Did You Know?

Director David Lynch originally tried to do the makeup for the Elephant Man himself but simply wasn't able to.

The Elephant Man makeup took seven to eight hours to apply each day and two hours to remove. John Hurt would arrive on set at 5.00am and shoot from noon until 10.00pm. Because of the strain on the actor, he worked alternate days.

Merrick's condition was undiagnosed at the time of his death. Later studies of his skeleton and the casts made of his body led researchers to suggest he suffered from neurofibromatosis (NF) type I, a genetic condition that 1 in 4,000 persons suffer from. The NF Foundation used the movie as a fund raising tool and credited it with making the disease more widely known. Later examination, including CT scans of the skeleton, lead researchers to believe he suffered from Proteus syndrome, a much rarer condition than NF. A scientist in 2001 speculated that Merrick may have suffered from a combination of neurofibromatosis type I and Proteus syndrome. In 2003, researchers used surviving DNA samples from Merrick in an attempt to determine his unique condition. However these tests were inconclusive and the cause of Joseph Merrick's medical condition remains unknown.

After the first day of shooting, when actor John Hurt was exposed for the first time to the inconveniences of having his make-up applied and walking around in it, he called his wife, saying, I think they finally managed to make me hate acting.

Originally offered to Terrence Malick but he passed.

The last lines, spoken by Merrick's mother, are quoted from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem, "Nothing Will Die."

Mel Brooks hired David Lynch to direct the film because he admired Lynch's work in Eraserhead.

Anthony Hopkins's portrayal of the good doctor Frederick Treves in this film is reportedly what inspired Jonathan Demme to cast him as the evil doctor Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. (Hopkins later said that he felt the sharing-and-caring role of Dr. Frederick Treves a rather dull one.)

In the film Anne Bancroft plays actress Madge Kendall and John Gielgud plays Dr. Carr-Gomm. As a young man Gielgud once performed on stage with the real Madge Kendall.

Due to the constrictive deformity of his mouth, Merrick never spoke as clearly in real life as he does in the film. Dr Treves often had to act as Merrick's interpretor for visitors. Those who knew him well, such as hospital staff and friends, grew used to his impeded speech but it remained indistinct and worsened as Merrick's condition deteriorated.

As well as writing and directing the film, David Lynch also provided the musical direction and sound design.

The opening scene of Merrick's mother being attacked by an elephant is not factual; his deformities were the result of disease, and he was called "The Elephant Man" because of his lumpy skin. However, the idea of an elephant attack comes from the melodramatic speech originally delivered by Tom Norman to those who paid to see Merrick exhibited.

The real life Elephant Man was actually named Joseph Carey Merrick and not John Merrick as this film calls him. This movie is largely considered responsible for this common error of Merrick's misnaming because the character in the film is called John and not Joseph.

One of two medical history movies made by Mel Brooks' Brooksfilms. The second was The Doctor and the Devils. Brooks' wife Anne Bancroft appears in the film.

Frederick Treves:  The great-nephew of Dr Treves, appears in the opening scene as an Alderman trying to close down the freak show.

David Lynch:  when Merrick returns to London, he is chased by an angry mob, and flees underground. The shot of the crowd descending the stairs in pursuit features Lynch in full costume.