Overview (5)

Born May 19, 1946 in Coulommiers, Seine-et-Marne, France Died January 28, 1993 in Paris, France (heart failure) Birth Name André René Roussimoff Nicknames The 8th Wonder of the World

The Giant

The Gentle Giant

The French Giant

Québec

Le Géant Ferré Height 7' 4¼" (2.24 m)

Mini Bio (2)

André René Roussimoff was born in a small farming community in Grenoble, France to Boris and Marian Rouismoff. His parents and four siblings were all of normal size, but André suffered from acromegaly, a hormonal disorder that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone. As the Giant grew up (very quickly, as he reached the height of 6' 3" by the age of 12) he began to often disagree with his parents. He left home at 14 and obtained a job with a furniture-moving firm and began to play rugby. At 17 he was seen training at a gym by several professional wrestlers. Impressed by his size, they taught him some basic wrestling skills and built a friendship with him. Later, when one of the wrestlers was injured, André stepped in for him. He would wrestle for nearly thirty more years. By his early 20s André had wrestled in Algeria, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, England, Scotland, and most of non-Communist Europe but had not found fame. In 1971 he came to North America under the name Jean Ferre and was mildly popular in Canada. Then he met a New York based booker by the name of Vincent J. McMahon (often incorrectly referred to as "Vince McMahon Sr") who renamed him "Andre the Giant," and billed him as 7' 4" (Andre was really closer to 7'). Soon Andre the Giant became a national sensation and was a much sought after wrestler. In addition he participated in television, movies, and commercials. With his wealth the Giant bought a ranch in Ellerbe, North Carolina where he would live during his rare time off and after he retired from wrestling in 1990. He died while in France after attending his father's funeral. André was cremated and his ashes were spread across his ranch. He is survived by his one daughter.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: J.W. Braun <pepper911@hotmail.com>

When Andre The Giant challenged Hulk Hogan for the WWF World's Heavyweight Wrestling Championship of The World at WrestleMania III in 1987, he hadn't lost a single's match since 1971. His 3,000 plus winning streak was ended when Hogan picked up the 7 foot tall and 500 pound Giant and body slammed him for the pin. Over 94,000 fans viewed this history making match-up, setting an indoor record which still stands today. Andre also defeated Heavyweight Boxing contender Chuck Wepner in a wrestler vs. boxer match on the under-card of the Muhammad Ali/Antonio Inoki challenge match in Japan. The 6 foot 6 inch Wepner was thrown completely out of the ring.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: angelsunchained

Trade Mark (16)

Trademark move: Bearhug



Trademark move: Headbutt



Trademark move: Choke



Trademark move: Big Splash



Trademark move: Elbow Drop



Trademark move: Double Underhook Suplex



Trademark move: Tombstone Piledriver



Trademark move: Big Boot



Trademark move: Knife-Edged Chops



Enormous stature and frame



Towering height



Very deep voice



Known for his real-life gentle demeanor despite his size and wrestling persona





His role as Fezzick in The Princess Bride (1987)

Surprising speed and agility for his size



Curly hair



Trivia (77)

Former WWF tag team champion w/ Haku.



Appeared at the first 6 WrestleManias.



André suffered from acromegaly, in which the body doesn't stop secreting growth hormone.



Professional wrestler



Weighed about 520 lbs



At time of death, was in Paris to attend his father's funeral.



Lost a few inches of height because of a back surgery in the mid-1980s, but still stood about 6' 10" even after his posture was affected.





Conceptual artist Shepard Fairey uses Andre's image in a series of posters and stickers as part of his "Phenomenology" project.

Ranked #3 in the "PWI 500" of the PWI Years (1979-1999) (Pro Wrestling Illustrated 20th Anniversary Special)



Awarded the 1993 PWI Editor's Award.



One of the 100 Greatest Wrestlers of the 20th Century (Inside Wrestling Presents, Summer 2000).





After pinning Hulk Hogan (even though "the Hulkster" clearly had his left shoulder raised) and being awarded the WWF World Championship belt, Andre "surrendered" it immediately to Ted DiBiase (who, in a storyline, was said to have paid Andre to give him the belt, should he win it); DiBiase previously had tried, without success, to either win or purchase Hogan's title.



Andre's 1988 match vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Championship, which he won in controversial fashion, was the 1988 Pro Wrestling Illustrated "Match of the Year." The match, which took place in Indianapolis, was part of the first professional wrestling program to air in prime-time since the mid-'50s.



