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Robert Maillet

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"Kurrgan" redirects here. Not to be confused with Kurgan.
Robert Maillet
Maillet at the Monster Brawl premiere in 2011
Birth nameRobert Maillet
Born (1969-10-26) October 26, 1969 (age 55)
Sainte-Marie-de-Kent,
New Brunswick, Canada
Spouse(s)
Laura Eaton
​
(m. 1997)​
Children1
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Acadian Giant
Giant Kurgan
Goliath El Gigante
The Interrogator
Kurgan
Kurrgan
Kurrgan The Interrogator
Billed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Billed weight350 lb (160 kg)
Billed fromSouth Africa
(as The Interrogator)
Trained byStephen Petitpas
Bret Hart
Leo Burke
Debut1990
Retired2011

Robert Maillet (born October 26, 1969) is a Canadian actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation from 1997 to 1999, where he performed under the ring name Kurrgan and was a member of The Truth Commission and The Oddities. He is also known for his roles in films such as 300 (2007), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Immortals (2011), Pacific Rim (2013), Brick Mansions (2014), and Hercules (2014).

Early life

Maillet was born in Ste-Marie-de-Kent, New-Brunswick. He grew up in Ste-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick, a French-Acadian village.[1]

Professional wrestling career

Maillet made an initial appearance in the WWF on November 11, 1991 when he wrestled as The Cajun Giant, defeating Bob Bradley in a dark match at a television taping in Utica, NY.[2] He then spent some time in Japan working for the W*ING promotion as Goliath El Gigante. He was signed to the WWF in 1997, alongside The Jackyl, as a member of The Truth Commission. He was billed as The Interrogator. The group was sent to the United States Wrestling Association before being called up to the main WWF roster, where Maillet's ring name evolved into Kurrgan The Interrogator (whose name was inspired by The Kurgan, and was occasionally referred to as The Kurrgan on television). Under the tutelage of The Jackyl, a charismatic cult leader, Kurrgan was a heel known for applying the Iron Claw to his opponents and not breaking the hold until The Jackyl slapped him across the face.

After The Truth Commission disbanded, Maillet (now billed simply as Kurrgan) continued as a singles wrestler managed by The Jackyl. He later went on to be part of The Oddities, The Jackyl's new stable; however, once The Jackyl was removed as the advisor of The Oddities and replaced by the Insane Clown Posse, The Oddities turned face and became fan favourites. Maillet later worked for Jacques Rougeau's wrestling events as Kurgan. On July 8, 2005, he wrestled Jim Duggan during the half-time show of a Canadian Football League game in Montreal. Using the name Giant Kurgan, he worked for Emile Dupre's Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling (AGPW) and the St. John's-based Legend City Wrestling (LCW).

Acting career

Maillet appeared in the 2007 film 300, an adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. He played the Über-Immortal, a savage berserker who was part of the enemy's imperial guard.[3] In November 2008, during a fight scene for the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, he accidentally punched Robert Downey, Jr. in the face, bloodying Downey and knocking him down.[4] Downey later stated on an episode of the Late Show with David Letterman that Maillet was "10 times more upset about it" than he was.[5]

Maillet played a Russian professional boxer who took a dive in the 2011 film The Big Bang. Later that year, he appeared in the film Monster Brawl as Frankenstein in a wrestling tournament of eight classic monsters that fight to the death.[6] He played Polyphemus in the 2013 film Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Blackwell in the 2013 film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and the executioner in the 2014 film Hercules.

Personal life

Maillet has been married to Laura Eaton since June 13, 1997. He has both step-daughters, as well as a daughter adopted from Ethiopia. Being an Acadian, his first language is French and he is conversant in English.[7]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2006 300 Über-Immortal MTV Movie Award for Best Fight
2009 Sherlock Holmes Dredger
2011 The Big Bang Anton "The Pro" Protopov
2011 Monster Brawl Frankenstein
2011 Immortals Minotaur
2012 A Little Bit Zombie Terry
2013 Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Polyphemus
2013 The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Samuel Blackwell
2013 Pacific Rim Lt. Aleksei Kaidonovsky[7]
2013 The Young and Prodigious Spivet Giant Hobo
2013 Septic Man Giant
2014 Brick Mansions Yeti
2014 Hercules Executioner

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2001 Lexx Leroy 1 episode
2003 Liocracy Behemoth Jones 1 episode
2011 Merlin Darien 1 episode
2011 Once Upon a Time Behemoth 1 episode
2013-2015 Haven Heavy 5 episodes
2014-2015 The Strain The Master 11 episodes
2014 Dark Rising: Warrior of Worlds Bedard 5 episodes

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.wizardworld.com/robertmaillet.html
  2. ^ http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/91.htm
  3. ^ "N.B. wrestler makes Hollywood debut in 300". CBC News. 2007-03-09.
  4. ^ Yvon Gauvin (2009-01-05). "New Brunswick actor knocks down star". Times & Transcript. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  5. ^ Robert Downey Jr. on David Letterman. Late Show with David Letterman. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |airdate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |network= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Monster Brawl at IMDb
  7. ^ a b Oliver, Greg (2012-01-16). "When a giant came for dinner". slam.canoe.ca. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  8. ^ http://www.legendcitywrestling.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93&Itemid=172
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