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André the Giant (May 19, 1946 – January 27, 1993) was a professional wrestler and actor, born André René Roussimoff in Grenoble, France. His great size was a result of excessive growth hormone, a condition known as pituitary gigantism, and led to him being dubbed "The Eighth Wonder of the World."

Career

Born to French parents of Bulgarian and Polish descent in a small farm near Ussy-sur-Marne, he left home in his adolescence to become a pro wrestler. He was billed at a height of 7 ft 4 in (224 cm) and sometimes 7 ft 5 in (226 cm) with a weight which ranged from 380 to 540 pounds. His correct height is contested, but he was legitimately measured at the age of twenty-four at 6 feet 9 3/4 inches tall (208 cm). The great exaggeration of his height probably comes from the fact that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the tallest renowned athlete in the world at the time at 7 ft 2 in (219 cm), and promoters wanted to bill Roussimoff as the biggest athlete in the world. Nevertheless, the sight of him alone was enough to draw huge crowds during a time when there were only a handful of wrestlers over 6 ft 6 in (198 cm); his condition which included symptons such as enlarged hands and feet and exagerated facial features likely aided the visual perception of him appearing larger than he actually was. After touring the world with different promotions for many years (mostly in Montreal for Édouard Carpentier), he was signed by the then World Wide Wrestling Federation. On March 26, 1973, Roussimoff made his WWF debut, defeating Buddy Wolfe in New York's Madison Square Garden. He also dabbled in acting in the 1970s and 80's, playing a Sasquatch (aka "Bigfoot") on the 70's television series The Six Million Dollar Man and the character Fezzik in The Princess Bride. By the time WWF chairman Vincent K. McMahon began to expand his promotion to the national level in the early 1980s, Roussimoff wrestled exclusively for the WWF.

Roussimoff was a very imposing figure – it is said that he never tested the full extent of his true strength because he was afraid of the damage that it might cause. Despite the hype, many wrestlers have stated that while André might not have known his full strength, he was always easy to work with in the ring and always protected his opponents. It is also said that Roussimoff could drink an entire case of beer and not feel so much as a buzz. There were also stories of André drinking cases of wine until he would pass out as a way to numb the pain that his condition caused him. He would pass out in hotel lobbies, and a sheet would simply be thrown over him, as no one had the strength to move his massive body unaided. However, there is no proof that any of these stories are true; and that while André was certainly a legendary drinker who loved to have a good time eating and drinking with friends, wrestling is famous for tall tales, and this could be simply another tall tale. He was offered a professional American football contract with the Washington Redskins after a tryout in 1974 and seriously considered it before turning it down, reasoning that he could make far more money wrestling (which was probably true, especially at that time).

He was one of the WWF's most beloved "babyfaces" throughout the 1970s and early '80s, although the legend that for fourteen years he never lost by pinfall or submission in a WWF ring before being pinned by Hulk Hogan on March 29, 1987 at WrestleMania III is pure fiction, designed to hype the WrestleMania matchup to be bigger than it was. Roussimoff had lost cleanly in matches outside of the parameters of the WWF; a pinfall loss in Mexico to El Canek in 1984 and in Japan a submission loss to Antonio Inoki in 1986, as well as a controversial no-contest finish against Akira Maeda, who used heel shoot-style tactics to dominate the match. He also went sixty-minute time limit draws with the two other major world champions of the day Harley Race and Nick Bockwinkel.

Roussimoff had memorable clashes all over the world with a variety of tough, rugged opponents. Among his chief rivals in the ring: The Sheik (who gained a deathmatch win over the Frenchman in 1974 with the help of his fireball), Abdullah the Butcher, Stan Hansen, Ernie Ladd, and a young Hulk Hogan, who first met Roussimoff in 1978 during his rookie years in the deep South. Hogan and André would go on to have one of the great WWF feuds of 1980, peaking in front of 36,295 fans at the Showdown At Shea event on August 9, 1980 in Flushing, New York's Shea Stadium.

