Milverine

Hamann was born in Milwaukee.[1] He grew up in Milwaukee's South Side and attended Pulaski High School.[1] As of 2018, he is a part-time construction worker and former aspiring cage fighter.[2] He is a fan of opera music.[3][4]

Hamann began taking daily two-to-three-hour speed walks in Milwaukee around the early 2000s, going shirtless in weather above 60 °F (16 °C).[1][2][4] He attracted notice for his muscles and hairy chest—making him resemble Wolverine portrayer Hugh Jackman of the X-Men film series—but was unaware of his celebrity until others made pages about him on social media.[1][4] Around 2010, a 35-year-old Milwaukee resident who dubbed Hamann the "Milverine" started a Facebook page featuring photos of Hamann on his walks.[1][4] Fan pages also appeared on Yelp, Twitter, and Tumblr, and by 2011 Hamann was described as a "Milwaukee legend".[1]

Hamann has participated in local events and been the subject of songs, internet memes, and other media.[2][5] He appeared at a meet-and-greet in December 2011, where Milverine T-shirts were sold for his benefit.[1] The Milwaukee Film Festival featured him in a promotional video in 2013.[2] In 2017, he disappeared from public view when his mother died and he tore his meniscus, but he returned to his routine after eight months of recovering from meniscus surgery.[2]

In November 2018, the Walker's Point brewery MobCraft Beer produced a milk stout called "Moo-Waukee" emblazoned with Hamann's image.[6] Vice Media released a nine-minute documentary about Hamann, "Wisconsin Legend 'Milverine' Has Never Left Milwaukee", in February 2020.[5][7] The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee made a bobblehead figurine of Hamann for Milwaukee Day on April 14, 2020.[8]

• "Wisconsin Legend "Milverine" Has Never Left Milwaukee" (video). Vice Media. February 2020.