Ralph Earl Madsen is popularly known as the tallest Texan Cowboy. However, he was not a Texan. He was born on April 19, 1897, in Norfolk, Nebraska.
Ralph was over 7 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 104 kg, while his parents were of average height between 6’2″ and 5’8″. His father is 6’2″ tall, and his mother 5’8″.
He had two sisters and a brother measuring about five feet eight inches tall. With such height, Ralph Madsen wore a size nine shoe, and his hands were average in size.
Ralph spent most of his life on a ranch, where he acquired veterinary skills and became an expert on horses, sheep, cows and pigs. During WW1, he tried enlisting in the US and Canadian armies but was turned down due to his height. He was seen as an easy target by the enemies.
With time, Ralph began touring with his manager, Sam Houston, who hailed him as a Texas native. Madsen went on to work at sideshows and fairs for years.
Ralph was amongst the most photographed men in his line of duty, having appeared in four major Hollywood films: 3-Ring Marriage with Mary Astor; The Sideshow with Marie Prevost, Ralph Graves, and Little Billy Rhodes; the Our Gang short Mama’s Little Pirate, and The Mighty Barnum with Wallace Beery. He went on to visit the Eastern cities to promote his films.
Madsen got married to Verne Marie Rice in 1932. She measured about five feet five inches tall, and in 1948, at the age of 51, Ralph died in Nebraska.
