Frank Lentini

Updated on Nov 15, 2023

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Cause of death lung failure Spouse(s) Theresa Murray		Name Frank Lentini


Full Name Francesco A. Lentini Born July 8, 1884 ( 1884-07-08 ) Rosolini, Italy Children Josephine, Natale, Frank, James Died September 22, 1966, Jacksonville, Florida, United States Similar Carl and Clarence Aguirre, Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, Abby and Brittany Hensel

In memory of frank lentini the 3 legged man

Francesco "Frank" A. Lentini was an Italian-American showman.

Frank Lentini posing while his left and right foot standing on the chair with a serious face, wearing shorts, shoes, high socks, and long sleeve shirt

Frank lentini el hombre con tres piernas

Biography

Born in Rosolini, Sicily, into a family of twelve children (seven sisters and five brothers), he became known for having three legs, four feet and two sets of genitals.

Frank Lentini smiling and sitting on the chair while holding a small guitar on the back cover of the rock band Alice in Chains's 1995 self-titled album. Frank is wearing pants, high socks, shoes, and a long sleeve under a necktie and a coat

Lentini was born with a parasitic twin. The twin was attached to Lentini's body at the base of his spine and consisted of a pelvis bone, a rudimentary set of male genitalia and a full-sized leg extending from the right side of Lentini's hip, with a small foot protruding from its knee.

Frank Lentini's left foot standing on a backpack. Frank with a serious face is wearing shorts, high socks, shoes, and a long sleeve under a bow tie and coat

At the age of eight, Lentini's family moved to the United States. Lentini then entered the sideshow business as The Great Lentini, joining the Ringling Brothers Circus act. He gained US citizenship at the age of 30. His career spanned over forty years and he worked with every major circus and sideshow including Barnum and Bailey and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Lentini was so respected among his peers that he was often called "The King".

Young Frank Lentini sitting on a chair with pillows under his feet, a serious face, and some basic information about him on the bottom part of an old photograph. Frank is wearing a coat and shorts

In his youth, Lentini used his extraordinary third leg to kick a football across the stage, hence his show name, the Three-Legged Football Player. By the time he was six, Lentini's normal legs were slightly different in length—one was 39 inches, the other 38 inches—but the third leg was only 36 inches, and the foot on it was clubbed. Even more as an adult, while his extra leg was several inches shorter than the others, his primary legs were also two different lengths. He was heard to complain that even with three legs, he still didn't have a pair. He married Theresa Murray, three years younger than he, and they had four children: Josephine, Natale, Frank and James. Frank Lentini died of lung failure in Jacksonville, Florida on September 22, 1966 at the age of 82.