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Who is Frank Lentini?
Francesco ‘Frank’ Lentini, May 18, 1889- Sept. 21, 1966, was a Sicilian-American, a sideshow performer who was born with a parasitic twin (1); he had three legs which all almost functioned perfectly well.
When Lentini was born, his parents were initially disgraced because they saw what seemed to them as an abnormal occurrence. Therefore, they gave him to his uncle’s wife for guidance.
When Lentini was fourth months old, a specialist in Naples examined his medical condition, and when he was five years old, he could straighten the third leg to some extent but was not totally able to maximize its use normally like the other ‘front’ legs.
In many pictures that are available on the internet about Lentini, the third leg was either raised or put on a place where he could place the leg upon. Many sources even claim that he was able to use the leg to some extent; he used the third leg to hit football and so on like he was referred to as ‘Three-Legged Football Player’
His Legs’ Formation
The sizes of the three legs varied from one another; while one was 39 inches and the other was 38 inches, the third was 36 inches with clubfoot. In the pictorial exhibition, Lentini usually bent or rested on the third leg at the bag posing a kind of female-like photoshoot like a ready participant of a beauty pageant.
Ad, keep reading belowCareer and Death
He ventured into the slideshow business as The Great Lentini and he worked with several prominent personalities. Frank married Theresa Murray and had four children: Josephine, Natale, Francesco Jnr, and Giacomo. He and his wife became separated in 1935, and he began a new living with Helen Shupe till he died of lung failure on September 21, 1966, at the age of 77.
Resources
- Meet Frank Lentini, The Sideshow Performer With Three Legs. Allthatsinteresting
- Frank Lentini – Wikipedia
- Facts And Stories About Frank Lentini, The ‘Three-Legged Man’. Ranker
