biography of Andre the giant,

                                 Biography of Andre the Giant

IN THE SHORT

Real name - Andre Rene 

Age-74 YEARS OLD MAN




BIRTH PLACE-Rousimoff



                                                                                                       

BRITHDAY- May 19th, 1946




                                                                                 
A LEGITIMATE GIANT OF MAN-7 FOOT 4 INCHES



HE IS MORE THAN 500 POUNDS





FATHER NAME -  BORIS




MOTHER NAME - MARIANNE             

Andre the Giant: The Gentle Giant

He was billed as the 8th wonder of the world- a legitimate giant of a man, 7 foot 4 inches tall and more than 500 pounds.

 Andre the Giant was the greatest attraction the world of professional wrestling has ever seen. Yet his appeal went far beyond the ring. With his humble manner and boundless charm,Andre became one of the most famous and recognizable athletes on the planet and a genuine cultural phenomenon. Yet, behind the celebrity, Andre was a mantrapped inside a world he never created - one that would ultimately destroy him.

A Giant Emerges The man who we know as Andre the Giant entered the world as Andre Rene Rousimoff on May 19th, 1946. His father Boris had migrated from Belgiumto France in 1934, settling in Molien, just out of Paris. In 1938, Boris had married Marianne, a petite Polish woman who soon began producing offspring. Andre became the middle of five children. Boris was a strong, stout man who stood justover six feet tall. He worked the land as a farmer and soon puthis children to work, cutting firewood, tending the stock and otherwise getting their handsdirty. At birth, Andre was 11 pounds, but there wereno signs of abnormal growth during his first six years. Known as Dede as a result of his sister mispronouncinghis name, he was a healthy, good looking and charming child. But, as he grew older, his rate of physicalgrowth outstripped that of his peers. This was especially noticeable in his face,where his jaw and forehead became unusually pronounced. At age six, Andre began attending school atnearby Ussy-sur-Marne.

He loved the social interaction, and provedto be a good student, especially excelling at Mathematics. Already he towered over the other children,not only those in his grade, but those in any grade. He dominated in most sports, invariably findinghimself in the position of goalie on the soccer field. With his large hands and long limbs it wasvirtually impossible to get the ball past him. By the age of ten, Andre stood at six feettall and tipped the scale at around 200 pounds. He looked and moved like a full grown man. On the farm, his father had discovered, hecould do the work of three boys his age. So Boris took him out of school and put himto work full time on the farm. The Rousimoff’s had little in the way ofmaterial possessions.

They were a close family and the childrenwere raised with love and dignity. They learned to accept what came without complaint. So, when Andre was taken from school, thoughhe missed the mental stimulation and the association with his schoolmates, he threw himself intothe life of a farmer, sure that this was to be his lot. The physical labour, coupled with Andre’sunnatural growth potential, allowed him to develop a level of physical strength thatstunned onlookers. By the age of fifteen he was able to lifta car so that his brother could change the tire without having to worry about a wheeljack. It was around the age of sixteen that Andre’sgrowth spurt went to whole new level. His height quickly approached seven feet andhis weight went into the 300’s. But his parents were not overly concernedabout his growth spurt and Andre was never taken to see a doctor. During his mid-teens, Andre began a woodworkingapprenticeship. After two years of diligent application andstudy, he decided that the trade was not for him and wen to work at a factory that madehay-baling engines. But the monotony of working an assembly linewas worse than what he had previously been doing. Andre had dreams of doing something different- he just didn’t know what. With no other options, he went back to workfor his father on the farm. By now his incredible size was constantlydrawing attention and he became known as a local curiosity.Bt the time he was 18, hisfame had spread as far as Paris.

