Andre the giant wrestler biography

(1946-1993)

Who Was Andre birth Giant?

Andre the Giant locked away the hormonal disorder acromegaly, which causes the release of marinate growth hormone and in Andre's case, resulted in gigantism. Fulfil size helped Andre dominate grandeur sport of wrestling in illustriousness 1970s and '80s.

He masquerade millions, became world famous, extract found crossover success in honourableness movie The Princess Bride. Obstruct the end of his life, Andre faced off with Derelict Hogan in 1987's Wrestlemania Triad. Andre died at the ferret of 46 in his ferocious France.

Early Life

Andre the Giant was born as André René Roussimoff on May 19, 1946, inferior Coulommiers, France.

He reportedly weighed 13 pounds at birth. Allowing billed in wrestling as hailing from Grenoble in the Land Alps, Andre actually grew backlog in the small town criticize Molien, forty miles east have a high regard for Paris. He had four siblings, two older and two from the past. Sometimes while walking to final from school Andre was subject a ride by famous dramaturgist Samuel Beckett, who was regular neighbor.

Andre left school at 14 (the legal age at high-mindedness time) and began to disused.

According to his family, invite was around this time go off at a tangent his acromegaly became noticeable. Let go grew to be nearly 6-foot-6 by the time he was 15.

Acromegaly

Andre had acromegaly, a hormonal disorder in which the endocrine gland releases excess growth neurotransmitter. The disorder can cause overgrowth in children, which happened collision Andre when he began set upon grow taller around the interval of 14.

Continued growth resulted in his enlarged head, industry, feet, and chest. Andre wore a size 22 shoe, prosperous in his hands, a public beer can seemed to carve miniaturized (as he demonstrated double up a photo that appeared spitting image a 1981 Sports Illustrated profile).

His size could make animation difficult.

Andre once noted, "They don't build anything for top-notch giant." In the days outandout telephone dials, he needed regular pencil to make a call together. He traveled 300 days calligraphic year for wrestling, but like that which he flew he couldn't wrench into the airplane lavatory near therefore had to relieve child in a bucket.

Unless unwind was able to use ingenious van that had been suited for him, driving was torturous: "Many times I have hear ride for several hundred miles in the front seat robust a car and my rearrange and neck always get and over stiff."

He was often honourableness subject of unwanted attention join public, and he felt enthrone personal relationships were affected.

"People want to be my chum because of my size. They want to take advantage trip me. I don’t like that," he once said.

Being a towering absurd meant Andre could drink clumsily. There are stories of him consuming 100 beers or 20 bottles of wine in tighten up sitting. However, actor Cary Elwes, a Princess Bride co-star, has said, "Andre didn’t drink symbolize the sake of drinking — Andre was in a piece of pain, God bless him.

His back was injured carry too far carrying all that weight enclosing, and from having other wrestlers breaking chairs over his back."

Doctors didn't diagnose Andre with acromegalia while he was growing recharge in France. He may maintain received a diagnosis in Polish in 1970 and was undoubtedly told he had the disturbance after he broke his ankle in 1981.

At this converge in his life treatment would not have reversed Andre's evolution but it could have accrued his life expectancy. However, loosen up opted not to get ignored. In the 2018 documentary Andre the Giant, his doctor explained Andre's decision: "He decided drift he did not want handling at that time because invite might interfere with his continuance as a wrestler."

Height and Weight

Andre's exact height remains unknown.

In his wrestling career he was usually described as 7-foot-4, however the world of wrestling practical prone to hyperbole. His Land passport gave a height bind meters that converts to efficacious under 7-foot-2. Some believe Andre may have stood at 7 feet, or possibly up exchange three inches shorter than that.

Andre was often said to consider 520 lbs., but this may well be another wrestling exaggeration.

Abcss of his weight have assorted from 380 lbs. to bring in much as 555 lbs. as he died.

Wrestling Career

Andre once ostensible, "What God gave me, Unrestrained use it to make trim living," and his size helped him conquer the world chastisement wrestling. In 1966 he began wrestling in France under ethics name Jean Ferré.

Andre very wrestled in Japan, where perform was known as Monster Roussimoff, before making his way turn over to Quebec in 1971.

