Welcome to our fascinating interview with Grady Stiles III, the son of the famous sideshow freak Grady Stiles, Jr., also known as Lobster Boy (June 26, 1937 – November 29, 1992).
Related article: Images of rare human deformities
What is Ectrodactyly?
An X-ray of a 12-year-old girl in 1907.
Ectrodactyly (also known as as split hand/split foot malformation (SHFM), cleft hand or lobster claw) is a rare congenital anomaly caused by human gene defects. It affects about 1 in 90,000 births.
The limb malformation involves the deficiency or absence of one or more central digits of the hand and/or foot.
The Interview (8 Questions)
Grady Stiles III with his sister Cathy, and father Grady Stiles, Jr.
1. The Stiles family has had a long history of ectrodactyly (dating back to 1840). Do any of your children have the rare congenital anomaly?
I only have one child, and that is my beautiful daughter who turns 19 in Oct. And no she does not have it. If you have it, there is a 50/50 chance that your child will have it, and she doesn’t have it so none of her children or grandchildren will have it.
2. Your sister Cathy says your father was ‘like Satan himself.’ You refer to him as a ‘drunken bastard.’ It has been nearly 30 years since he was murdered. Has time helped you forgive him for all the harm he caused?
First I refer to him as A drunken abusive bastard because that is what he was not because of any residual feelings or anything like that. It is just fact it’s who he was but yeah I have moved past all that a long time ago.
3. How is your sister doing? Have you seen her since your appearance on the TV series Freakshow on AMC?
I have seen her a couple of times since that day, but we really still don’t talk but it is about stuff since then, not anything before it.
4. Were you able to keep any sideshow memorabilia from your father’s career as a sideshow performer?
No. Most of that stuff has either been lost, stolen, or destroyed over the years but I think some of my family may still have some maybe I’m not 100% sure of that though.
5. Have you been in any horror films?
I have been in a couple of very low budget horror films in my 20’s, but not in a long time. But always willing to do more if the opportunity shows itself.
6. You’ve appeared in a variety of television shows over the years. If you could be on any show in the world, which would it be?
Well I am a huge fan of The Walking Dead so that would be great, but there are a lot of other shows I would love to be or would have loved being a part of.
7. Do you have a favorite famous sideshow performer? If so, who is it?
Well I will always be fond of Percilla The Monkey Girl and her husband Emmitt The Alligator-Skinned Man cause they were there when i was coming up. But yeah the list is too long to say, but I will stop there.
Emmitt ‘The Alligator-Skinned Man’ with Percilla ‘The Monkey Girl.’
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8. Who is the most famous sideshow performer you’ve ever met? Have you ever met The Lizardman?
Famous huh? Well I did meet a lot of them, but no I don’t think I have ever met The Lizard man. But like I said, I grew up with Percilla and Emmitt, as well as the Siamese twins Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, and of course everyone from Venice Beach Freakshow. But those are just a few.
Siamese twins Ronnie and Donnie Galyon (born October 28, 1951). They are the oldest living set of conjoined twins in the world.
If you enjoyed this interview, you will also want to see our article on the history of sideshow freaks: Sideshow Freaks From The Past (1500’s – 1900’s)
https://odditiesbizarre.com/human-freaks-past/
Autographed Photos
Grady Styles III is now selling autographed photos. They come with a claw written note to your name! For more information, you can reach him on his Facebook page.
You can also reach him on his paranormal investigations Facebook group: CHP Paranormal Investigations (also on YouTube and Instagram).