How Tall Was Andre the Giant? (Explained)
How tall was Andre The Giant? Andre was 7 ft 4 inches tall. Even though André passed away about 30 years ago, his enduring spirit and legacy endure.
Andre the Giant was the alias given to André René Roussimoff. Because of his great size, he was also referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.
Andre was a wrestling legend for well over two decades, thrilling spectators everywhere.
He also made an impression outside of the ring by performing bizarrely superhuman feats that only a man of his size could accomplish, such as downing a staggering amount of beer in one sitting.
Andre the Giant was advertised as a 7-foot-4-inch, 520-pound wrestler throughout his career.
Despite the fact that he never had his height officially documented, he was subsequently measured at slightly under seven feet after undergoing back surgery.
He weighed more than 500 pounds.
He was able to perform some fairly amazing feats outside of the ring thanks to his gigantic size, and he was most well-known for a few things, including his drinking.
He frequently drank a case of wine or four six-packs in one session, according to the HBO documentary Andre the Giant.
Ric Flair, a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, claimed in the documentary that he once saw Andre consume 106 beers in one sitting.
This larger-than-life man left an imprint on the world that will never be forgotten, even after those who knew him well died away.
Andre the Giant, one of the most well-known wrestlers, is a giant both physically and psychologically.
He would have turned 75 on May 19, 2021, if he had been alive. Sadly, due to health issues brought on by his enormous size, André died in his middle years.
Who Was Andre the Giant?
On May 19, 1946, in Coulommiers, France, André René Roussimoff, better known as Andre the Giant, was born.
At birth, he allegedly weighed 13 pounds. Andre was raised in the small town of Molien, 40 miles east of Paris, despite being advertised in wrestling as being from Grenoble in the French Alps.
He had two older and two younger siblings in total.
Samuel Beckett, a well-known playwright, and Andre’s neighbour, occasionally gave him a ride when he was walking to and from school.
Andre the Giant had acromegaly, a hormonal disease that results in the secretion of too much growth hormone and, in Andre’s case, gigantism.
Andre dominated the sport of wrestling in the 1970s and 1980s thanks to his size.
In the movie The Princess Bride, he made millions of dollars, gained international fame, and enjoyed crossover success.
In 1987’s WrestleMania III, Andre competed against Hulk Hogan toward the twilight of his career.
At the age of 46, André passed away in his home in France.
At age 14, when it was permitted to do so, Andre dropped out of school and started working.
His acromegaly became apparent about this time, according to his family.
By the time he was 15 years old, he had almost reached 6-foot-6.
Living With Acromegaly
Andre suffered from acromegaly, a condition in which the pituitary gland overproduces growth hormone.
Andre experienced gigantism, a condition that can cause children to grow taller, around the age of 14.
His head, hands, feet, and chest had grown larger as a result of his continued growth. Andre held a regular beer can that appeared to be miniature in his hands and wore size 22 shoes. 15.
His size can make life challenging. They don’t build anything for a giant, Andre once observed. He required a pencil to dial a number back when phones had dials.
He travelled for wrestling 300 days a year, but when he flew, he couldn’t fit in the restroom, so he had to waste himself in a bucket.
Driving was agonizing for him unless he could use a van that had been specially designed for him: “Many times I have to ride for several hundred miles in the front seat of a car and my back and neck always get so tense.”
He frequently received unwanted attention in public, and he believed that this had an impact on his interpersonal relationships.
“Due to my size, people want to be friends with me. They want to use me unfairly. That bothers me,” he stated once.
Andre was huge, therefore he could consume a lot of alcohol.
There are rumors that he once downed 100 beers or 20 bottles of wine.
Cary Elwes, an actor, and co-star in The Princess Bride, has stated, “Andre, God bless him, was in a lot of agony, so he didn’t drink just for the purpose of drinking.
He was carrying so much weight that it hurt his back, and other wrestlers were breaking chairs over his back.”
Andre didn’t receive an acromegaly diagnosis from doctors while he was a child in France.
He might have been given a diagnosis in Japan in 1970, and after breaking his foot in 1981, he undoubtedly learned he had the disease.
Treatment at this stage in Andre’s life would not have stopped his growth, but it might have lengthened his life. He chose not to receive treatment, nevertheless.
In the 2018 film Andre the Giant, his doctor gave the following justification for Andre’s choice:”
He decided that he did not want treatment at that time because it might interfere with his career as a wrestler.”
Height and Weight
Andre’s exact height is still a mystery. He was frequently described as 7-foot-4 throughout his wrestling career. However, the sport of wrestling is prone to exaggeration.
His French passport listed his height in meters, which equals slightly about 7 feet 2 inches.
