About Bill Durks ‘The Man With Three Eyes’

Bill Durks, ‘The Man With Three Eyes,’ dominated the sideshow world for over four decades. He had three eyes and two noses, making it seem like he had two faces. In short, he was an anatomical wonder.

His story, seemingly destined to be tragic, became a wholesome tale of a man who found a family far away from home.

Who Was Bill Durks?

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William Durks (known as Bill) was born on the 13th of April 1914 in Jasper, Alabama. Due to his condition, frontonasal dysplasia, he was denied an education at local schools. Children and their parents found him to be frightening and strange. The Durks were poor and couldn’t afford to send Bill to a private school.

Not only did schools deny him an education, but his family was also notoriously ashamed of him. He wasn’t introduced to many forms of human connection, especially not kind exchanges. As a result, he grew up very shy, introverted, and socially awkward.

Why Was William Durks a Unique Human?

Bill Durks was called ‘The Man With Three Eyes’ or ‘The Man With Three Eyes and Two Noses.’ Many people thought that he looked like he had two faces.

Frontonasal Dysplasia

Because of frontonasal dysplasia, Durk’s face never fully formed. He was born with a severe cleft palate that changed his entire face. Bill had a split lip, an open palate, and a split nose, making it look like he had two noses.

Bill took advantage of his condition and drew a third eye on his brow during his years with sideshows. It gave the impression that he was a three-eyed man when, in an ironic twist, he only had one working eye as the left eye was blind.

Life and Career

When Bill was a teenager, he attended a local fair and had his first introduction to the world of sideshows. The showpeople immediately saw potential in Bill and invited him to tour with them.

Bill, an outcast who had been ostracised his whole life, accepted. He left his life with his family for one on the road.

This was the start of Durk’s career, which lasted around four decades. He performed in many shows. Some well-known ones include Kelly-Sutton Shows, Hall & Christ Shows, Gooding’s Million Dollar Midway, James E. Strates Shows, and Hubert’s Museum.

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He made quite a good living but was often taken advantage of. He never got an education and couldn’t read the contracts he signed.

He was also known for being quite timid. Despite this, he made a name for himself in the sideshow world. He developed social skills and was well-liked by his fellow performers. These performers looked after him, most notably Melvin ‘The Anatomical Wonder’ Burkhart.

Melvin taught Bill how to work crowds and interact with people, as well as how to read. Durks grew to love the crowds and the sideshow world. He marveled that people who previously shunned him from polite society now paid to see him.

His good fortune grew after Buckhart introduced him to the ‘alligator-skinned woman’ Mildred Lasher. We’ve previously written a bit about this skin condition when looking into the journey of Esther Blackmon.

Mildred was older than Bill. However, this didn’t stop their friendship or love for each other. They married not long after meeting. They were given the title ‘The World’s Strangest Married Couple’ and spent several happy years together.

Death

Happy with his wife, friends, and career, Durks stayed on with the Slim Kelly and Whitney Sutton shows for the remainder of his performing years.

Sadly, Mildred passed away in 1968. A heartbroken Bill retired to Florida for the remainder of his life. In 1975, he also passed away.

Conclusion

William Durk's story could easily have been one of tragedy. While there is no denying that certain roles were forced on him, he adapted in a truly inspiring way.

Bill not only found a place to call home - he found a family in his friends. With forty years in the show business, he paved the way for himself as a man that society found fascinating.

To hear the stories of other remarkable humans, check out Phreeque.com.