Professional wrestler turned actor Tyler Mane, best known for his role as Sabretooth in 2000's X-Men movie, has revealed on Instagram that he's been diagnosed with a very rare form of breast cancer.
Mane, who also played slasher icon Michael Myers in Rob Zombie's Halloween movies, reprised his Marvel role in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine.
He also counts Troy and Doom Patrol among his credits, and played Richard Frank/Torminox in the latter. Mane portrayed Blackstar in Netflix's short-lived superhero series, Jupiter's Legacy, so is no stranger to superhero fare.
"I have some bad news: I start chemo today. One in 750 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and I’m one of them," the actor says in the video below, adding in the caption, "Yep. I have breast cancer. And yep, it’s super rare. Only 1% of breast cancers are men."
Mane continued, "I’ll be honest, my first reaction was to keep it secret. I mean it’s kind of embarrassing. But then I found out that men are more likely to be diagnosed in advance stages BECAUSE it’s not talked about and not looked for. In fact, my doctors all dismissed it and it was only because my wife pushed me to get the lump removed that I got in early."
He went on to encourage his followers to "start talking about it" because "1 in 755 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and if caught early, it’s VERY treatable."
In an update following his first round of chemotherapy treatment, Mane thanked fans for their support and vowed to "kick cancer's ass."
Liev Schreiber took over the role of Sabretooth in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but fans were thrilled to see Mane back in the role for a brief clash with Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine. While that was likely his farewell to the villain ahead of Marvel Studios' planned X-Men reboot, it was a memorable appearance that paid homage to a character underutilised in 20th Century Fox's mutant franchise.
On the professional wrestling side, Mane competed in promotions like New Japan and WCW. He retired from in-ring competition in 1996, transitioning into acting roles (starting with Marvel's Sabretooth in X-Men).
You can hear more from Mane in the player below. Needless to say, we wish him a speedy recovery.