Some estimate Andre’s height at 7 feet, but he may have been as little as three inches shorter.
Andre’s weight was frequently reported to be 520 pounds. However, this might be another wrestling exaggeration.
When he passed away, reports of his weight ranged from 380 pounds to as high as 555 pounds.
Wrestling Career
Andre once said, “What God gave me, I utilize it to make a living,” and his size helped him rule the wrestling world.
He started competing in French wrestling in 1966 under the name Jean Ferré.
Before moving to Quebec in 1971, Andre competed as Monster Roussimoff in professional wrestling in Japan.
According to Biography, Andre’s final encounter took place in Japan in December 1992.
At Clash of the Champions XX earlier that year, he had made his last WWE appearance outside the ring.
He did, in fact, continue working up until his death since he passed away in January 1993.
However, his actual days as a competitive wrestler using any sort of ring technique were long gone.
The phrase “The irresistible force meeting the immovable object” used by Gorilla Monsoon to describe his match with Hulk Hogan in the WrestleMania main event was accurate in a most tragic sense because the Giant could hardly move at that point.
In “Tributes II: Remembering More of the World’s Greatest Professional Wrestlers,” written by Dave Meltzer, it is stated that Andre had to wear a back brace and was nearly numb below the knees.
‘The Princess Bride’
Andre the Giant was chosen to play the giant Fezzik in the 1987 film The Princess Bride by both writer William Goldman and director Rob Reiner.
Andre won the role despite the fact that Reiner claimed, “We had a three-page scene for him to audition with, and I didn’t understand a word he said.”
He later demonstrated his abilities by giving a well-received performance.
But for Andre, making the movie wasn’t an easy task. Stunts were challenging for him because of back discomfort while filming.
Actress Robin Wright had to be held up with cables when he was unable to grab her in his arms.
When Andre was required to ride a horse in a scene, he had to be hoisted using cables due to his size.
Andre didn’t start off as an actor in The Princess Bride.
He has made appearances in a 1967 French film, the 1982 television series The Fall Guy, the 1976 television series Six Million Dollar Man, and the film Micki & Maude (1984).
Andre made a brief appearance in Trading Mom after The Princess Bride (1994). But Fezzik was the only part that fit like a glove.
Andre was so proud of his creation that he frequently travelled with a videotape of the movie and delighted in showing it to audiences.
Death
On January 28, 1993, Andre passed away in a hotel room in Paris at the age of 46. (His death is often incorrectly listed as January 27).
Congestive heart failure brought on by his untreated acromegaly caused his death.
According to Uproxx, Andre’s relatives in France called him in January 1993 to let him know that his elderly father was in horrible health and didn’t have much longer to live.
The lengthy flight back to France required The Giant to force himself into a plane seat one last time.
Shortly after, he went to his father’s funeral.
The Giant made the decision to stay after the funeral to connect with relatives and since his mother’s birthday was on the 24th and he wanted to attend the celebration.
Former spouse of his close buddy Frenchy Bernard, Jackie McAuley, told CBS Sports, “I was astonished when I saw photos of him at his mother’s birthday celebration.
“His eyes were extremely intense, and his skin was grey and powdery.” Andre had only a few days left to live at this point.
Facts about Andre the Giant
It’s appropriate that Andre’s legendary stature gave rise to numerous tales about his life, including his inflated height (he was sometimes described as standing at 7 feet, 4 inches), as well as his rumoured tendency to consume hundreds of beers.
The recently released HBO documentary might put an end to some of these urban tales.
We’ve sorted through some of the more dramatic articles in the meantime to distinguish truth from fiction.
It turns out that the Giant’s life didn’t require any amplification.
Although you may be familiar with Andre’s biographical details, you might not be aware of how he managed to survive in a society that was created for people of average height.
1. Andre’s Parents Couldn’t Recognize Their Son
Andre had lofty aspirations as a young child, which his father tried to squash.
One day, Andre was working with his father, Boris, when he noticed a Rolls-Royce passing by.
His father reprimanded him for having irrational expectations after he asserted that one day, he would acquire one of the opulent cars himself.
Andre chose to leave his family and village two years later, at the age of 14, because he was sick of living on a farm. He aspired to prosper, travel, and meet new people.
After five years, he came back and looked remarkably changed. A huge man with an even bigger smile surprised his mother as she opened the door after hearing a knock.
Marianne called for Boris when Andre demanded to see the man of the house, and the two were still oblivious that their own son had arrived at their door.
Andre even pointed to his own Rolls-Royce that was parked behind him, but Marianne and Boris didn’t seem to notice.
