Väinö Myllyrinne (27 February 1909 – 13 April 1963) was a Finnish acromegalic giant who was at one time (1940–1963) the world's tallest living person, and may have become the tallest after the death of Robert Wadlow. He stood and weighed at the age of 21, but experienced a second phase of growth in his late thirties, attaining a height of . Myllyrinne was born in Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, and is considered the tallest soldier ever, having served in the Finnish Defence Forces. He underwent his conscript training in 1929 in the Viipuri Heavy Artillery Regiment, and was tall and very strong. In the 1930s he travelled around Europe as a professional wrestler and circus performer. He returned to Finland in 1939 to serve in the Finnish Army during the Winter War. In 1946, he moved to Järvenpää and ran a chicken farm. He died in Helsinki in 1963 and is buried at Järvenpää. In 1962, just a year before his death, he was measured by doctors at . He had a hand span, the greatest known. References External links The Tallest Man: Väinö Myllyrinne Väinö Myllyrinne homepage 1909 births 1963 deaths Finnish expatriates in the United States Finnish male professional wrestlers People from Helsinki Wrestlers with acromegaly People with gigantism