History Creator / RondoHatton

Hatton was born in Hagerstown, Maryland to a pair of schoolteachers and moved to Tampa, Florida in his teens. A popular athlete and student, he played high school football; attending the University of Florida, he briefly played quarterback for the Florida Gators. Hatton served in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and began to develop symptoms of acromegaly soon after leaving the service. Studio publicity would later claim Hatton's condition resulted from poison gas, but this is medically implausible as adult-onset acromegaly is caused by a tumor on the pituitary gland.

* ''House of Horrors'' (1946) -- The Creeper

His striking physical features were caused by a growth hormone disorder called acromegaly, which was also known to affect the late Wrestling/AndreTheGiant and Creator/RichardKiel (though it didn't make Hatton as tall as them, since he developed the condition ''after'' reaching his full adult height of 5'9").

* ''Film/JungleCaptive'' (1945) -- Moloch

* ''Jungle Captive'' (1945) -- Moloch

* ''Film/ThePearlOfDeath'' (1944) -- The Creeper

* FaceOfAThug: As mentioned above, this was caused by acromegaly, but proved rather useful for his career.
* PrettyBoy: Believe it or not, before he was afflicted with acromagely, [[https://i.ibb.co/m5JLKXz/Rondo-Hatton-before-Acromaelgy.jpg he was this.]] He was said to be quite [[TheCharmer the charmer]] and ladies' man, too.

Partial filmography:

It was in this capacity that Hatton, in 1930, met film director Henry King at a press conference. King was filming his movie ''Hell Harbor'' in Tampa and offered Hatton a bit part as a bartender. After filming wrapped, King offered Hatton a Hollywood contract, but Hatton declined as he had little interest in becoming a celebrity. However, like many sufferers of acromegaly, he eventually developed severe arthritis which made it difficult for him to walk or stand for long periods of time. When he was no longer able to work as a reporter, Hatton's second wife, Mae, convinced him to relocate to California and pursue acting full-time.

Hatton returned to Tampa after the war, working initially as a high school football coach and freelance writer. As his symptoms worsened, he underwent a number of painful surgeries in an attempt to arrest his condition's spread (notably, he had metal implants placed in his cheeks, which contributed to his signature appearance and lumbering speech patterns). Hatton lost most of his money in a failed real estate deal, which also caused the break-up of his first marriage. By the end of the decade Hatton found steady work as a sportswriter and reporter for the Tampa ''Herald'', his unique appearance and amiable personality making him a well-known fixture in the local social scene.

Hatton made his film debut in 1930 after director Henry King met Hatton while filming in Tampa and cast him as an extra in ''Hell Harbor''. Hatton, who struggled with social anxiety due to his appearance, considered this a one-time lark until his health worsened; like many sufferers of acromegaly, he developed severe arthritis which made it difficult for him to walk or stand for long periods of time. When he was no longer able to work as a reporter, Hatton's second wife, Mae, convinced him to relocate to California and pursue acting full-time.

Hatton returned to Tampa after the war, working initially as a high school football coach and freelance writer. As his symptoms worsened, he underwent a number of painful surgeries in an attempt to arrest his condition's spread (notably, he had metal implants placed in his cheeks, which contributed to his signature appearance). Hatton lost most of his money in a failed real estate deal, which also caused the break-up of his first marriage. By the end of the decade Hatton found steady work as a sportswriter and reporter for the Tampa ''Herald'', his unique appearance and amiable personality making him a well-known fixture in the local social scene.

Hatton was born in Hagerstown, Maryland to a pair of schoolteachers and moved to Tampa, Florida in his teens. A popular athlete and student, he played high school football and briefly played quarterback for the Florida Gators. Hatton served in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and began to develop symptoms of acromegaly soon after leaving the service. Studio publicity would later claim Hatton's condition resulted from poison gas, but this is medically implausible as adult-onset acromegaly is caused by a tumor on the pituitary gland.

Hatton returned to Tampa after the war and became a successful sportswriter and reporter. He made his film debut in 1930 after director Henry King met Hatton while filming in Tampa and cast him as an extra in ''Hell Harbor''. Hatton, who struggled with social anxiety due to his appearance, considered this a one-time lark until his health worsened; like many sufferers of acromegaly, he developed severe arthritis which made it difficult for him to walk or stand for long periods of time. When he was no longer able to work as a reporter, Hatton's second wife, Mae, convinced him to relocate to California and pursue acting full-time.

* UglyGuyHotWife: His wife Mae was a pretty blonde who met Hatton at a Gasparilla event in Tampa, and fell in love with him after a brief conversation. The two were, by all accounts, HappilyMarried and Mae strongly encouraged Rondo to pursue acting.

Hatton was born in Hagerstown, Maryland to a pair of schoolteachers and moved to Tampa, Florida in his teens. A popular athlete and student, he played high school football and briefly played quarterback for the Florida Gators. Hatton served in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and began to develop symptoms of acromegaly soon after leaving the service. Studio publicity would later claim Hatton's condition resulted from a poison gas attack during the war, but this is medically implausible as adult-onset acromegaly is caused by a tumor on the pituitary gland.

