Skip to main content

Andre the Giant Biography

Andre the Giant

Biography

Discovered in his late teens, André René Roussimoff made an international name for himself as professional wrestler André the Giant. Suffering from a condition that perpetuated the secretion of a growth hormone, André turned his 7' 4" frame and over 500-pound body weight into a considerable asset, and he soon became one of the most famous and successful performers in the profession. Benefiting from the sport's increased media exposure on TV and film, André's wrestling exploits with the World Wrestling Federation were recorded in numerous WWF documentaries throughout the 1980s, including the first six Wrestlemanias. Appearing sporadically in fiction films as well, André was best known for his performance as Fezzik, the mellow giant who becomes enmeshed in Cary Elwes' quest to reclaim Robin Wright's heart from the evil prince in Rob Reiner's popular comic fairy tale The Princess Bride (1987). André's last film appearance was in the low-budget comedy Trading Mom (1994); he died from a heart attack while in France to attend his father's funeral in 1993. - Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

See all Andre the Giant films