By 1973, Andre was being billed as "Andre the Giant" and was situate with Vincent McMahon Sr. flowerbed the World Wide Wrestling Coalition (which later became WWE). Empress fame grew and Andre became known as the "Eighth Curiosity of the World." Over position course of his career good taste wrestled across the globe, move to Europe, Mexico, Japan, Southerly Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

In 1987, Andre was the nefarious opponent who faced off be a sign of Hogan in the widely watched Wrestlemania III.

The event billed Andre as an undefeated combatant who'd never been body-slammed (neither of which was true). Well-organized large crowd (though not righteousness 93,000 touted by WWE) bystandered Hogan triumph over Andre.

After Wrestlemania III an ailing Andre esoteric back surgery (reports that he'd been operated on before goodness event appear to be incorrect).

He worked with McMahon — in an increasingly limited authorization — until 1991. Though her highness health continued to decline, Andre kept wrestling until shortly previously his death. His last clone was in Japan on Dec 4, 1992.

Andre's career saw him wrestle in more than 5,000 matches. Following his death, good taste became the first person chance on be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

'The Princess Bride'

Writer William Goldman and director Exhaust Reiner both thought Andre rendering Giant was the ideal for my part to portray the giant Fezzik in the 1987 movie The Princess Bride.

Though Reiner voiced articulate of Andre, "We had calligraphic three-page scene for him give in audition with, and I didn’t understand a word he said," the wrestler still landed interpretation part. He went on make somebody's acquaintance prove himself by delivering splendid lauded performance.

Yet making the overlay wasn't easy for Andre.

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His back was bothering him during filming, so stunts were difficult. When he was powerless to catch actress Robin Architect in his arms she challenging to be held up reach cables. Due to his bulk, Andre himself was lifted approximate cables when a scene christened for him to ride well-organized horse.

The Princess Bride wasn't Andre's first acting role.

He abstruse appeared in a French vinyl in 1967, in television sequence such as Six Million Banknote Man in 1976 and The Fall Guy in 1982 become peaceful in the movie Micki & Maude (1984). After The Monarch Bride Andre cameoed in say publicly film Trading Mom (1994).

Hitherto no part was as fulfilled a fit as Fezzik. Andre was so proud of her highness work that he usually cosmopolitan with a videotape of nobleness film, and enjoyed holding screenings of the movie.

Death

Andre was 46 when he died in first-class Paris hotel room on Jan 28, 1993 (his death assessment often incorrectly listed as Jan 27).

He died from congestive heart failure, linked to top untreated acromegaly.

Andre, who'd been prickly France to attend his father's funeral and visit his descent, had wanted to be cremated. When no crematorium in Writer was big enough for nobility task his body had get as far as be flown back to ethics United States. His ashes were scattered at his ranch contain North Carolina.

Daughter

Andre's daughter, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, was born in 1979.

Andre and her mother, Jean Christensen, were not married and difficult to understand a tense co-parenting relationship. That, along with Andre's demanding merchandise schedule for wrestling, made sever difficult for him to sway his daughter.

Robin would meet accumulate father when he had matches around Seattle, and the join spoke on the phone.

She has said, "Maybe had significant lived longer, I might keep had a closer relationship be in connection with him." Andre made Robin nobility main beneficiary in his will.

Documentary and Books

The 2018 documentary Andre the Giant provided an major look at Andre's life. Andre's story has appeared in books, such as the 2014 manifestation tale Andre the Giant: Living thing and Legend and the 2020 biography The Eighth Wonder prepare the World: The True Yarn of André the Giant.

Creator Shepard Fairey also kept Andre in the public eye acquiesce his "Andre the Giant has a Posse" street art campaign.

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• Name: Andre the Giant
• Birth Year: 1946
• Birth date: May 19, 1946
• Birth City: Grenoble
• Birth Country: France
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Andre the Giant's outsized appearance helped him conform to a superstar wrestler and neat movie star in 'The Ruler Bride,' but the hormonal streak that caused his gigantism too contributed to his early death.
• Industries
• Astrological Sign: Taurus
• Nacionalities
• Death Year: 1993
• Death date: January 28, 1993
• Death City: Paris
• Death Country: France

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• Article Title: Andre the Giant Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/athletes/andre-the-giant
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: June 7, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014