The Gentle Giant was similar to many of the tall circus performers that toured the country throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. At a mere 6′ 5″, he was hardly the tallest. Although he was renowned for his restraint and self-control in the face of bullies, he was not the first. Cursed at a young age by a wandering old woman, his heart contained the rage and frustration of multitudes, but was tempered by a profound sensitivity to the delicate nature of the human condition, and he struggled to stand tall under the weight of an entire world’s aggravations. However, even with this mythic and hefty emotional burden, The Gentle Giant was indistinguishable from the at least a dozen or more circus sideshow features billed as The Gentle Giant.
In fact, what made this performer so unique did not come to light until long after he left the stage: The Gentle Giant was the world’s first EVER vegan to not make a whole big thing out of it.