Grady Stiles Jr. was born in Pittsburgh in 1937, according to All That's Interesting, to a family in which a gene that causes a congenital deformity had been present for generations. The condition is known as ectrodactyly, and it causes fingers (and in some cases, toes) to grow fused together in such a way that a person's extremities resemble the claws of a lobster.
As far back as the early 1800s, the "Lobster Family," as they were called, produced children with and without the condition. Those with it became part of the family's touring circus act, while those without it helped the family in other ways.
Grady kept up the family tradition by taking up circus life, beginning at the age of 7. Further, he was an exceptionally popular draw: for a time, the Stileses pulled in $50,000-80,000 per season — a king's ransom in those days. Like a lot of circus folks, the family would retire to Gibsonton, Florida during the slow winter season.
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