Jake Erlich - El Paso, Texas

Many of us know of Erlich as the “world’s tallest man,” as the Guinness Book of Records once deemed him. He was also an extraordinary artist. But his fame as a painter was overshadowed by his fame for being more than eight feet tall. Jacob Reuben Ehrlich, born in Denver in 1906, moved to El Paso with his German-Jewish immigrant parents in 1912. Born small, at less than four pounds, Erlich remained normal size until about the age of 8, when he began growing rapidly. By the time he was 10, he was over 6 feet tall. Erlich went straight from El Paso High School to Hollywood where he appeared in nearly 50 silent movies.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History

Reference ID: H2001-015-005

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History