Eddie Carmel (born Oded Ha-Carmeili, ; March 16, 1936 – August 14, 1972) was an American entertainer, born in Mandatory Palestine with gigantism and subsequent acromegaly resulting from a pituitary adenoma. He was popularly known as "The Jewish Giant", "The Happy Giant," and "The World's Biggest Cowboy."

Carmel was listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as tall, and billed at the heights of and tall, though he may have more realistically been around tall. He was variously a mutual funds salesman, carnival sideshow act, film actor, rock and roll band singer, and stand-up comedian. He was made famous by photographer Diane Arbus' picture Jewish Giant, taken at home with his parents in the Bronx, N.Y. in 1970, a print of which sold at auction for $421,000 in 2007 ($ in current dollar terms). At the time of his death at age 36, he had shrunk several inches, due to kyphoscoliosis.

Early life

Carmel was born Oded Ha-Carmeili in Jaffa, Mandatory Palestine, to Orthodox Jewish immigrants, weighing 16 pounds, and was Jewish. An only child, he was raised in the Bronx, New York, after his parents Isaac (Itzhak; an insurance salesman born in Poland) and Miriam (née Pines) Ha-Carmeili (born in the United States, and later a secretary at the Jewish Theological Seminary) relocated back to the United States when he was two years old so his mother could care for an ailing relative. When he graduated from Taft High School in 1954 he was 7 feet tall. He studied at City College of New York for two years where he was elected vice president of his class, majoring in business and joining the Dramatic Club, and Baruch College. He had a size 24 shoe.

"Eddie" was his nickname from his youth, and Carmel was a stage surname.

Career

In 1958, Carmel sold mutual funds at an office near Times Square in Manhattan, New York City. He also acted in a few films, such as the science fiction horror film The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) and 50,000 B.C. (Before Clothing) (1963). The photo inspired his cousin to make an audio documentary about him in 1999. A print of the photo was sold at auction for $421,000 ($ in current dollars) in 2007.

Death

Carmel died of glandular disease, on August 14, 1972, age of 36, in Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, New York. At the time of his funeral, he had shrunk several inches, due to kyphoscoliosis (curvature of the spine, a mixture of scoliosis and kyphosis).

References

  • "The Jewish Giant," documentary video radio segment, Sound Portraits Productions, the predecessor to StoryCorps.
  • "Eddie Carmel (The Jewish Giant). The Happy Giant/Radar Records 1962," video.
  • Eddie Carmel at Find A Grave.