One of André's most bitter feuds pitted him against the Mongolian terror Killer Khan, who was managed by Fred Blassie. According to the storyline, Khan had broken André's ankle during a match in Rochester, New York by leaping off the top rope and crashing down upon it with his kneedrop. (Actually, André had broken his ankle getting out of bed.) After a stay at Beth-Israel Hospital in Boston, Roussimoff returned with payback on his mind. On November 14, 1981 at the Philadelphia Spectrum, Roussimoff exacted revenge by destroying Killer Khan in what was billed as a "Mongolian Stretcher Match," in which the loser must be taken to the dressing room on a stretcher.

Another memorable Roussimoff feud involved a man who considered himself to be "the true giant" of wrestling: the late 6 ft 7 in, 364-pound Big John Studd. Throughout the early to mid-1980s, Roussimoff and Studd fought all over the world, battling to try and determine who the real giant of wrestling was. In December 1984, Studd took the feud to a new level, when he and partner Ken Patera knocked out Roussimoff during a televised tag team match and proceeded to cut off Roussimoff's famous long locks. Roussimoff had the last laugh at the first WrestleMania on March 31, 1985 at Madison Square Garden. Roussimoff conquered Studd in a $15,000 Bodyslam Challenge. After slamming Studd, he attempted to give the $15,000 prize to the fans, before having the bag stolen from him by his future manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

The following year, at WrestleMania 2 (April 7, 1986), Roussimoff continued to display his dominance by winning a twenty-man battle royal that featured top NFL stars and wrestlers. Roussimoff eliminated future wrestling legend Bret Hart to win the contest.

Afterwards, Roussimoff continued his feud with Studd and King Kong Bundy. Roussimoff was suspended after a no-show; he returned under a mask as "The Giant Machine" part of a team with "Big Machine" (Robert Windham) and "Super Machine" (Bill Eadie). (The "Machines" gimmick was copied from New Japan Pro Wrestling character "Super Strong Machine," played by Japanese wrestler Junji Hirata.) Soon afterwards, Giant Machine disappeared, and Roussimoff was reinstated, to the approval of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

Roussimoff was turned heel in 1987 so that he could face Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship in the main event of WrestleMania III. In early 1987, Hogan was presented a trophy for being the WWF World Heavyweight Champion for three years. Roussimoff came out to congratulate him. Shortly afterwards, Roussimoff was presented a slightly smaller trophy for being "undefeated in the WWF for fifteen years." In actuality, Roussimoff had suffered a handful of countout and disqualification losses in the WWF but had never been pinned or forced to submit in a WWF ring. Hogan came out to congratulate Roussimoff and ended up being the focal point of the interview. A visibly annoyed Roussimoff walked out in the midst of Hogan's speech. Then, on an edition of "Piper's Pit," Hogan was confronted by Heenan. Heenan announced that his new protege was Roussimoff. Roussimoff then challenged Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III, ripping the t-shirt and crucifix off of Hogan.

It was at WrestleMania III that the public first really saw the pain that Roussimoff was going through. By this stage his body was weighed in at about 525 pounds, and his bones and joints were finding it hard supporting such a huge weight. Hogan won the match after dropping Roussimoff with a bodyslam, followed by Hogan's running legdrop finisher. (Years later, Hogan stated that Roussimoff was so heavy, he felt more like 700 pounds.) Another famous tall tale about the match is that "no one knew" if André would lose the match. In reality, André had agreed to the match a long time before, mostly for health reasons. Before being signed to the WWF, Roussimoff had wrestled in Japan. It was here that a doctor diagnosed Roussimoff with his condition and told him that those with the same problem were generally lucky to reach forty. Roussimoff never told his family of the diagnosis, and his closest friends believe that it was this motivation that led Roussimoff to live life to the fullest until he died.

The Hogan-André face off at WrestleMania III was likely the most highly anticipated professional wrestling matchup in history – the apex of wrestling's most recent golden era. The event, held at the Pontiac Silverdome, had millions watching on pay-per-view and established great permanent value in the WrestleMania franchise. 93,137 fans turned out as the WWF sold many standing room only tickets and added seats in the alleys to exceed the Silverdome's capacity of 80,331 . Hogan defeated Roussimoff in what some consider a passing of the torch from Roussimoff, wrestling's biggest star of the '70s, to Hogan, wrestling's biggest star of the '80s. The feud between Roussimoff and Hogan simmered, even as Roussimoff's health declined.

