The French Angel
| The French Angel | |
|---|---|
Tillet in 1940
|
|
| Birth name | Maurice Tillet |
| Born |
October 23, 1903 Ural Mountains, Russian Empire |
| Died | September 4, 1954 (aged 50) Chicago |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The French Angel World's Ugliest Man |
| Billed height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Billed weight | 122 kg (270 lb) |
| Trained by | Karl Pojello |
| Debut | 1937 |
| Retired | 1953 |
Maurice Tillet (October 23, 1903 – September 4, 1954) was a French professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The French Angel. Tillet was a leading box office draw in the early 1940s and was twice contracted to act as World Heavyweight Champion by the American Wrestling Association run by Paul Bowser in Boston.
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 Tillet was nicknamed "The Angel" due to his angelic 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 20, 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.
He had wanted to become a lawyer, but his acromegaly prevented him from doing so. Tillet served in the French Navy for five years as an engineer.
In February 1937, Tillet met Karl Pojello (Lithuanian Karolis Požėla) in Singapore. Pojello was a professional wrestler, and convinced Tillet to enter the business. Tillet and Pojello moved to Paris for training, and Tillet wrestled for two years in France and England until World War II forced them to leave for the United States in 1939.
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