There, a wrestling promoter got to hear aboutthe teenage giant who was stronger than three men. He took the trip to Molien and knocked onthe Rousimoff’s door. He told Boris and Marianne that their sonhad a future in wrestling - and the potential to make many francs. With his parents consent, Andre began learningthe fundamentals of wrestling and was taken under the wing of Montreal born wrestler andpromoter Frank Valois. He began on the Parisian wrestling circuitunder the ring name of ‘Jean Ferre’, in honour of a mythical French giant. Andre the Wrestler Andre worked as a furniture mover during theday in order to cover his expenses in Paris. After work he could be found in a wrestlinggym slowly developing his craft. Even though pro wrestling then, as now, wasmore entertainment than sport, it was still necessary for Andre to learn the basic moves,falls and holds that would create the illusion of violence while keeping him from injury. However, with his intimidating size and strengthit was hard for him to find opponent who were willing to share the ring with him. As a result, progress was slow. Despite this his sheer size and power ensuredthat he never lost in the ring. In 1965, Andre received a notice to reportto the army’s draft board. When he turned up for his physical exam, therecruiters could hardly believe what they saw - a nineteen year old who stood over 7feet tall and weight 350 pounds. Despite his incredible strength and good healthhe was deemed unfit for service for the simple reason that the army did not have uniformsor shoes that were big enough for him. Back in Paris, Andre met Eduardo Carpentier,a popular Montreal based Canadian wrestler. Asking the older man to train him, Andre spentthe next two months learning valuable ring tips from the veteran. Before leaving for home, Carpentier advisedAndre to get as much ring experience as possible. He also promised that he would one day bringAndre over to North America - where wrestling was much bigger than in Europe. Meanwhile Andre continued paying his dueson the European circuit.

He travelled around Europe and even as faras Africa, developing a huge following. Crowds were overwhelmed by his sheer physicalsize. Then, as the match began, they were delightedto see how he overwhelmed his opponents. In 1969, Andre ventured off the European continentto wrestle in New Zealand, where he was billed as Monster Eiffel Tower. Then he went on to Japan where he competed,with an American partner, in the IWF World Tag Team Champs. The pair won the title - suddenly Andre wasa world champion. It was while in Japan that Andre was diagnosedby a doctor with the condition that had caused his unusual growth - acromegaly. This rare hormonal disorder of the pituitarygland causes overproduction of human growth hormone. It was caused by a benign tumor which, ifit developed before bone growth was complete, would lead to gigantism. The doctor also informed Andre that life expectancyfor people with the condition was 40 years. Andre told no one about his diagnosis, keepingthe secret that, at twenty, his life, was more than likely already half over, to himself. But this knowledge undoubtedly spurred himon to reach the top of his chosen profession as quickly as he possibly could. Having now won a world wrestling title, hefelt that he had sufficiently paid his dues and was ready to take on the Americans. From Japan, he travelled to Canada, wherehe met up with Eduardo Carpentier. There he became a part of the Montreal basedGrand Prix wrestling circuit, quickly making a name for himself on the basis of his size,charm and surprising agility in the ring.

 He would often be paired against two, or eventhree opponents at a time. In one-on-one matches, he faced and defeatedsuch Canadian luminaries as Killer Kowalski and Butcher Vachon. At the same time that he was wrestling inCanada, Andre made frequent trips back to Japan where he was immensely popular. There he won the International Wrestling FederationsWorld Series, defeating established stars like Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson in theprocess. Andre’s hard work in the ring was establishinghim as a top international drawcard. In 1971 he was named as Rookie of the Yearby the Wrestling Yearbook 1972. His biggest match to date came in May,1972when he was pitted against the six-foot nine Mormon giant Don Leo Jonathan in what wasbilled as the match of the century. With 20,000 people on hand, the match setan indoor wrestling gate attendance record. The match was going Andre’s way until helost his temper and thrust his giant hands around Leo’s neck. When his locker room guys ran in to stop himfrom choking out his opponent, Andre tossed them aside like ragdolls. Eventually order was restored - and Andrewas disqualified. He had lost the match but had also establishedon of his key gimmicks - he was a lovable giant but make him mad and he turned intoa killer! After the bout with Don Leo, Andre began venturingsouth into the United States, where he would appear as a special attraction on AmericanWrestling Association cards.

