Neil Fingleton

Neil Fingleton (born 18 December 1980) is an English actor and former basketball player. He is also the tallest British-born man at 7 ft 7.56 in (232.6 cm) in height and among the 25 tallest men in the World. This title has been confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records in the summer of 2007; Fingleton takes over from Christopher Greener who stands at 7 ft 6 ¼in (229.2 cm) in height. --- Born in Durham, England in 1980, Fingleton decided to attend high school in the United States after attending a basketball camp in Connecticut when he was 16. In 1997, Fingleton moved from Durham to Worcester, Massachusetts and began attending Holy Name Central Catholic High School, graduating in 2000. Fingleton's coach was J. P. Ricciardi, who would later become general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. Fingleton helped the Holy Name Central basketball team to the Central Massachusetts Division I title and a berth in the Massachusetts final game in 1999 and in 2000 a 22-4 record. Fingleton won a basketball scholarship to the United States first playing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and later at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. In August 2000, Fingleton had back surgery and then earned a medical redshirt from North Carolina. Fingleton played only one game with North Carolina then transferred to Holy Cross in 2002. Fingleton graduated from Holy Cross in 2004 with a degree in history. Fingleton debuted professionally in the 2004–2005 season with the Boston Frenzy of the ABA. The Frenzy waived Fingleton in December 2004. In the 2005 NBA Development League Draft, the Austin Toros selected Fingleton as the eighth pick in the fifth round. On 6 December 2005, Fingleton started playing with the English Basketball League team Tees Valley Mohawks. In November 2006, Fingleton signed with Spanish team CB Illescas and later with Ciudad Real. After an injury forced him to retire in 2007, he returned to his home city of Durham to pursue a career in showbusiness. On the Guinness World Records website, Fingleton says: "I am one of three siblings - my sister who is 6' 2" is the eldest at 37, my brother is 6' 9" who is 35 and I am 7' 7" at 32… my mother is 6 foot and my late father was also. My great grandfather was 6' 8". I have always been taller than everyone since I can remember. My height really took off when I reached 11 and was touching 7 foot. By the time I was 16 I was 7' 5" and stopping growing at 18 when I was 7' 7.56". --- "I have been doing acting work since my basketball career finished. I spent 8 years in the USA attending High School and College. I graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 2004 with a degree in History. I have played professionally in Greece, Italy, Spain. Now I am concentrating on acting and trying to move to LA soon to jump in with both feet so to speak." Two 2007 British TV documentaries, Britain's Tallest Men on BBC Three directed by Greg Clark and Superhuman: Giants on ITV, featured Fingleton and covered the difficulties and constant attention, quite often considerable rudeness, that he faces day to day. Neil is the tallest actor in the world and recently starred as the Giant in "Jack and the Beanstalk" at the Lighthouse theatre in Poole. He appeared in pantomime in Southport, Lancs, as the Genie in "Aladdin" alongside Michelle Heaton and Brendan Healy in the Christmas 2010 season, and as the Giant Blunderbore in "Jack and the Beanstalk" in Croydon in the Christmas 2012 season He will appear in the upcoming films 47 Ronin, starring Keanu Reeves, and in Jupiter Ascending, starring Mila Kunis.