Robert Maillet

General

Robert Maillet (October 26, 1969) is a Canadian actor and former professional wrestler known for his tenure in the World Wrestling Federation (or WWF, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE), as a member of the Truth Commission and the Oddities as Kurrgan. He is also known for his roles in films such as 300 (2007), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Immortals (2011), Pacific Rim (2013), Brick Mansions (2014), and Hercules (2014).

Early life

Maillet was born in Georgetown, Ontario. He grew up in Ste-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick, a French-Acadian village.

Professional wrestling career

Maillet spent some time in Japan working for the W*ING promotion as Goliath El Gigante. He was signed to the WWF in 1997, alongside The Jackyl, as a member of The Truth Commission. He was billed as The Interrogator. The group was sent to the United States Wrestling Association before being called up to the main WWF roster, where Maillet's ring name evolved into Kurrgan The Interrogator (whose name was inspired by The Kurgan, and was occasionally referred to as The Kurrgan on television). Under the tutelage of The Jackyl, a charismatic cult leader, Kurrgan was a heel known for applying the Iron Claw to his opponents and not breaking the hold until The Jackyl slapped him across the face.

After The Truth Commission disbanded, Maillet (now billed simply as Kurrgan) continued as a singles wrestler managed by The Jackyl. He later went on to be part of The Oddities, The Jackyl's new stable; however, once The Jackyl was removed as the advisor of The Oddities and replaced by the Insane Clown Posse, The Oddities turned face and degenerated into comedy jobbers rather than heels. Maillet later worked for Jacques Rougeau's wrestling events as Kurgan. On July 8, 2005, he wrestled Jim Duggan during the half-time show of a Canadian Football League game in Montreal. Using the name Giant Kurgan, he worked for Emile Dupree's Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling (GPW) and the St. John's-based Legend City Wrestling (LCW).

Acting career

Maillet appeared in the 2007 film 300, an adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. He played the Über-Immortal, a savage berserker who was part of the enemy's imperial guard. In November 2008, during a fight scene for the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, he accidentally punched Robert Downey, Jr. in the face, bloodying Downey and knocking him down. Downey later stated on an episode of the Late Show with David Letterman that Maillet was "10 times more upset about it" than he was.

Maillet played a Russian professional boxer who took a dive in the 2011 film The Big Bang. Later that year, he appeared in the film Monster Brawl as Frankenstein in a wrestling tournament of eight classic monsters that fight to the death. He played Polyphemus in the 2013 film Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Blackwell in the 2013 film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and the executioner in the 2014 film Hercules.

Personal life

Maillet has been married to Laura Eaton since June 13, 1997. He has both step-daughters, as well as a daughter adopted from Ethiopia. Being an Acadian, his first language is French and he is conversant in English.