Andre's most bitter feud began in 1983, against Big John Studd (who claimed he, not Andre, was the true "giant" of wrestling). The feud included a series of bodyslam matches (including one at WrestleMania (1985), where Studd had to pay $10,000 (later, $15,000) to anyone who could bodyslam him.



Made his last WWF appearance in 1991 at Summerslam (1991), as a second to The Bushwhackers in their match against the 'Natural Disasters'.



One of Andre's most memorable feuds was in 1981 vs. Killer Khan . The feud exploded after a May 2 match, wherein Khan (who had cheated throughout the match) broke Andre's knee by leaping on it. Nearly four months later, Andre returned and demanded a rematch vs. Khan ... and got it. He beat Khan so badly the Mongolian superstar had to be carried from the ring on a stretcher. Andre also won a series of "stretcher" matches against Khan in the fall of 1981.



Appeared in WrestleMania VII (1991) in the corner of The Big Bossman when he took on Curt Hennig (aka Mr. Perfect) for the Intercontinental championship.



Contrary to popular belief, Killer Khan didn't break Andre's leg. Andre actually got out of bed one day, and his leg snapped due to his life-threatening illness. He was out for weeks, and the story was that Killer Khan did it, to hype up their feud.



Had a very close friendship with WWE referee Tim White

Was an expert card player and collector of fine wines.





Was a close friend of Bobby Heenan (aka "The Brain").



Notable title wins include: IWA Tag Titles with Michael Nader; Austral-Asian Tag Titles with Ron Miller; NWA U.S. (Tri-State) Tag Titles with Dusty Rhodes ; Florida Tag Titles with Rhodes; WWF Heavyweight Title; WWF Tag Team Titles (with Tonga Fifita , aka Haku).



Washington Redskins head coach George Allen once offered Andre a contract to play professional football.

He would not commonly address people by their names, instead, if he liked someone he would call them "Boss".



It wasn't until he was an adult, on a wrestling tour of Japan, that he went to see doctors to determine the cause of his condition. The Japanese doctors diagnosed the cause as acromegaly, a rare condition in which victims are not expected to live beyond the age of 40. Andre lived to be 46.





Andre was defeated by Jerry Lawler (aka "The King") in a match circa 1975. Lawler had caused Andre to be knocked from the ring, and Andre was unable to answer the ten-count, thus giving rise to the infamous story "The Night Andre the Giant lost to a midget!".

He weighed 530 pounds at the time of his death.



Because of his size, he had a custom built recliner in his home that he always sat in when he was not on the road.





As a child, his next-door neighbor was Samuel Beckett

Inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002 (charter class).



Former World Tag Team champion.



Actually signed all his personal checks, "Andre the Giant".



Andre continued to compete in tag team matches, primarily in Japan and Mexico, until the end of 1992.



Former NWA Tri-State Tag Team Champion.





Was considered for the role of Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).

Mentioned in the 1974 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid wrestler in history, up to that time. He earned $400,000 in one year alone during the early 1970s.



Daughter is Robin Christiansen who was born in 1979. Her mother is Jean Christiansen of the Seattle, Washington area.





Samuel Beckett , his neighbor, used to drive him to school.

In 1965, Andre the Giant received a draft notice for French's peace time army, but was unable to join as there were no shoes big enough, bunks long enough, or trenches deep enough to accommodate him.



NFL legend Ernie Holmes got hot-headed backstage at a WWE taping in 1986. Andre the Giant muttered to him, "You know, you talk too much," and Holmes never said a peep after that. According to two people in the van when it happened (it was a rehearsal for the Battle Royal at Wrestlemania II), Holmes was talking about how tough he was, and Andre got tired of hearing about it.



One time in the early 1980s during an early stint Bad News Brown had with WWE, the wrestlers were all on a bus traveling between shows. A very drunk Andre the Giant was in the back of the bus with Hulk Hogan and company telling racist jokes that Bad News Brown took offense to. Bad News Brown stood up, and yelled for him to shut up, then when he turned around, Andre cursed at him. Bad News Brown had the driver stop the bus, and told Andre to meet him outside. Andre refused, and Hogan, and others tried to soothe the situation. The next day Andre apologized to Bad News Brown. Bad News Brown later admitted he was glad nothing ever happened because he believed Andre could have really hurt him.



