Carel Struycken is a character actor in film, television, and stage. He is an exceptionally tall man at 7' (213 cm) and thus is often called upon to play character or comedic roles in which height plays a major part. Notably he was featured as Mr. Homn on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, as Lurch the butler in the Addams Family films The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and as The Giant on the Twin Peaks television series.

He suffers from acromegaly.