Max Edmund Palmer (November 27, 1927May 7, 1984) was an American actor and

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. Known for his great height, in 2014 he was described as the second tallest professional wrestler in history.

Career

After high school Palmer left Mississippi to play with the professional basketball team

Rochester Royals The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. After basketball Palmer went back to Mississippi only to work odd jobs working his way to Hollywood to get into acting. Palmer was discovered by an ex-Chicago newspaper man named Fritz Blocki. Palmer's first appearance on film was on the '' Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis Comedy Hour''. Palmer's acting career spanned from 1952 to 1954. He starred in such movies as '' Invaders from Mars'' and '' Killer Ape'' with

Johnny Weissmuller Johnny Weissmuller (born Johann Peter Weißmüller; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. H ...

. He also guested variety shows such as ''Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis Comedy Hour'', '' The Spade Cooley Show'', and ''

The Jimmy Durante Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

''.

After he left acting, Palmer became a

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, Utah. He was billed as "

Paul Bunyan Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack and folk hero in American and Canadian folklore. His exploits revolve around the tall tales of his superhuman labors, and he is customarily accompanied by Babe the Blue Ox. The character originated in the ...

". He became an evangelist in 1963. He preached all over the United States, calling himself "Goliath for Christ". He preached until his death in 1984 from heart disease.

Personal life

Palmer was born in

Pontotoc, Mississippi Pontotoc is a city in, and the county seat of, Pontotoc County, Mississippi, located to the west of the much larger city of Tupelo. The population was 5,625 at the 2010 census. Pontotoc is a Chickasaw word that means, “Land of the Hanging Gr ...

. In May 1975, Palmer married a woman, Betty, and they remained married until his death. When measured for his coffin, he measured and needed a coffin. Palmer is buried in Randolph, Mississippi, near Pontotoc, Mississippi at Carey Springs Baptist Church.

Filmography

References

1930 U.S. Federal Census
Beat 4, Quitman County, Mississipp
1940 U.S. Federal Census
Beat 4, Quitman County, Mississippi

External links

Max Palmer at Find a Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Max 1927 births 1984 deaths People from Pontotoc, Mississippi American male professional wrestlers People from Arnold, Missouri Professional wrestlers from Mississippi 20th-century American male actors