Robert Maillet

Robert Maillet
Maillet at the Monster Brawl premiere in 2011
Born	(1969-10-26) October 26, 1969 Georgetown, Ontario, Canada
Spouse(s)	Laura Eaton (m. 1997)
Children	1
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Acadian Giant Giant Kurgan Goliath El Gigante The Interrogator Kurgan Kurrgan Kurrgan The Interrogator
Billed height	7 ft 0 in (213 cm)[1]
Billed weight	321 lb (146 kg)[1]
Billed from	South Africa (as The Interrogator)
Trained by	Stephen Petitpas Bret Hart Leo Burke
Debut	1990
Retired	2011

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 (WWF) 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), Hercules (2014), and Deadpool 2 (2018).

Early life

Maillet was born in Georgetown, Ontario.^[2] Less than a year later, Maillet's family moved to Ste-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick, a French-Acadian village where he grew up.^[3]

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.^[4] 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 (USWA) 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.^[5] 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.^[6] 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.^[7]

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.^[8] 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.

He also had a recurring role on the Syfy original series Haven billed as a "Heavy", a thug for the series antagonist. In 2018, Maillet had a small part in the superhero film Deadpool 2 as Sluggo, a mutant mercenary who is in prison alongside the titular character.^[9] He also had a part in the 2018 Netflix film Game Over, Man!.

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.^[10]

Filmography

Championships and accomplishments

• NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling
  • NWA/ECCW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
• Legend City Wrestling
  • LCW Newfoundland Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mr. Fantastic ^[11]
• Real Action Wrestling
  • RAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• United States Wrestling Association
  • USWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Recon
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Worst Tag Team (1998) – with Golga
  • Worst Gimmick (1998) – as Kurrgan,as part of The Oddities

References

External links

• Robert Maillet on IMDb