Roussimoff won the WWF title from Hogan on February 5, 1988 in a match where appointed referee Dave Hebner was "detained backstage," and a replacement, his "evil" twin brother Earl, made a three count on Hogan while his shoulders were off of the mat. Roussimoff then "sold" the title to "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, and the title was vacated. This was shown on the WWF's NBC program The Main Event (usually seen Saturdays as Saturday Night's Main Event). André famously mistakenly called the Federation's Championship the "WWF Tag Team Championship," perhaps foreshadowing his reign with Haku.

At WrestleMania IV, Roussimoff and Hulk Hogan fought to a double DQ in a WWF title tournament match. Afterwards, Roussimoff and Hogan's feud died down after a brutal steel cage match held at WrestleFest on July 31, 1988 in Milwaukee. During this time, André also became involved in a heated feud with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan.

André's next major feud was vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts. In this storyline, it was said André was deathly afraid of snakes, something Roberts exposed on Saturday Night's Main Event when he threw his snake, Damien, on the frightened André; as a result, André suffered a (kayfabe) mild heart attack and vowed revenge. During the next few weeks, Roberts frequently walked to ringside during André's matches, causing him to run from the ring in fright (since he knew what was inside the bag). Throughout their feud (which culiminated at WrestleMania V), Roberts constantly used Damien to gain a psychological edge over the much larger and stronger André.

André won the World Tag Team Championship with his partner Haku from Demolition on December 13, 1989. Managed by Bobby Heenan, André and Haku were known as The Colossal Connection. They lost their titles at WrestleMania VI back to Demolition on April 1, 1990. After the match a furious Heenan slapped Andre, and he responded by knocking Heenan out, much to the delight of the fans. Andre went into the match as a heel, and left as a face. After that he went back to Japan, this time for All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he briefly teamed with owner Giant Baba.

André starred in several movies towards the end of his career, most notably as Fezzik in 1987's The Princess Bride. He had a cameo appearance in 1984's Conan the Destroyer as Dagoth, the resurrected horned giant beast, who is killed by Conan, the character portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. In his final film, he appeared in something of a cameo role as a circus giant in the comedy Trading Mom, which was not released until the year after his death.

The disease that granted him his immense size also began to take its toll on his body. By the late 1980s, André was in constant, near-crippling pain, and his heart struggled to pump blood throughout his massive body. When he was not in front of a camera, he was usually in a wheelchair.

He stopped competing entirely in the very early 1990s due to the increasing pain that his illness was causing him, retiring to his winery in France.

Death

André went back to France just after New Years 1993 for his father's funeral. For weeks afterward, André played cards with some of his old friends, then, at night, drove back to Paris to sleep in a hotel. On the morning of January 28th 1993, André's chauffer found him dead in his hotel room. He had died in his sleep, and his death was attributed to congestive heart failure from a build-up of fluid in the body.

André was cremated, and his ashes were spread over his ranch in Ellerbe, North Carolina.

Legacy

To honor André the Giant, the WWF created the WWF Hall of Fame in 1993 and made him their first inductee.

André was the inspiration for the 1998 movie My Giant, written by his friend Billy Crystal, whom he had met during the filming of The Princess Bride. As of the current year 2006, there is a movie being made about the life of Andre The Giant, which will be released sometime after the summer of 2006. The working title as of now is Heart Of The Giant.

Even in death, André was memorable. Due to his immense size, no crematorium in France could accommodate his final wishes to be cremated within forty-eight hours of his passing. Instead, André would lie in state for nearly a week while preparations were made to include a custom casket. André's body was to be flown to North Carolina, and airlines had to reshuffle some schedules and cargo to be able to be under the weight limit with André on board. Even his ashes weighed nearly twice that of a normal-sized human's ashes.

