The character "Shrek" was actually based off a legendary 1940s French wrestler named Maurice Tillet.
Known formally as Maurice Tillet, a Russian-born Frenchman, the man rose to prominence as a wrestling star in the 1930s and '40s. Born in 1903, Tillet is said to have been called "angel" by his boyhood friends because of his blonde hair and angelic face.
At the age of 17, however, doctors diagnosed Tillet with acromegaly’s according to canadian news site canoe. The hormonal disorder causes increased bone growth including in the hands, feet and face.
Photos of Tillet following his acromegaly-induced growth spurt show a man who bears a striking resemblance to Shrek, the kindhearted ogre from the 2001 movie of the same name.