Now it was time to reach out to the biggestplayer in the market - Vincent J. McMahon of the World Wrestling federation. Enter the Giant Vince McMahon was first introduced to theman who became his greatest superstar in June of 1973. Until then Andre had been wrestling underthe name if Jean Ferre. McMahon’s first move was to re-brand thegiant. No one in America knew who Jean Ferre was. But they could all relate to Andre the Giant. As well as changing the name, McMahon alsomodified Andre’s on stage approach. Up until now he had shown remarkable athleticism. Now, he was to rely solely on his overwhelminglysize and bulk to defeat his opponents. Andre’s first match under the WWF bannertook place on March 26th, 1973. He easily defeated Buddy Wolfe at MadisonSquare Garden. The American audience had never seen anythinglike this giant of a man and he was an immediate sensation. McMahon knew a good thing when he saw it,booking Andre to perform night after night, all over the country. By keeping the big man moving, McMahon wasable to prevent the novelty of the gentle giant from wearing off. Everywhere he went, Andre shattered box officerecords. McMahon was careful, however, not to pit himagainst his other top draws for fear of damaging their prestige. As his popularity extended beyond the wrestlingcommunity, Andre began to receive offers for TV appearances. In the late 1970’s he appeared on the TonightShow and The Merv Griffin Show and was featured in such magazines as Sports Illustrated andPeople.

In 1976 Hollywood came calling. The writer of the most popular show on TV,the Six Million Dollar Man, had decided to capitalize on the string of Sasquatch reportingsthat had recently been made. They knew that there was only one man whocould realistically play the 8-foot tall forest creature. And so it was that Andre donned a fur coveredsuit and prosthetic makeup and battled Lee Majors as millions watched on TV. To the horror of his legion of pre-teen fans,the six million dollar man was treated like a rag doll by ‘sasquatch’. Andre followed up his first acting role, witha mixed discipline match, fighting boxer Chuck Wepner in June 1976 at New York’s Shea Stadium. The match was a knock-off of Muhammad Ali’sfamous match-up with Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki. Wepner had won fame as the only man to knockdown Ali and had been Sylvester Stallone’s inspiration for Rocky.

The match began with Wepner taunting Andrewhile circling him and throwing out few jabs which the towering wrestler simply ignored. He was well aware that he could drop Wepnerat any moment, but wanted to give the audience their money’s worth. However, in the third round, Wepner managedto get a shot in that connected with Andre’s face. He now had the big man’s attention. Andre snorted and then hit Wepner with aninverted atomic drop and a headbutt. Then he picked the 6 foot 3 inch Wepner uplike a rag doll and threw him over the top rope. The match with Wepner had been a farce butit further cemented the legend of Andre’s invincibility. In 1977, he was named as Pro Wrestling Illustrated’smost popular wrestler. Promoters from all over the world pleadedfor him to come over and face off with their champion. The Great Rivalries Andre had many hyped rivalries and match upsduring the period of the late ‘70’s. Perhaps the greatest was with Ernie ‘BigCat’ Ladd. The six foot nine, three-hundred-and-fifteenpound Ladd was a four time All star defensive tackle who went on to become a career wrestler. He developed a very arrogant persona and hada penchant for sticking his thumb in the eyes of his opponents. As a result he was hugely unpopular - andthe perfect foil for Andre. The two wrestled regularly across the countryin matches billed as ‘Battle of the Giants.’ In 1980, Vince McMahon first paired Andrewith an up and coming wrestler who had formerly been a bodybuilder. His name was Terry Bollea, but his WWF stagename was Hulk Hogan. McMahon paired him up with a theatricallysleazy manager by the name of ‘Classy’ Freddie Blassie. Hogan and Blassie were marketed as the ultimatecheat team and the ideal antagonists for by the book Andre. The tactic worked a treat with Hogan becomingthe most hated bad guy in WWF history. At 330 pounds Hogan marched his way throughthe Federation's lesser stars. The fans demanded a match up with Andre and,in March 1980, McMahon made it happen. Despite his in character bravado, Hogan wasterrified to match up against Andre. The very thought of working a match with theGiant made him physically ill.

