| Great Antonio |
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He was born as either Anton or '''Antun''', '''Baričević''' in Zagreb , Croatia (in the former Yugoslavia ). He is claimed to have gone to work with a pick and shovel at the age of 6 and to have been able to uproot trees with a cable around his neck by age 12 (an anecdote that is not confirmed). In 1951, he arrived in Canada by refugee ship to Halifax, Nova Scotia , and took up a career as a strongman. He first made it into the Guinness Book Of World Records in 1952 by pulling a 433-tonne train 19.8 Metres . He would later make it into Guinness by pulling four city buses loaded with passengers. He could also wrestle 18 men at once and juggle 6 people on his shoulders. He weighed 465 pounds ( 211 Kg ) and stood about 6 foot 4 inches ( 1,93 M ). His suits were size 90, and his shoes size 28. His landlady accused him of shattering toilets, and he claimed to own the world's biggest rocking chair (2 metres by 4 metres). He could eat 25 chickens or 10 steaks at one sitting. During the 1970s he toured the world as a strongman and performer, appearing in world capitals and on popular TV shows. He almost became the North American heavyweight wrestling champion in Calgary in 1971 , but his unpopularity and appearance resulted in a riot. He also appeared in several movies, including '' Quest For Fire '' ( 1981 ). He had several unrealized plans, including a fight film with Don King (Antonio asked for a million dollars), a double bill with Tiny Tim (he had a very soft, gentle singing voice), and feats of strength such as lifting the cross on Mount Royal and pulling a Boeing 747 . As he grew older, he became a noted eccentric figure in his home town of Montreal . He braided his awe-inspiring dreadlocks with Masking Tape into a clublike rope several feet long, which he used to play "hair golf." He frequented doughnut shops in Rosemont (one had to leave a message for him at Dunkin Donuts to reach him), as well as Berri-UQAM Metro station, where he sold postcards of himself and brochures outlining his life story. He kept every article and text ever published about him in a number of garbage bags. He appeared in Lois Siegel's feature film "A 20th Century Chocolate Cake." The Great Antonio died at age 77 of a heart attack while grocery shopping in Montreal. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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