David Lynch's 1980 film The Elephant Man starred John Hurt as Joseph (John) Merrick, the misshapen sideshow performer of the late 19th century. Merrick was born with a condition known as elephantiasis which resulted in an extremely oversized and misshapen head causing him to be billed as the "elephant man" in his sideshow career. Merrick had to travel in carriages with the blinds drawn to not attract too much attention and wore a full hood in daylight to obscure his deformities, which themselves obscured his human sensibilities and gender identity.
Elephant Man
