Who was Matthew McGrory? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Died At Age: 32

Family:

father: George McGrory, an accountant.

mother: Maureen

Actors American Men

Height: 2.29 m

Died on: August 9, 2005

place of death: Los Angeles, California, United States

U.S. State: Pennsylvania

Notable Alumni: Widener University, West Chester University

Cause of Death: Congestive Heart Failure

Diseases & Disabilities: Acromegaly

City: West Chester, Pennsylvania

More Facts

education: Widener University, West Chester University

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Career

For a while, Matthew McGrory was employed as a bouncer at a bar in his hometown of West Chester. It was there that he met producer, writer, and director Bam Margera and the rest of the Viva La Bam crew. They subsequently became friends.

McGrory’s great height brought him attention in Hollywood as well. In December 1996, he appeared in multiple episodes of ‘The Howard Stern Show’. He later made an appearance on Oprah Winfrey's daytime talk show. In 1999, he was featured in the music video for Marilyn Manson’s song ‘Coma White’. He also made an appearance in a documentary on Manson, titled ‘God Is in the T.V.’. A year later, he was cast in the video short ‘The Dead Hate the Living’. His first TV appearance was in the season two episode ‘Carnival’ of Fox’s sitcom ‘Malcolm in the Middle’. He portrayed a character named Lothar and got the chance to act alongside Frankie Muniz, who played the eponymous character in the series.

He was cast in the music video for Iron Maiden’s 2000 song ‘The Wicker Man’. In 2003, he appeared in Blondie's video for their hit ‘Good Boys’.

In 2001, he landed his first cinematic role, in Blair Hayes’ adventure comedy ‘Bubble Boy’. Cast alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, Swoosie Kurtz, and Marley Shelton, McGrory portrayed the Human Sasquatch. In 2002, he had the uncredited role of the Tall Alien in the action comedy ‘Man in Black II’.

In the 2003 exploitation horror film ‘House of 1000 Corpses’, he was cast in the ironically-named role of “Tiny”. While the film was a moderate success at the box office upon its release, it has since become a cult classic. McGrory reprised his role in the 2005 sequel, ‘The Devil’s Rejects’. He also appeared as Karl the Giant in Tim Burton’s fantasy comedy ‘Big Fish’ in 2003. Between 2003 and 2004, he appeared in two episodes of the WB’s supernatural drama ‘Charmed’, playing the role of the Ogre. He had another recurring role, of the Giant, in HBO’s period drama ‘Carnivàle’, appearing in three episodes of the show between 2003 and 2005. In 2004, he was cast as Toto in the action comedy ‘Planet of the Pitts’.

McGrory portrayed Hort Willows in the 2005 horror film ‘ShadowBox’ and its 2007 direct-to-video sequel ‘DarkPlace’. His last project, the horror film ‘The Evil Within’, was released posthumously in 2017 and was dedicated to him.

He was slated to portray André the Giant in ‘Andre: Heart of the Giant’ (2007) and even shot a few scenes prior to his death. The director Rokki James was a friend of McGrory. He had stated that McGrory’s footage would be included in the credit sequence, as homage from the crew to him.

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Family & Personal Life

Born on May 17, 1973, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the United State of America, Matthew McGrory was the child of Maureen and George McGrory. He was of Scottish and Irish descent. His mother was a homemaker, while his father worked as an accountant. At the time of his birth, McGrory’s weight was 15 pounds and he was 29 inches long. Since he was a child, he drew attention for his incredible height. When he graduated from kindergarten, he was already over five feet (1.5 m) tall. As an adult, he was 7 ft. 6 in (2.29 m) tall and wore size 29.5 shoes.

McGrory attended Widener University, pursuing a pre-law degree. He later enrolled at West Chester University to study criminal justice. He was in a relationship with a woman named Melissa and they resided together in Sherman Oaks, California.

McGrory died of heart failure on August 8, 2005. At the time of his death, he was 32 years old.

Trivia

Being ambidextrous, McGrory could use his both hands equally well.

Matthew McGrory Biography