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André René Roussimoff (French: [ɑ̃dʁe ʁəne ʁusimɔf]; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Dubbed "the Eighth Wonder of the World ", Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by excess growth hormones.
- André René Roussimoff
- 19 May 1946, Coulommiers, Seine-et-Marne, France
- 1
- 28 January 1993 (aged 46), Paris, France
- Who Was Andre The Giant?
- Early Life
- Acromegaly
- Height and Weight
- Wrestling Career
- 'The Princess Bride'
- Death
- Daughter
- Documentary and Books
Andre the Giant had the hormonal disorder acromegaly, which causes the release of excess growth hormone and in Andre's case, resulted in gigantism. His size helped Andre dominate the sport of wrestling in the 1970s and '80s. He made millions, became world famous, and found crossover success in the movie The Princess Bride. Near the end of his caree...
Andre the Giant was born as André René Roussimoff on May 19, 1946, in Coulommiers, France. He reportedly weighed13 pounds at birth. Though billed in wrestling as hailing from Grenoble in the French Alps, Andre actually grew up in the small town of Molien, forty miles east of Paris. He had four siblings, two older and two younger. Sometimes while wa...
Andre had acromegaly, a hormonal disorder in which the pituitary gland releases excess growth hormone. The disorder can cause gigantism in children, which happened to Andre when he began to grow taller around the age of 14. Continued growth resulted in his enlarged head, hands, feet, and chest. Andre wore a size 22 shoe, and in his hands, a regular...
Andre'sexact height remains unknown. Throughout his wrestling career he was usually described as 7-foot-4, but the world ofwrestling is prone to hyperbole. His French passport gave a height in meters that converts tojust under 7-foot-2.Some believeAndre may have stood at 7 feet, or possibly up to three inches shorter than that. Andre was often said...
Andre once declared, "What God gave me, I use it to make a living," and his size helped him conquer the world of wrestling. In 1966 he began wrestling in France under the name Jean Ferré. Andre also wrestled in Japan, where he was known as Monster Roussimoff, before making his way to Quebec in 1971. By 1973, Andre was being billed as "Andre the Gia...
Writer William Goldman and director Rob Reiner both thought Andre the Giant was the ideal person to portray the giant Fezzik in the 1987 movie The Princess Bride. Though Reiner said of Andre, "We had a three-page scene for him to audition with, and I didn’t understand a word he said," the wrestler still landed the part. He went on to prove himself ...
Andre was 46 when he died in a Paris hotel room on January 28, 1993 (his death isoften incorrectly listed as January 27). He died from congestive heart failure, linked to his untreated acromegaly. Andre, who'd been in France to attend his father's funeral and visit his family, had wanted to be cremated. When no crematorium in France was big enough ...
Andre's daughter, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, was born in 1979. Andre and her mother, Jean Christensen, were not married and had a tense co-parenting relationship. This, along with Andre's demanding travel schedule for wrestling, made it difficult for him to see his daughter. Robin would meet her father when he had matches around Seattle, and the...
The 2018 documentary Andre the Giant provided an in-depth look at Andre's life. Andre's story has appeared in books, such as the 2014 graphic tale Andre the Giant: Life and Legend and the 2020 biography The Eighth Wonder of the World: The True Story of André the Giant. Artist Shepard Fairey also kept Andre in the public eye with his "Andre the Gian...
- André’s childhood nickname was Dédé. Before becoming a superstar in wrestling, André René Roussimoff grew up as the middle of five children. Throughout his childhood, André’s sister couldn’t pronounce his name, instead calling him “Dédé.”
- Samuel Beckett drove him to school. In the 1950s, playwright and novelist Samuel Beckett took up residence in Ussy-sur-Marne in France and commissioned local laborers to construct a cottage.
- He grew so fast his own parents didn’t recognize him ... When Andre turned 14, he left home to seek employment and opportunities outside the boundaries of his rural farm community in France.
- but he probably wasn’t as tall as you think. Because wrestling promoters are prone to exaggerating a wrestler’s size, ability, and accomplishments, it didn’t take much for them to latch on to the idea of promoting André as the largest athlete on the planet.
IMDb profile of André the Giant, a French wrestler and actor who suffered from acromegaly. Learn about his life, career, filmography, trivia, and death.
- January 1, 1
- Coulommiers, Seine-et-Marne, France
- January 1, 1
- Paris, France
Learn about Andre the Giant, the legendary WWE Superstar who was 7'4" and 520 lbs. Find out his signature moves, career achievements, Hall of Fame induction and latest news.
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Apr 10, 2018 · Watch a biographical film about André Roussimoff, a professional wrestler who became a legend in the 1980s as Andre the Giant. Learn about his struggles, achievements, and relationships with celebrities and fans.
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