Many today believe that the character of Shrek was inspired by the life story of Maurice Thiele, better known as “The French Angel”.
Maurice Tile was born in 1903 in Russia to French parents who came to another country to earn money. He lost his father when he was still a child, and not long after that the revolution happened, because of which his mother decided that they should return to their homeland.
First signs of acromegaly
His close friends claimed that he was an extremely beautiful child growing up and that part of his nickname – Angel – originated from that period. But around age 18 or 19, Morris noticed that his limbs began to swell. Suddenly, his arms, legs and even his head began to grow rapidly. These were clear signs of acromegaly, which was quickly confirmed by doctors.
They even knew it was caused by a pituitary tumor, but they had no cure for it. The once handsome guy’s appearance continued to transform. This dissuaded him from studying law at the University of Toulouse, so he joined the French Navy as an engineer and spent the next five years in the service.
“Maybe with a face like that I could have become a lawyer, but my donkey voice is simply impossible to listen to. I went into the navy instead.” Tila once explained in a conversation with journalists.
Maurice becomes the “French Angel”
In 1937, Moris met the professional wrestler Karl Pođel quite by chance. Namely, as his appearance had changed a lot by then, Pođelo asked him a question about the problem, in French, on the street. He angrily snapped at him and cursed in Russian. Karlo immediately followed up in the same language. It turned out that he also lived in St. Petersburg before 1917.
From that moment on, the two became inseparable friends. Karlo even convinced Morris to start wrestling. They moved together to Paris, where they started training. Over the next two years, Morris achieved great success. But life once again decided to surprise the two of them, as well as the whole world. World War II broke out. Realizing that he would not make a career in Europe, Morris went to the United States with his coach.
In Boston, he soon gets the nickname French Angel and with the help of manager Paul Bowser, he gains great popularity. In addition to his unusual appearance, Morris also had skill: he did not lose a single match for 19 months in a row. Soon many of his imitators from different countries appeared on the scene, and Tile even fought against some of them.
He was the American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Champion from 1940 and won the title again in Boston in 1944. Due to advancing illness, his illustrious career was short-lived.
Angelo’s health is deteriorating
By 1945, Morris had ceased to be unstoppable. He started performing less often, and when he did go out to fight – he would lose. The headaches and poor vision continued to worsen. In 1953, Moris fought for the last time and lost.
Already in the following year, his health condition was extremely bad, and soon he began to suffer from heart problems. He might have lived a little longer if his friend and coach Karlo Pođelo had not died suddenly of lung cancer. When he heard the news, Morris clutched his chest and died at the age of 50. The friends were buried together, and a monument was erected on the grave.
Although it has never been confirmed, it is said that the animated hero Shrek was made in his image.