Prince Randian, The Living Torso

Prince Randian (circa 1879-1934) is best known today for his performance in the 1932 Tod Browning film Freaks. An ethnic Hindu born in British Guyana, Randian was born without arms and legs, due to a condition called tetra-amelia syndrome. He came to the U.S. in 1889 to work in sideshows and dime museums, notably that of P.T. Barnum. The multilingual performer could draw and write by holding a pencil in his mouth. He awed audiences by entering the stage crawling caterpillar fashion. For his “wow” finish he would roll, light and smoke a cigarette using only his tongue and lips. He sired five children with his wife Princess Sarah.

And now, his big scene:

Prince Randian was inducted into Coney Island USA’s Sideshow Hall of Fame in 2010.