Three-Eyed Man Bill Durks (9 photos)

A curse or a gift of fate - what was the terrible and at the same time attractive appearance for this person?





Technically, this man was one-eyed with three eyes. In fact, the formidable Cyclops is a character from Greek myths. But unlike his creepy colleague, Billy Durks was quiet, withdrawn and distant.



Bill Durks understandably had a difficult childhood. He was born in Jasper, Alabama, on April 13, 1913, with a condition known today as frontonasal dysplasia. During the mother's pregnancy, the two halves of the fetus's face failed to fuse completely and evenly.



As a result, the baby was born with a deep cleft lip, an open palate and a split nose. According to some reports, Bill was also born with both eyes covered by hoods of skin, and had to have them surgically opened as a child.



Because of his appearance, the boy was unable to receive an education: his peers were wildly afraid of the unusual child. And his family was too poor to afford private tuition. In addition, Derks's family was ashamed of their son and did not want him to appear in public places. As a result, Bill did not adapt socially and became a deep introvert. What made life even more difficult for poor Bill was his lip, which made him difficult to understand.



One day he visited a local fair. The managers in charge of the show immediately invited the boy on tour, and Bill left his gloomy life for a chance at luck and soon became a famous character - “The Man with Three Eyes.”



To heighten the horror before performances, Bill drew a third eye in the recess between his noses. Probably, the fake was not noticed throughout his entire career, because few people, in principle, could look Bill straight in the face, much less look at him carefully. Ironically, Bill, who was touted as having three eyes, was actually one-eyed, as he was blind in his right eye.



Bill became a fairly successful entertainer and worked on numerous shows, making a good living. Due to his meekness and shyness, he was often taken advantage of by others. Bill remained illiterate and, accordingly, could not even read the contracts he signed.



At one of the shows he met Mildred, a woman in crocodile skin.

Mildred was born in 1901 and was slightly older than Bill, but friendship quickly grew into love and, despite appearances, they married. The Outcasts spent several happy years together as a very odd married couple until Mildred passed away in June 1968. Bill was completely heartbroken and soon retired to Gibsonton, Florida, where he was forever reunited with his beloved wife on May 7, 1975.



Bill Durks was a man of difficult fate. His own family was ashamed of him, those around him were afraid and treated with disgust. But he was able to overcome himself and learn to benefit from his ugliness, found friendship and love, and remained in history not just as a person with physical pathologies, but also as an example of inner mental strength and resilience.