10 Famous Movie Characters You Didn't Know Were Based On Real People
6. Shrek Was Modeled On A Disfigured Pro Wrestler From The 40s
Mind-blower #1: Shrek is actually based on a children's book of the same name. Mind-blower #2: Bill Murray, Chris Farley, and Nicolas Cage were all in talks, at one point or another, to voice Shrek. Mind-blower #3: The computer-animated ogre was modeled after a French professional wrestler with an overactive pituitary gland.
Maurice Tillet, better known by his ring name The French Angel, became a huge draw on the pro wrestling circuit in the 1940s because of his unusual look. This was due to his acromegaly, a disease shared by fellow pro wrestlers Andre the Giant and The Great Khali, which caused severe thickening of the bones.
Though DreamWorks representatives have never officially confirmed the longstanding rumors that Tillet was the model for their titular ogre - probably because that just sounds bad - the facial similarities are uncanny.
It's likely that the scene from the first film in which Shrek takes on Lord Farquaad's knights inside an actual wrestling ring - performing the typical old-school maneuvers like clotheslines and body slams - was a nice little nod to The French Angel's involvement in the character's design, as well.