Apollon

Vocation

Traits

French strongman, especially famous for his grip strength. He took over the Café Fontaine in Paris, and after renovating it named it ‘Concert Apollon’ and began to put on theatrical programmes with athletic acts thrown in. Part of his stage act was called ‘Escaping Prisoner’, during which he would bend the tempered iron bars of a cage through which he would then pass. He performed this routine at the Folies Bergère, among other venues. On 18 December 1892 at Theatre de Varietes in Lille in France he cleaned and jerked a 155 kilo double barbell, with two weighted globes on each end of the bar. He then found the balance point and neatly slid the barbell onto one hand while lifting one leg at a right angle. Then he let the barbell fall from overhead and caught it in the bend of his arms before placing it on the ground. In 1896 he was standing at about 6'3" and weighing 265 lbs. with 18" forearms and nearly 10" wrists. Besides bending huge thick bars he lifted a pair of train wheels that weighed 366 lbs. over his head. In 1913 he met with a severe accident during a performance in Vichy in France. When attempting to hold back two motorcars with outstretched hands he cried out in pain and suddenly dropped to the ground, having torn the muscles of his arms and burst a blood vessel. By 1923 he was looking for work as a 'right hand man' and appeared in the silent film Mare Nostrum (1926) cast in the role of “Triton”. By 1928, aged 66, he was still exhibiting his strength in travelling shows. Apollon was a friend and protegé of academic and champion of physical education Edmond Desbonnet. He died in Evreux on 18 October 1928, aged 66. Link to Wikipedia biography