http://w1.858.telia.com/~u85821131/misc/rondo.html

Rondo "The Creeper" Hatton


In the 1970s, Zappa sometimes introduced himself on stage as Rondo Hatton, and there is a bootleg called The Rondo Hatton Band.


Zappa liked to identify himself (and his band) with ugly people, and Rondo Hatton was an ugly film actor of the 1930s and '40s, who suffered from a disease called acromegaly, and thus looked a bit odd. He got to play bad-guy parts, and was billed as the "ugliest man in movies" and "the monster who needs no make-up". But as these pictures reveal, he actually looked rather commonplace [1]. Remember, these were the audiences that were frightened by the Little Strings on the Giant Spider. :)


Acromegaly is a condition where the hypophysis produces abnormal amounts of hormones, resulting in extra growth of the hands, feet, nose, chin and lips. This malfunction is caused by a benign brain tumour, in the anterior pituitary gland, and often accompanied by diabetes. It is not a fatal condition, but one that is bound to grow more pronounced over time. From the tome Pathology, edited by Emanuel Rubin & John L Farber, pages 1126-1127 (the Endocrinic System chapter, written by Victor F Gould & Sheldon C Sommers):

[more at site]

(Thanks to JedH for the link to this unusual guy...)