Career
Popularly known as "The Jewish Giant", Carmel was billed at the height of 8 ft 9 in (268 cm) And 9 foot 0.625 (276 cm) inches tall, though he may have more realistically been around 7 ft 3 tall. At the time of his death at age 36, he had shrunk several inches, due to kyphoscoliosis (curvature of the spine, a mixture of scoliosis, and kyphosis, meaning hunchback). Oded Ha-Carmeili (Hebrew: עודד הכרמלי) was born in Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine, to American-Jewish immigrants.
"Eddie" was his nickname from his youth, and Carmel was a stage surname.
Due to his condition, his primary work was in carnival sideshows, including appearances at Hubert"s Museum in Times Square and a few films such as 50,000 British Columbia (Before Clothing) (1963), and The Brain That Wouldn"t Die (1962). He died in New York City.
