Human Caterpillar

After the sad story of Violet and Daisy Hilton, I thought I would go for a more uplifting one, that of Prince Randian.

Born without arms or legs in 1871 he was brought to the US from British Guyana, exhibiting his ability to shave, roll cigarettes, paint and move around the stage, all whilst wearing a woollen one-piece garment that further gave the appearance of being like a caterpillar. He performed for PT Barnum for a while. His philosophy was that physical handicap did not matter if the mind was dominant and he spoke French, English, German and Hindi. He was married and he and his wife had five children.

He sadly died a couple of years after filming Freaks, at the age of 63 after giving a performance at Sam Wagner's 14th Street museum.

Here he is lighting a cigarette in the film.