Andre The Giant
The Eighth Wonder of the World, Andre The Giant!The Eighth Wonder Of The World
André René Roussimoff was a French Professional Wrestler best know to the world as “The Eighth Wonder of the World”.
The Giant famously feuded with Hulk Hogan, culminating at WrestleMania III in 1987. Andre’s best-remembered film role was that of Fezzik, the giant in The Princess Bride.
In the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE), Roussimoff was a one-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion and a one-time WWF Tag Team Champion. In 1993, he was the first wrestler to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Andre Rene Roussimoff
Andre The Giants Real Name Was Andre Rene Roussimoff. He was born on May 19, 1946, in Grenoble, France. One of five siblings, Roussimoff left his family’s small farm at age fourteen. After training with the French wrestling champion Frank Valois, he wrestled in Montreal under the name Jean Ferre and in Japan as “Monster Roussimoff.” He became known for his baby face and intimidating physique, and soon proved virtually unbeatable in Canada’s wrestling circuits. In 1973, Roussimoff debuted at Madison Square Garden as “Andre the Giant.”
Andre Suffered From Acromegaly
Andrew suffered from Acromegaly, or “giantism,” a endocrynological disorder that causes the body to secrete excessive amounts of growth hormones and produces continual growth, especially in the head, hands, and feet. He reportedly inherited the disease from his grandfather.
According to Mayo Clinic Acromegaly is a hormonal disorder that develops when your pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone during adulthood. When you have too much growth hormone, your bones increase in size. In childhood, this leads to increased height and is called gigantism. But in adulthood, a change in height doesn’t occur. Instead, the increase in bone size is limited to the bones of your hands, feet and face, and is called acromegaly.
The Worlds Most Famous Professional Wrestler
The During the 1970s, Andre wrestled more than 300 days a year and became The World’s Most Famous Professional Wrestler. Though he never lifted weights, he was thought by some to also be the strongest man in the world. He remained dominant into the late 1980s, defeating wrestlers like Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy, and defeated Hulk Hogan for the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Title on February 5, 1988. Though his health continued to decline, Andre kept wrestling until shortly before his death. His last match was on December 4, 1992
How Tall Was Andre The Giant?
At his largest, The Giant was probably six feet eleven inches tall, though he was advertised as seven feet four inches. He weighed close to five hundred pounds and was famous for his immense capacity for consuming alcohol and food–it was once estimated that he consumed 7,000 calories a day in alcohol alone.
Andre The Giant’s Shoe Size
According to The Giant himself on the David Letterman Show, Andre wore a size 20 shoe which is an incredibly large shoe size! Ric Flair claimed in an HBO Documentary Andre The Giant’s Show Size was 24.
The Rankin Museum of American Heritage, in Ellebre, North Carolina has a pair of Andre’s wrestling boots that claim they are a size 26.
Andre’s Unofficial Beer Drinking Record
Andre The Giant drinking stories are arguably even more legendary than his accomplishments as a wrestler. The Giant had an incredible tolerance for alcohol, and seemingly everyone in the professional wrestling world seems to have an Andrew Beer Drinking Story.
On an episode of WWE’s Legends of Wrestling, Mike Graham confirmed he witnessed Andre consume 156 beers (in 16-ounce cans) in one night. That’s 1,872 ounces, or 14.6 gallons of beer. The average human stomach can typically hold about a liter.
Incredibly, this is 39 more beers than what Andre himself admitted to drinking when he appeared on David Letterman in 1984.
André holds a 12-oz can of Molsons Beer. He is positioned next to the photographer in the wrestler’s own cafe. It was shot for a 1981 issue of Sports Ilustrated. (Photo: Sports Illustrated Classic/Getty Images)
André holds a 12-oz can of Molsons Beer. He is positioned next to the photographer in the wrestler’s own cafe. It was shot for a 1981 issue of Sports Ilustrated. (Photo: Sports Illustrated Classic/Getty Images)
Fessik The Giant
His phenomenal stature led to a movie role as Fezzik, the gentle giant in Rob Reiner’s 1987 film, The Princess Bride. Roussimoff also appeared in several other films and television shows, but Fezzik remained his most cherished role–he was known to carry a videotape of The Princess Bride with him when he traveled and hold frequent screenings at home and on the road.
Roussimoff, who never married, lived most of the year on a 200-acre ranch in Ellerbe, North Carolina You Can read the Full Andre The Giant Bio at Biography.com
HBO Sports Documentary
From HBO Sports, WWE, JMH Films and Ringer Films comes Andre The Giant, a documentary examining the life and career of one of the most beloved legends in WWE history. The ambitious, wide-ranging film explores Andre’s upbringing in France, his celebrated WWE career and his forays into the entertainment world. It includes interviews with Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Billy Crystal, Rob Reiner, family members and more.
Emmy-winning Executive Producer Bill Simmons, who joined HBO in 2015 and founded sports and culture publication The Ringer, describes Andre as “the ultimate unicorn” and “a true legend.”
“Everyone who ever crossed paths with him has an Andre story — and usually four or five,” says Simmons. “I’m delighted to join forces with [director] Jason Hehir and WWE so we can capture Andre’s amazing story once and for all.”
Andre The Giant’s Death
Roussimoff died at age 46 of congestive heart failure in his sleep at a Paris hotel in the morning of Thursday 28 January 1993. He went to play cards with some friends on the night of Wednesday 27 January. He came back to his hotel room around 1 A.M. CET on 28 January.
Andre’s death is often incorrectly listed as January 27). He died from congestive heart failure.
