Andre the Giant

Well, we all know him as the wrestler and, of course, Fezzik. His real name is André René Roussimoff. He was born in France, and was at birth a giant. As an adule, he weighed about 500 lbs, towered to 7'4" in height, and was known by many of his close friends and companions to be a devout lover of wine and other alcoholic beverages. What he spent on alcohol is more than what a lot of us earn for a living. He was in Paris for his father's funeral when he himself died of a heart attack on January 27, 1993. I also read that the Billy Crystal movie My Giant was about his life, but I have yet to see the movie so I'm not sure if that's totally true. He's also been in a few other movies and TV shows (I think a little typecasting was done, but we won't hold that against him :)
There was a recent A&E Biography done on Andre, and they mentioned that when Andre was cast in the Princess Bride, he played a character much like himself. A friend said that although Andre rarely talked about the Princess Bride, deep down he had great memories, and really had a lot of fun being in a movie.

Filmography

  1. Trading Mom (1994) .... Giant
  2. Princess Bride, The (1987) .... Fezzik
  3. Conan the Destroyer (1984) (uncredited cameo) .... Dagoth
  4. Micki + Maude (1984) (as Andre Rousimoff) .... André the Giant
  5. Secret of Bigfoot, The (1975) (TV) .... Sasquatch


    6. Notable TV guest appearances

    1."Fall Guy, The" (1981)
    2."Greatest American Hero, The" (1981)
    3."Six Million Dollar Man, The" (1974) playing "Sasquatch"

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