In the mid 1970s, while visiting Montréal, André was in a bar drinking when four drunken men came in, recognized him, and started to taunt him. After patiently trying to avoid a confrontation, André finally got fed up and chased the four men out into the parking lot. When the four men got into their car, André simply grabbed the car, turned it over onto its roof with the four men inside, and left.



From Bobby Heenan's book: Andre had a bad habit of never buttoning his shirt in public places. One day, Andre and the Brain were in a small country and western bar, when Andre had refused to button his shirt. A bouncer demanded that Andre button his shirt. Andre remained silent and continued to drink. The manager called the police. The officer that arrived reminded Heenan of Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show. "Barney" told Andre to button his shirt. Andre still drank quietly. "Barney" called for backup. "Barney" asked that Andre button his shirt again when several officers came in to backup "Barney." Andre stood up, and "Barney" realized that it was just too hot to be indoors.



Despite his character Fezzik's almost-superhuman strength in The Princess Bride, Andre the Giant's back problems at the time prevented him from actually lifting anything heavy. Robin Wright Penn had to be attached to wires in the scene where Buttercup jumps from the castle window into Fezzik's arms because he couldn't support her himself.



According to author William Goldman, when he was first trying to get The Princess Bride made in the 1970s, a then-unknown Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to play Fezzik, and he was strongly being considered because Goldman could never get his first choice, Andre the Giant to read for the role. By the time the movie was made about twelve years later, Arnold was such a big star they could not afford him, and Andre was cast after all, and the two big men had gone on to become friends.



During the filming of some scenes for The Princess Bride, the weather became markedly cold for Robin Wright Penn. Andre the Giant helped her by placing one of his hands over her head; his hands were so large that one would entirely cover the top of her head, keeping her warm.



Enjoyed playing card games such as cribbage and gin rummy.





Was a fan of Wheel of Fortune (1983).



Is referenced in the Eminem song 'Crack a Bottle'.

WWE Hall of Famer.



When Andre the giant died in France his final wishes to cremated 48 hours after he died could not be met, because there wasn't one crematorium in all of France that could accommodate his size.





Shares a birthday with Star Wars (1977) actor Peter Mayhew who is also known for being extremely tall and stands only an inch shorter Andre.

Andre the giant liked to dine in a French restaurant in Beverly hills where he knew the owners. Hulk Hogan said in his autobiography, that Andre would sometimes eat every single dish they served. And that it could take him up to 8 or 10 hours to finish his meal.



He enjoyed the theatre and one of his dreams, which he confessed to his agent near the end of his life, was to go and see a live show. His agent offered to buy a couple of tickets so the two of them could go see a show, but André declined, explaining that - thanks to his size - he wouldn't be able to fit in the seats and he would block the view of anyone sitting behind him.



He was the first person inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.



Arnold Schwarzenegger has often told the story of a dinner where he tried to pick up the check, as Andre refused to let anyone else pay for his prodigious meals, while Andre was in the bathroom. He was speaking with the waiter when Andre returned, tucked him under his arm and firmly replaced him in his seat.



He was known for his love of drinking and extremely high tolerance for alcohol. Most of his meals included an entire six pack of beer and at least one bottle of wine.



He refused to let anyone else pay for his extremely large meals.



He was already six-feet three inches tall and two-hundred and eight pounds by the age of twelve.



He spent years working on his father's farm, where, according to his brother, Jacques, he could perform the work of three men. He also completed an apprenticeship in woodworking, and next worked in a factory that manufactured engines for hay balers.



He was a good student in school, displaying a particular skill at Mathematics, but dropped out as he believed that a secondary school education was unnecessary for a farm laborer.



He kept a small farm where he would walk around and play with the animals because they didn't stare at him because of his size.



Made a guest appearance as Bigfoot on the TV show, "The Six Million Dollar Man.".



Away from wrestling, Andre admitted to harboring feelings of dislike toward Hulk Hogan.



Could drink up to over 100 cans of lager in one sitting.



For approximately half a year before ceasing to wrestle at the WWE 1990, Andre was usually involved in tag team matches. This was done to accommodate his failing health.



Personal Quotes (4)

I just don't think it is right, killing innocent girls.



It's not my fault being the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise!



I don't like to speak badly of people...



I'm very happy traveling all over the world. I'm very happy to see all those people, all different people. And all different countries. And promoters wrestling promoters, and lots of fans around to see me, and that's why I'm proud. I just want to make everybody happy.

