It's a condition known as "hypertrichosis" or "Ambras Syndrome," but in the 1500s it would transform one man into a national sensation and iconic fairy-tale character. His name: Petrus Gonsalvus, more commonly known today as the hairy hero of Beauty and the Beast.

• Smithsonian Channel
• ORF
• Robert Leigh
• Paul Kreshker
• Robin Lee
• Stephan Hofstetter-Ebner
• Danijel Zivkovic
• Jelena Živković
• Bernhard James Lang
• Tatjana Velimirov