Before Boris realized that their son had returned home after several years of beginning a new career, his mother eventually recognized him as wrestler Jean Ferrè (his stage name).
2. Andre Loved to Play Pranks on His Friends
When Andre first started wrestling, fellow wrestler Frank Valois got to know him and was blown away by the young man’s strength, charisma, and love of good times.
Andre went from being a poor country boy to becoming a man who traveled the globe, interacted with a wide variety of people, and had a great time living life.
Andre was a tall, powerful man in his 20s who intimidated opponents inside and outside the ring.
And when he wasn’t using competition to focus his energy, he found other inventive ways to do it.
He discovered he could eventually move little autos on his own at one point. And by “move,” he meant to move the car entirely.
Then he considered it amusing to pull pranks on his companions while they were in a bar or dining establishment.
Sometimes, Andre would change their path or manoeuvre their automobiles into incredibly small spaces between a building or lamppost.
Valois said it wasn’t about showing his strength. The purpose was to tease his friends.
3. Andre Wished He Was a Regular-Sized Man
Andre was probably aware that he would not live until old age because of his ailment. Upon receiving effective treatment, some gigantism sufferers can lead regular lives.
However, Andre resisted receiving medical treatment in the 1980s because he thought God had purposefully designed him that way.
After leaving home, he led a full life and was content with the friends he had made and the locations he had visited.
He acknowledged the challenges that came with being so big, though. His neck, back, and shoulders hurt even from routine tasks like riding in a car.
In addition, he was frequently questioned by admirers about his physique, including his height and weight.
He was generally courteous and sought the approval of those around him, but he was also a little depressed.
4. His Body Couldn’t Be Cremated
On January 27, 1993, at the age of 46, Andre passed away in his sleep at the Hotel De La Tremoille in Paris.
To attend his father’s burial, he had travelled to the city two days ago.
Congestive heart failure was Andre’s cause of death, which is not surprising given that patients with acromegaly frequently undergo organ degradation over time.
The body of Andre was sent to the US since local crematoriums in Paris were unable to satisfy his request to be cremated there.
Frenchy Bernard, a close friend, and former referee scattered his cremated remains on the 46-acre Roussimoff family ranch in Ellerbe, North Carolina while riding a horse.
His cremated remains weighed 17 pounds. The eulogy was given by Hulk Hogan.
5. Andre Had a Large Appetite
The eating and drinking antics of Andre are legendary. One night out, according to wrestler Mike Graham and his “Legends of Wrestling” panel co-panelists, his pal consumed 156 beers.
When Andre and journalist Bill Apter hung out in New Orleans, Apter remembered watching Andre consume over 125 beers.
Although it’s difficult to back up these claims, other acquaintances and coworkers have told similar stories over the years, so it appears credible.
“He could drink an aeroplane dry before it got to take off,” White explained. “He’d go into a restaurant and eat 12 steaks and 15 lobsters.”
He didn’t do that often, but if he felt like putting on a show and having some laughs, he’d go ahead and do that.”
He typically only consumed about twice as much food as the average man does during a typical breakfast, lunch, or dinner, though his typical meals were not as opulent.
6. The Samuel Beckett and Andre Tale
For years, it was said that Andre, who at the age of 12 was 6’3″ and weighed over 200 pounds, would take the famous playwright Samuel Beckett’s truck to school because the school bus was too small.
The story was told by even Andre, and it eventually resulted in an off-Broadway play.
However, one of Andre’s brothers claims that’s not exactly how events transpired.
Although Andre and Beckett were neighbours, Andre had to walk two kilometres to the town’s centre each day because there was no school bus in the area.
However, if Beckett happened to be passing Andre and the other kids on their way to or from school, he kindly allowed them to board his truck for the brief trip.
But contrary to what people have been told for years, Beckett and Andre did not share a unique link or friendship.
Rarely did they discuss anything other than their shared passion for cricket.
7. Large Hands
The size of Andre’s hands was one feature that truly stood out.
They were incredibly gigantic, both in length and width. Andre’s hands, like his feet, were so thick they practically resembled paws.
His fingers were so large that the opening in the ring he was wearing was large enough to accommodate a silver dollar, which was 38.1 mm.
A man’s finger measures roughly 10–11 mm in diameter on average, so that gives you some idea of the size.
André, who reportedly stood 7’4″ tall and weighed up to 520 pounds in his prime, suffered from gigantism from an excess of growth hormone produced by his pituitary gland.
He later developed acromegaly.
Giant hands and feet, thick toes and fingers, a protruding jaw and forehead, and coarse facial features are all characteristics of gigantism. He wore size 24 shoes.
CSN Team.