Before his condition disfigured him, Hatton served in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI (studio publicity would claim Hatton's condition resulted from poison gas at the front) and worked as a sports reporter in his hometown of Tampa, Florida. He made his film debut in 1930 after director Henry King met Hatton while filming in Tampa and cast him as an extra in ''Hell Harbor''. Hatton, who struggled with social anxiety due to his appearance, considered this a one-time lark until his health worsened; like many sufferers of acromegaly, he developed severe arthritis which made it difficult for him to walk or stand for long periods of time. When he was no longer able to work as a reporter, Hatton's second wife, Mae, convinced him to relocate to California and pursue acting full-time.

Before his condition disfigured him, Hatton served in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI (studio publicity would claim Hatton's condition resulted from poison gas at the front) and worked as a sports reporter in his hometown of Tampa, Florida. He made his film debut in 1930 after director Henry King met Hatton while filming in Tampa and cast him as an extra in ''Hell Harbor''. Hatton (who struggled with social anxiety due to his appearance) considered this a one-time lark until his health worsened (like many sufferers of acromegaly, he developed severe arthritis which made it difficult for him to walk or stand for long periods of time) and he was no longer able to work as a reporter. Hatton's second wife, Mae, convinced him to relocate to California and pursue acting full-time.

Before his condition disfigured him, Hatton served in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI (studio publicity would claim Hatton's condition resulted from poison gas at the front) and worked as a sports reporter in his hometown of Tampa, Florida. He made his film debut in 1930 after director Henry King met Hatton while filming in Tampa and cast him as an extra in ''Hell Harbor''. Hatton (who struggled with social anxiety due to his appearance) considered this a one-time lark until his health worsened and he was no longer able to work as a reporter. Hatton's second wife, Mae, convinced him to relocate to California and pursue acting full-time.

Hatton was [[https://www.tampabay.com/life-culture/arts/movies/2020/11/12/documentary-explores-the-beauty-of-rondo-hatton-tampas-disfigured-horror-icon/ described]] by filmmaker Joe O'Connell as "a really normal guy who was weird looking." Hatton was known as a hard-working NiceGuy who made friends easily - he was rumored to be a ladies' man in his younger days - and was HappilyMarried to his wife Mae from 1934 to 1946. He also engaged in philanthropic efforts; among other causes, he organized fundraisers for disabled war veterans and volunteered at hospitals in L.A. to entertain patients.

Despite his relatively short career, Hatton's appearance and unique screen presence has ensured his continued popularity long after his death. Among other honors, Hatton is the namesake of the [[https://rondoaward.com/ Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards]], which annually award research and preservation of classic horror movies.

Hatton was [[https://www.tampabay.com/life-culture/arts/movies/2020/11/12/documentary-explores-the-beauty-of-rondo-hatton-tampas-disfigured-horror-icon/ described]] by filmmaker Joe O'Connell as "a really normal guy who was weird looking." Hatton was known as a hard-working NiceGuy who made friends easily - he was rumored to be a ladies' man in his younger days - and was HappilyMarried to his wife Mae from 1934 to 1946. He also engaged in philanthropic efforts; among other efforts, he organized fundraisers for disabled war veterans and volunteered at hospitals in L.A. to entertain patients.

Despite his relatively short career, Hatton's appearance and unique screen presence has ensured his continued popularity long after his death. Among other honors, Hatton is the namesake of the [[https://rondoaward.com/ Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards]], which annually award research and preservationists of classic horror movies.

Before his condition disfigured him, Hatton served in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI (studio publicity would claim Hatton's condition resulted from poison gas at the front, a claim Hatton strongly resented) and worked as a sports reporter in his hometown of Tampa, Florida. He made his film debut in 1930 after director Henry King met Hatton while filming in Tampa and cast him as an extra in ''Hell Harbor''. Hatton (who struggled with social anxiety due to his appearance) considered this a one-time lark until his second wife, Mae, convinced him to pursue acting full-time.

Hatton was [[https://www.tampabay.com/life-culture/arts/movies/2020/11/12/documentary-explores-the-beauty-of-rondo-hatton-tampas-disfigured-horror-icon/ described]] by filmmaker Joe O'Connell as "a really normal guy who was weird looking." Hatton was known as a hard-working NiceGuy who made friends easily - he was rumored to be a ladies' man in his younger days - and was HappilyMarried to his wife Mae from 1934 to 1946. His appearance and unique screen presence has ensured his continued popularity long after his death.

Before his condition disfigured him, Hatton served in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI (studio publicity would claim Hatton's condition resulted from poison gas at the front, a claim Hatton strongly resented) and worked as a sports reporter in his hometown of Tampa, Florida. He reluctantly agreed to appear in films in 1930 after director Henry King met Hatton while filming in Tampa and cast him as an extra in ''Hell Harbor''. Hatton (who struggled with social anxiety due to his appearance) considered it a one-time lark until his second wife, Mae, convinced him to pursue acting full-time.

[[FaceOfAThug Due to his condition, he'd usually play a thug of some kind]]. This led to his role as the backbreaking murderer known as "The Creeper", who appeared in three Universal films late to his career, which cemented his status as a cult actor.

* PrettyBoy: Believe it or not, before he was afflicted with acromagely, [[http://oi68.tinypic.com/29x9mox.jpg he was this.]] He was said to be quite [[TheCharmer the charmer]] and ladies' man, too.

[[FaceOfAThug Due to his condition, he'd usually play a thug of some kind]]. This lead to his role as the backbreaking murderer known as "The Creeper", who appeared in three Universal films late to his career, which cemented his status as a cult actor.