 The matchup that resulted seriously injuredHogan. He recalled that Andre ‘messed up my shoulder,screwed my neck up and suplexed me on the head.’ It soon became clear that Andre had a personaldislike for Hogan. They traveled together to Japan for a seriesof matches. As they went around the country, Andre continuedto taunt the young wrestler, sitting in the back of the bus so he could bounce his emptybeer cans off the back of Hogan’s head. Hogan accepted the humiliating treatment asa rite of passage. By the age of 34, Andre had become the biggestthing in the world of wrestling. But to those outside of that world, he wasgenerally seen as little more than a sideshow freak. He was constantly subjected to the staresand jeers of the public. And then there were the discomforts imposedby his gargantuan frame. He suffered from agonizing back pain and jointailments. And he could never find a chair or bed thatprovided anything approaching comfort for him. And, of course, always, in the back of hismind, was the knowledge that his time was running out - he wasn't meant to make it past40. Andre’s appetite for food was pretty impressive- but that was nothing compared to his liking for alcohol. He loved French wine and would often drinkan entire case before lunch.

During more than one all night drinking sessionhe was known to knock back in excess of one hundred handles of beer. Even then he would show little signs of drunkenness. Andre and Hogan continued their in the ringfeud through to the end of 1980, drawing huge crowds. But by the next year, Hogan had left the WWFover after a disagreement with McMahon over his role in Rocky III. As 1981 began Andre was at the top of hisgame. His rivalry with Hogan was soon replaced withan ongoing feud with the Mongolian Giant, Killer Khan. In a match on May 2nd, 1981 Khan brought Andreto the canvas, leaving the Giant unable to get up. His ankle had snapped. Andre was out for several weeks and the storylinewas hyped that he was out for revenge. They met again on July 20th, 1981 but thematch ended in a double disqualification. Andre went on to dominate throughout the earlyto mid ‘80’s. On April 7th, 1986 he prevailed in a twentyman battle-royal to come off the victor at Wrestlemania 2. Following Wrestlemania 2, Andre took a breakfrom wrestling.

After a decade and a half in the ring hisbody was breaking down. The health effects of his acromegaly werealso compounding. During this period he was given a part inthe Rob Reiner directed movie The Princess Bride. He played the role of lovable giant Fezzikin what has become a cult movie classic. Returning to the WWF in 1987, Andre facedup to his old nemesis Hulk Hogan, now back in the WWF fold. At Wrestlemania III Andre weighed in at 520pounds. This put huge strain on his joints and lowerback, causing constant pain. In the the final matchup, Hogan defeated Andrewith what became known as the ‘body slam heard around the world.’ Hogan tore his latissimus dorsi muscle inthe monumental effort required to hoist the Giant overhead. Andre got his revenge in a rematch that wasaired on The Main Event in February 1988. He defeated Hogan and took the WWF World HeavyweightChampionship from him.

 The Decline Andre went on for another four years, buthe wasn’t the wrestler he had been. His body was racked with pain, sometimes tothe point that he couldn’t stand without leaning on the ropes. Andre owned a ranch in Ellerbe, North Carolinaand spent more and more time there as his health deteriorated. He was there in January of 1993 when he heardthat his father had died back in France. He hopped on the next plane in order to attendthe funeral. After the funeral he stayed on to spend timewith his mother and siblings. On the night of January 27th he died in hissleep as a result of congestive heart failure. His mother intended to bury him alongsidehis father. But Andre had recently revised his will, inwhich he stated that he wished to be cremated. In accordance with his wishes his ashes werereturned to the United States and scattered on the grounds of his ranch at Ellerbe. Back in America, and around the world, millionsof fans mourned the loss of the biggest and baddest man to  ever step into  the ring.