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At 7'4" and 500 pounds,
Andre the Giant could have been famous for his size alone.
His drive, talent and ambition, however, proved to be as big
as Andre himself, and the wrestler became legendary for his
achievements in and out of the ring.
Andre was born Andre Rene Roussimoff in Grenoble, France on
May 19, 1946. His parents, Boris and Marian Roussimoff, and
four siblings were of average size. Andre, however, suffered
from acromegaly, a disease that results in an over abundance
of growth hormones. Also known as Giantism, this disease caused
Andre's body to continue growing his whole life, and by the
time he was 17 he stood 6'7".
Due to his immense stature it seemed inevitable that Andre
would excel in the wrestling world. He had just started to
make a name for himself in the ring as "Monster Eiffel
Tower" or "Monster Roussimoff" when French-Canadian
wrestler Edouard Carpentier first laid eyes on him. Carpentier
was impressed with Andre's raw talent and decided to bring
him to North America. Andre began wrestling under the name
Jean Ferre in Canada for Grand Prix Promotions. In a short
time Andre went from the undercard to being a headlining name.
Inspired by the movie King Kong
he acquired the nickname, "The 8th Wonder of the World,"
which stayed with him for the rest of his career.
By the time Andre had performed in front of 20,000 wrestling
fans in Montreal, his legend had reached Vince McMahon, Sr.
at the World Wide Wrestling Federation's (WWWF) headquarters.
McMahon would forever alter Andre's life. In 1972, McMahon
signed Andre to wrestle for the WWWF and changed his name
to capitalize on his colossal size. "Andre the Giant"
became one of the most recognizable names in wrestling. Andre
performed under his new name at Madison Square Garden, where
he easily defeated his opponent Buddy Wolfe without breaking
a sweat. Before long, Andre's venues were sold out and wrestlers
lined up to perform in his shadow. As Andre's fame grew to
stardom, he was featured in Sports
Illustrated in the largest feature
they had ever published.
In 1987 Andre drew the biggest crowd in WWF (formerly WWWF)
history thus far. A record 90,000 fans packed the Pontiac
Silver Dome in Detroit, Michigan to watch Andre wrestle fellow
legend Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania III. In
all, Andre participated at six WrestleManias and faced some
of the toughest opponents in the business, including Big John
Studd and Jake "The Snake" Roberts. For many years
he was known as the "Uncrowned Champion," until
he found his place in infamy and held the WWF title for the
shortest reign in history. This wasn't the only championship
Andre captured - he also won titles in the (NWA), (IWA) and
the WWF Tag Team Championship.
Andre's fame also opened the door to Hollywood. He made his
acting debut in 1975 as "Big Foot" in The Six Million
Dollar Man. Andre enjoyed the experience and went on to appear
in television shows including B.J. and the Bear, The Fall
Guy and The Greatest American Hero, and movies such as Conan
the Destroyer, Micki and Maude, and Trading Mom. His favorite
role, and the one for which he is best remembered, was the
lovable giant "Fezzik" in Rob Reiner's classic The
Princess Bride.
Andre's last television appearance was on a celebration of
20 years of NWA/WCW wrestling on TBS. Sadly, over the years
the effects of acromegaly had continued to wear down his body.
Eventually his immense size was just too much for his heart,
and Andre the Giant died in Paris, France in his hotel room
on January 27, 1993. His ashes were later taken home and spread
over his North Carolina ranch.
Though professionally Andre will always be remembered as The
8th Wonder of the World, he is known and loved by fans across
the globe as The Gentle Giant.
Trademark move: BearhugTrademark move: HeadbuttTrademark move: ChokeTrademark move: Big SplashTrademark move: Elbow DropTrademark move: Double Underhook SuplexTrademark move: Tombstone PiledriverTrademark move: Big BootTrademark move: Knife-Edged Chops
