Robert Maillet

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).

"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
Georgetown,
Ontario, Canada
Spouse(s)
Laura Eaton
​
(m. 1997)​
Children1
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Acadian Giant
Giant Kurgan
Goliath El Gigante
Goliath The Kurrgan
Goliath Kurrgan
The Interrogator
Kurgan
Kurrgan
Kurrgan The Interrogator
Billed height7 ft 0 in (213 cm)[1]
Billed weight350 lb (159 kg)[1]
Billed fromSouth Africa
(as The Interrogator)
Trained byStephen Petitpas
Paul Peller
Bret Hart
Leo Burke[2]
Debut1989
Retired2011

Early life

Maillet was born in Georgetown, Ontario northwest of Toronto.[3] Less than a year later, his family moved to Ste-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick, a French-Acadian village where he grew up.[4]

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1989–1997)

He began wrestling as the Acadian Giant in the early 90s.[5] 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.[6] He worked for Super World of Sports as Giant Goliath in 1991.[7] He also spent some working for the Japanese W*ING promotion as Goliath El Gigante.

World Wrestling Federation (1997–1999)

He was signed to the WWF in 1997, alongside The Jackyl, as a member of The Truth Commission. The group was sent to the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) before being called up to the main WWF roster in June of that year, where Maillet's ring name evolved into The Interrogator and later to Kurrgan (whose name was inspired by The Kurgan, and was occasionally referred to as Kurrgan the Interrogator 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.[8]

After The Truth Commission disbanded in March 1998, 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[9] and became fan favourites.[10] Kurrgan was taken off WWF TV in February 1999 and was later released that November.

Mexico and Canada (1999-2001)

After WWF, Kurrgan worked in Mexico CMLL as Gigiante Kurrgan. He also worked in the Independents in Canada working in Nova Scotia, Calgary and British Columbia. By the end of 2001, Kurrgan took a hiatus from wrestling.

Later career (2005–2011)

Maillet returned to wrestling working for Jacques Rougeau's wrestling events in Quebec as Kurgan. On July 8, 2005, he lost to Jim Duggan in Montreal. He continued working in Quebec and other parts of Canada until he retired from wrestling in 2011.

Acting career

Maillet appeared in the 2006 film 300, an adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name.[11] He played the Über-Immortal, a savage berserker who was part of the enemy's imperial guard.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14]

Maillet played a Russian professional boxer who takes 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.[15] 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.[16] He also had a part in the 2018 Netflix film Game Over, Man!. He appeared in the 2020 film Becky alongside Kevin James.

Personal life

Maillet has been married to Laura Eaton since June 13, 1997. He has two stepdaughters, as well as a daughter adopted from Ethiopia. Being an Acadian, his first language is French and he is conversant in English.[17]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Director Notes
2006 300 Über-Immortal Zack Snyder MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (vs. Gerard Butler)
2009 Sherlock Holmes Dredger Guy Ritchie
2011 The Big Bang Anton Protopov Tony Krantz
Monster Brawl Frankenstein Jesse T. Cook
Immortals Minotaur Tarsem Singh
2012 A Little Bit Zombie Terry Thompkins Casey Walker
2013 The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Samuel Blackwell Harald Zwart
Septic Man Giant Jesse T. Cook
The Young and Prodigious Spivet Giant Hobo Jean-Pierre Jeunet Uncredited
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Polyphemus & Laistrygonian Thor Freudenthal Polyphemus voiced by Ron Perlman
Pacific Rim Lt. Aleksei Kaidonovsky Guillermo del Toro
2014 Brick Mansions Yeti Camille Delamarre
Hercules Executioner Brett Ratner
2015 Rabid Dogs Bear Man #2 Éric Hannezo
2016 Killer Waves Barracuda Ben James Balsamo
2018 Game Over, Man! Tall Thug Kyle Newacheck
2018 Deadpool 2 Sluggo David Leitch
2019 Polar Karl Jonas Åkerlund
2020 Becky Apex Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion
2020 Vicious Fun Mike Cody Callahan

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2001 Lexx Leroy 1 episode
2003 Liocracy Behemoth Jones 1 episode
2011 Merlin Derian 1 episode
2011 Once Upon a Time Behemoth 1 episode
2012 Transporter: The Series Momo 1 episode
2013; 2015 Haven Heavy 5 episodes; also credited as Robert Norman Maillet in Season 5
2014–2015 The Strain The Master/Jusef Sardu 11 episodes
2014 Dark Rising: Warrior of Worlds Bedard 5 episodes
2019 American Gods Balor 1 episode
2020 Titans Ring Fighter 1 episode, "Faux Hawk"
2020 The Umbrella Academy Lights Out Lubbock 1 episode, "The Swedish Job"
2021 Jupiter's Legacy Big Man 1 episode, "Painting the Clouds with Sunshine"

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References
  1. "SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Kurrgan". canoe.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  2. Hart, Bret (February 24, 2009). Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. Random House of Canada. ISBN 978-0-307-37146-1.
  3. "Aanmelden bij Facebook". Facebook.
  4. "Robert Maillet". WizardWorld.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
  5. III, Harris M. Lentz (September 15, 2015). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2d ed. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0505-0.
  6. "1991". history of WWE. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  7. Observer Staff (February 25, 1991). "February 25, 1991 Observer Newsletter: Full Wrestlemania card released". F4WOnline.com. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved December 8, 2019. (subscription required)
  8. Sidgwick, Michael (March 20, 2017). Development Hell: The NXT Story. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-326-97167-0.
  9. Norman, Jason. Actors in Action: How Our Favorite Action Stars Became Their Characters. BearManor Media.
  10. Reynolds, R. D. (November 16, 2010). The Wrestlecrap Book of Lists!. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55490-287-3.
  11. "Where Are They Now?: Kurrgan". WWE. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  12. "N.B. wrestler makes Hollywood debut in 300". CBC News. March 9, 2007. Archived from the original on January 9, 2012.
  13. Yvon Gauvin (January 5, 2009). "New Brunswick actor knocks down star". Times & Transcript. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  14. Robert Downey Jr. on David Letterman. CBS. Late Show with David Letterman. December 16, 2009. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
  15. Monster Brawl at IMDb
  16. Blanch, Vanessa (May 26, 2018). "Actor, former wrestler Robert Maillet lands role in Deadpool 2". CBC. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022.
  17. Oliver, Greg (January 16, 2012). "When a giant came for dinner". slam.canoe.ca. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
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