ray and check both the mask and the computer, but that nothing unusual was found.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Maurice Tillet ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Maurice Tillet; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Athletes - Maurice Tillet

Paranormal anecdote

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay