Native of Romania grabbed the nation's attention during the 2016-17 season while playing at SPIRE Institute in Ohio.
Robert Bobroczkyi, one of the tallest high school basketball players of all-time, has transitioned from the hardwood to the silver screen.
Bobroczkyi became a viral sensation in 2016-17 due to his towering 7-foot-7 frame while at
SPIRE Institute (Geneva, Ohio). He went on to play at Rochester Christian University in Michigan, finishing his college career in 2022.
Now, Bobroczkyi is part of the frightening conclusion of "Alien: Romulus" as The Offspring. It's the latest horrifying creature in a series of unsettling face-suckers in the sci-fi franchise that dates back to the original "Alien" in 1979.
Robert Bobroczkyi was first profiled by MaxPreps in December of 2016. His path diverged away from basketball and toward Hollywood, where he has a major role in what is shaping up to be one of the highest-grossing films of 2024. (Photo: Jeff Harwell)
The Offspring is a hybrid human/Xenomorph born to Kay (Isabel Merced), the film's protagonist. The fast-growing creature was a perfect role for Bobroczkyi, visual effects supervisor Daniel Macarin
told Variety.
"The first time I saw the plates, and this 7-foot (tall) actor in there, in his costume. It was terrifying," Macarin told the magazine. "They did such an amazing job with the look and the feel of that character that we knew that everything that we could bring to it was just going to help."
"The way he moves is just unique," animation supervisor Ludovic Chailloleau told Variety. "Considering his big size and the concept of what (the creature) is, he's giving a lot of new things to watch visually, so I found that to be outstanding."
The movie has grossed $50 million in the United States after its first week of release.
Bobroczkyi, the son of a 7-1 Romanian basketball player, came to America as a freshman already a viral sensation after highlights of him canning jumpers and rejecting shots produced more than three million YouTube views.
SPIRE Institute executive director Bobby Bossman told
MaxPreps in 2016 that there was a complexity to Bobroczkyi.
"There's so much more to Robert than his size," Bossman said. "He's a bit quiet at first, but he has a great sense of humor."
And apparently sci-fi villain acting chops.