Personal life

When André was young, he could not fit on a normal school bus and had to be driven to school. As his parents were unable to afford a car of their own so his neighbor, Samuel Beckett, drove him every day.

While always being referred to as a "bachelor for life," Roussimoff did have a daughter Robin Christensen, born in 1979, who stands at around six feet tall herself, which has been mentioned in some biographies of André. WWE referee Tim White mentioned in the A&E biography of "Andre the Giant" that she lives somewhere in the Seattle, Washington area. Andre also has two nephews Boris and Godefroy.

Wrestling facts

Managers

• Bobby Heenan
• Ted DiBiase
• Frank Valois
• Lou Albano
• K.Y. Wakamatsu
• Tim White

Finishing and signature moves

• Elbow drop
• Double underhook suplex
• Tombstone piledriver
• Big boot
• Knife edge chops
• Bearhug
• Headbutt
• Choke
• Big Splash

Filmography

• The Princess Bride - 1987 - Fezzik
• Micki & Maude - 1984
• Conan the Destroyer - 1984
• The Greatest American Hero-1982
• I Like to Hurt People - 1985

Championships and accomplishments

• World Wrestling Federation

• 1-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion
• 1-time WWF World Tag Team Champion (with Haku)
• WWE Hall of Famer (inducted in 1993) (posthumously)

• Other titles

• 1-time IWA Tag Team Champion (with Michael Nader)
• 1-time Australasian Tag Team Champion (with Ron Miller)
• 1-time Tri-State Tag Team Champion (with Dusty Rhodes)
• 1-time NWA Florida Tag Team Champion (with Dusty Rhodes)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• PWI named him # 3 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.
• PWI Editor's Award (1993)
• PWI Most Popular Wrestler Award (1977)
• PWI Most Popular Wrestler Award (1982)
• PWI Most Hated Wrestler Award (1988)
• PWI Match of the Year Award, versus Killer Khan (1981)
• PWI Match of the Year Award, versus Hulk Hogan (1988)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• He is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (inducted in 1996).
• 1981 Feud of the Year (vs Killer Khan)

Championship Succession

Video games

• Andore from Capcom's Final Fight series is based on André the Giant. "Andore" is the romanization of the Japanese spelling of "André".
• In the Street Fighter III series, there is a character called Hugo who is a dead ringer for Andore, the aforementioned André-lookalike.
• André appeared in two video games when he was alive: the original WrestleMania for the NES and WWF WrestleMania Challenge.
• André the Giant appeared as a secret character in the Nintendo 64 game WWF No Mercy.
• André the Giant is featured in WWE games such as Smackdown Vs Raw 2006 and Day Of Reckoning as a Legend Character.
• André the Giant is a featured spraypaint in the Half-Life series of PC videogames.
• André the Giant is one of the final bosses in the WWF Superstars arcade hit by Technos Japan.
• "André Le Giant" is a spoof off André the Giant's name in the video game Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude.
• In the NES game WCW Wrestling, the game's boss character, the masked WCW Master, was based on André the Giant's "Giant Machine" personna. WCW Wrestling was the American version of the Japanese Famicom game Super Star Pro Wrestling, in which André also appeared as the boss character as André the Giant.

See also

• André the Giant Has a Posse - a well known graffiti campaign using André's likeness

References

• Andre The Giant: Larger Than Life by A&E Biography, November 23rd, 1999 Video, color, NTSC

1. Tributes II by Dave Meltzer, 2004, ISBN 1-58261-817-8, p. 68
2. Reiner, Rob. The Princess Bride. DVD Audio Commentary. Directed by Rob Reiner. 1987; Santa Monica, CA: MGM Home Entertainment, 2001.

External links

• The Official Site of André the Giant
• Wrestling museum biography
• André the Giant at IMDb
• Find A Grave Entry

• 1946 births
• 1993 deaths
• Entertainers who died in their 40s
• French professional wrestlers
• People who died in hotel rooms
• People with gigantism
• Stampede Wrestling alumni
• Vintners
• World Class Championship Wrestling alumni
• Bulgarian-French people
• Polish-French people