Giant Actor Believes in Giant Apes Living Now in China and Russia

If you were seeking information on the existence of giant ten-foot-tall apes living in modern times, would you consult with a cryptozoologist, a primatologist or an actor? What if the actor was also an experienced mountaineer and outdoorsman who has visited areas where giant creatures such as these have been reported? What if the actor was also a physically imposing figure himself who has played numerous roles in science fiction and was once offered the role of Doctor Who? That is the situation we have today with one Brian Blessed OBE, perhaps best known to American audiences as Boss Nass in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” Lord Locksley in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” or the voice of Grampy Rabbit in “Peppa Pig.” The 86-year-old thespian may be less known by art fans as an adventurer and mountaineer who has attempted to climb Mount Everest three times without supplemental oxygen, and mastered Aconcagua in Argentina and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He is also the oldest man to have reached the North Magnetic Pole on foot, where he claims he punched a polar bear on the nose. So, what does Brian Blessed know about giant apes? Plenty, according to his recent statements about their existence in modern China and Russia. Does he know something we don’t?

“This creature in China does exist.”

The Daily Star reports that Brian Blessed claims he’s been told by reliable sources that Gigantopithecus, the extinct genus of giant ape that lived primarily in southern China from about  2 million to 350,000 years ago during the Early to Middle Pleistocene period, is still alive and still roaming its old stomping grounds – and we do mean stomp. Based on tooth and jaw fossils discovered since 1935, a male Gigantopithecus blacki, the only known species of  Gigantopithecus, could reach up to 12 feet in height and weigh up to 660 pounds, with females being smaller in size. That is 40-50 % larger than the largest modern gorillas, although it is a rough estimate so few fossils have been found. That is still a lot of beast to keep hidden, even in the rugged mountainous areas of China. Why does Blessed, whose own size (5’10“ and about 240 pounds) and bushy beard has earned him the nickname Big Yeti, think the Gigantopithecus is still alive and stomping in China?

“The Chinese about 10 years ago, they sent several hundred soldiers and explorers and scientists into the remote parts of China because they were constantly getting reports of Gigantopithecus. They kept coming across it.”

Those who research the yeti, in particular the Tibetan yeti, point to a 1951 photo of alleged tracks taken by Himalayan mountaineers Michael Ward and Eric Shipton as the best proof of its existence. Zoologist Wladimir Tschernezky looked at the photo and determined that whatever made the prints walked or lumbered about like a Gigantopithecus would have. However, no expeditions have been known to have brought back proof – fur has generally been identified as modern or ancient bear fur. Blessed hasn’t seen one on any of his Himalya climbs – and you can rest assured he would not be afraid and because he calls himself “a cross between a yeti and a gorilla.” In fact, he has no fear of but a healthy respect for Am Fear Liath Mòr – the alleged 12-foot-tall Big Grey Man of Ben MacDhui, a mountain in Scotland he has climbed. Blessed says he’s ”heard him in the mist, breathing.” That’s not quite a sighting, but it’s close enough for him.

What about the Russian Almas Giant? The almas or almasty is a man-beast of the Yeti or Bigfoot kind many believe inhabits the Caucasus, Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains of Central Asia and the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia. Legends say it walks upright, is covered with a thick black fur, and has enormous strength. Blessed has some inside info about the almas too.

“The retreating Russian army in the Second World War, they caught an Almas Giant, they measured it at just under 10 feet, very docile, very frightened and they had they had to release it in the end because they had more things on their mind like the f***ing Germans that were coming at them with tanks. They let it go but they recorded it. Russia has the most amazing recordings of Sasquatch, Almas, Yeti...”

Of course, Blessed doesn’t say who showed him this data or whether he himself saw or heard the recordings. He has admitted to having some strange encounters with Russians. For example:

“I was at the Magnetic North Pole when a Russian sub broke through the ice and the captain popped up and asked me to say it.”

“It” was “Gordon’s alive!” – one his most famous lines from “Flash Gordon.” If the Russians know he’s Prince Vultan in “Flash Gordon,” it’s not a stretch to think they trusted with their most deep secrets about the almas and yeti. After all, he was also offered the role of The Doctor in “Doctor Who”, replacing William Hartnell, the first Doctor, but had to turn it down due to prior commitments.

Is there anything Brian Blessed hasn’t done? Well, he hasn’t proven that he has seen solid evidence of the existence of the Gigantopithecus in China or the Almas Giant in Russia. What he has done is promote exploring the great outdoors instead of traveling to places and then cooping up in hotels and tourist attractions. He believes in the almas, yeti, Bigfoot, the Chupacabra and other cryptids and swears they can stay hidden because we’re not looking for them. And his experience in exploring many remote places of the planet has earned him the right to be listened to. 

“There are all these creatures alive in the Earth that we didn’t know f***ing existed. We don’t explore the world, we go to the f***ing Riviera, and go to hotels and beaches. These f***ing immense things are taking place. I’ve been to different places where people have seen them. There are many different types.”

Calm down there, Big Yeti. You don’t want some polar bear to panic and punch YOU in the nose.