Age: 54
male
Born in Bangor, North Wales and raised in Brighton, on the South coast of England, Ian Whyte was 7'1" tall by the time he was 17 years old. Ian always stood out from the crowd. Tall, slim and athletic, little did he know of his future career in the limelight. Ian discovered basketball in his teens, and quickly caught the attention of national team scouts who saw his physical attributes and determination as valuable assets. He quickly progressed to the junior national team ranks, but uninspired by school at the time, Ian was keen to escape at the earliest possible opportunity. He spent a year at Henry Hudson High School in New Jersey, where he again attracted the attention of basketball scouts, earning sports scholarships to Iona College in New York and Clarion University in Pennsylvania. Ian returned to England in 1994 to play for the London Towers, a new franchise owned by the music promoter Barry Marshall. Still eager to find himself Ian only stayed a season with the Towers, transferring to their crosstown rivals, The London Leopards, but again, only for one season. in 1995, Europe freely opened its doors to sportsmen and women from across the continent. Ian played for teams right across Europe. In France, Belgium, Greece and Portugal, where he won the domestic treble; League, cup and playoff championships with F.C. Porto in 1997 and went to the ¼ finals of the European cup. Ian returned to England soon after to play for the Newcastle Eagles, a place that would become his home until his retirement from the game in 2003. Throughout his career Ian tirelessly distinguished himself, representing his country 80 times. In 2003 Ian received a phone call that would change the whole course of his life. By his own admission he was keen to retire from basketball on his terms rather than through injury or old age, so he responded to a casting call for the new film Alien Vs Predator. His success in gaining the role is a matter of history, but personally it was a tremendous victory for him to finally find an outlet for his emotional creativity. Ian was fortunate to work alongside such luminaries as the Oscar winning special effects duo of Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr as well as Oscar winning VFX supervisor John Bruno. He also met soon to be double Oscar winning makeup effects artist Mark Coulier who encouraged him to get in touch with Nick Dudman, the creature effects supervisor for the Harry Potter franchise. Upon completion of filming on AVP Ian travelled back to England and straight into the world of Harry Potter. Not credited as an actor this time, Ian was hired to help bring to life the character of Madame Maxime played by the sublime Francis De La Tour. Ian worked full time for an entire year on the film, faithfully doubling The character who stood a glorious 8'6" tall.
I imagine what a sequel to the 2004 film "Van Helsing" would look like. As the "Steel Arm of God" continues to question his past, the Vatican sends him on a perilous new mission to Sleepy Hollow. Once there, he will realize that the legendary "Headless Horseman" who terrorizes the region is only a weapon serving a truly evil person who he will have to stop before it is too late. To achieve this, in addition to the support of Carl, he can count on the help of some exceptional beings, starting with the Creature of Frankenstein, who came to these places to find his place in this world by facing the monsters. However, Gabriel will understand that everything that is not human or different is not necessarily bad. He will meet, befriend, and even become friends with an unjustly cursed mummy princess, who was on display at the Sleepy Hollow museum before being resurrected by the same person who summoned the Horseman. As well as a reptilian creature from the depths of time, unjustly tormented by itinerant showmen, "Gill-Man" then approaching the Mummy, because both understand that their pain is the same. Finally, Gabriel will be able to count on the support of a strange Invisible Man, who is not the psychopathic serial killer that they claim, but a man fighting against darkness and who can help Van Helsing in his investigation. Whatever happens in Sleepy Hollow, things will never be right for Gabriel...maybe even for the better !
