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Andre the giant. Photo by Ethan.

Top 10 Interesting Facts about André the Giant

André René Roussimoff born on May 19, 1946. He is mostly referred to as André the Giant. Andre was a French professional wrestler and actor. He was famous for his enormous size.

Roussimoff began his career in 1966 and moved to North America in 1971. From 1973-1980s, Worldwide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) promoter  booked Roussimoff as a roving “special attraction” who wrestled for promotions across the United States as well as in Japan for New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Roussimoff wrestled primarily for All Japan Pro-Wrestling, usually alongside Giant Baba, after his WWF career ended after WrestleMania VI in 1990.

Andre Roussimoff was the first inductee into the newly formed WWF Hall of Fame after his death in 1993. He was later inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.

1. Andre’s early life

André  was born in Coulommiers, Seine-et-Marne, the son of Bulgarian and Polish immigrants Boris Roussimoff  and Mariann Roussimoff Stoeff. He had two older and two younger siblings.

Dédé was his childhood nickname. André weighed 13 pounds (6 kg) at birth. As a child, he was described as “a good head taller than other kids,” with abnormally long hands. In a 1970s television interview, Roussimoff stated that his mother was 5 feet 2 inches tall, his father was 6 feet 2 inches tall.

Roussimoff was a mediocre student who excelled in mathematics. He joined the workforce after finishing school at 14. He believed that higher education was unnecessary for a farm laborer. Contrary to popular belief, he did not drop out of school, as compulsory education in France.

2. Andre worked on his father’s farm

Roussimoff spent years working on his father’s farm in Molien, where he could do the work of three men. He completed a woodworking apprenticeship before working in a factory that produced engines for hay balers.

None of these were satisfying to him. 

3. Andre played rugby 

Andre  played rugby for three years, dominating the opposition as the No.8 for Grenoble Rugby Club in the late 1960s. He wasn’t fully grown at the time.

4. Samuel Beckett drove Andre to school

The Irish playwright Samuel Beckett was one of several adults who occasionally drove local children, including Andre and his siblings, to school.

They had a surprising amount in common and bonded over their love of cricket, according to Andre, who recalls the two rarely talking about anything else. 

5. The birth of Andre’s career

Professional wrestler André the Giant walking to the ring. Photo by John McKeon.

Andre moved to Â鶹APP at the age of 18 and was taught professional wrestling by a local promoter. He trained at night and worked as a mover during the day to support himself.

Andre began wrestling in Â鶹APP and the surrounding areas as “Géant Ferré,” a name based on the Picardian folk hero Grand Ferré. A Canadian promoter and wrestler, met Roussimoff in 1966 and later became his business manager and adviser.

Andre began his wrestling career in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa.

In 1970, he made his Japanese debut for the International Wrestling Enterprise as “Monster Roussimoff.” He quickly became the company’s tag-team champion.   

Andre then relocated to Montreal, Canada, in 1971. There he quickly became a sensation, regularly selling out the Montreal Forum. Eventually, promoters ran out of plausible opponents for him. The novelty of his size wore off, gate receipts dropped.

Andre was defeated by Adnan Al-Kaissie in Baghdad in 1971 and wrestled as a special attraction for Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1971.

6. Andre’s size was as a result of gigantism

Jake Roberts (left) and Andre the Giant (right) during a match in 1989. Photo by John McKeon. Wikimedia

Many people were unaware that his size was the result of gigantism. His condition eventually led to his diagnosis of acromegaly. It is a rare endocrine disorder. André was diagnosed in his mid-20s while wrestling professionally in Japan.

Despite his rare disease, André continued to travel from continent to continent, wrestling wherever he could earn a living. 

André didn’t have to take a leave of absence until 1986, almost immediately after Wrestlemania 2, to deal with the effects of acromegaly on his body.

7. Andre at World Wrestling Federation

André the Giant trophy.Photo by Miguel Discart.

Andre had a feud with Big John Studd over who was the “true giant” of wrestling. Throughout the early to mid-1980s, Andre and Studd fought all over the world to determine who was the true wrestling titan.

Studd escalated the feud in 1984 when he and partner Ken Patera knocked out Andre during a televised tag-team match and proceeded to shave his head.  Andre met Studd in a “body slam challenge” at the first WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden.

Andre slammed Studd to win the match and collect the $15,000 prize, then proceeded to throw money to the fans before being robbed of the bag by Studd’s manager.

8. WWF suspended Andre

Professional wrestler Andre the Giant behind his manager, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Photo by John McKeo. Wikimedia

Andre began working exclusively for the World Wrestling Federation after his final tour with New Japan Pro-Wrestling in mid-1986.

Andre requested a leave of absence around this time to care for his health, as the effects of his acromegaly were beginning to take a toll. He was also cast in the movie The Princess Bride.

A storyline was developed to explain his absence, in which Heenan implyed that Andre was secretly afraid of Studd and Bundy, whom Heenan bragged were unbeatable.

When Roussimoff failed to appear, WWF president Jack Tunney suspended him indefinitely.

9. Andre wore a back base brace under singlet

André had spinal surgery in late 1986 after years of wrestling. When he returned to wrestling, his trademark black singlet helped conceal a back brace that supported his ailing frame.

André’s physical condition was reportedly so poor at this point that he spent the rest of his life wrestling in pain, able to perform only basic maneuvers. According to his peers, some of Andre’s most famous matches, such as his match against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III in 1987, were nowhere near what he could do earlier in his career.

10. Andre once drunk 119 beers in 6 hours

Andre the Giant holds the world record for the most beers consumed in a single sitting. These were standard 12-ounce bottles of beer. Nothing fancy, but Andre drank 119 of them in six hours.

It was one of the few times Andre became inebriated enough to pass out. His drunk  companions were unable to move the big man. Fearing repercussions from the cops, they stole a piano cover from the lounge and draped it over Andre’s immobile form.

He slept soundly until morning, unbothered by anyone. Perhaps the hotel staff mistook him for a piece of furniture.