How Was André the Giant Larger than Life?

Professional wrestler and actor André the Giant had a reputation for kindness that outgrew his impressive stature. Learn about André Roussimoff's life and legacy in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Hey
brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here, fans knew Andre the Giant
as the eighth Wonder of the World, but friends and
loved ones had their own designation. We spoke via email
with Benjamin Brown, an archivist for World Wrestling Entertainment or
the w w E. He said, Andre the Giant was

(00:23):
and still is, affectionately referred to as Boss, symbolizing the
respect he commanded and was appropriately given, long before the
Towering icon became a pop culture phenomenon. Under the Giant
was Andre Russomov, a French kid who led up somewhat
average life until puberty hit. Born in Grenoble, France in
ninety six, Rusimov was a beautiful baby, his older brother,

(00:45):
Antoine said in the HBO documentary about Andrea's life, quote,
he was normal. His life changing transformation began in his
early teens, when it became evident that Rusomov had a
pituitary gland disorder called acromegaly. The disorder, according to the
Mayo Clinic, occurs when the pituitary gland produces too much
growth hormone during adulthood, causing the bones to increase in size.

(01:06):
It typically affects middle aged adults, but can happen at
any age and what it strikes still developing kids, like
it did in Rusumov's case, it can cause a condition
called gigantism, which results in abnormal increases in height and
exaggerated bone growth. Russimov's major physical transformation occurred in the
time between his departure from home at age fourteen to
seek employment outside of Grenobla and his first return visit

(01:28):
at age nineteen ninety one. Sports Illustrated Profile reported indeed,
during the five years young Andre had been estranged from
his parents, he had grown so large that even his
mother and father failed at first and even second glance
to recognize him or to connect the giant they had
seen on television with the gangly dreamer who had hied
himself to Paris so long before. Rusimov continued to grow.

(01:51):
By the age of twelve, he hit six feet that's
one point eight meters and two hundred and forty pounds
or a hundred kilos, and rapidly grew from there. So
he set his side on a career that allowed him
to use his size to his advantage wrestling. After training
with French champion Frank L. Waugh, who later became as manager.
Rusomof began competing under the name Jean Fair in Montreal

(02:12):
and Monster Russomov in Japan. The young Giant began making
a name for himself as a baby faced, colossal competitor,
and Val was introduced him to legendary wrestling promoter Vince
McMahon Sr. As the founder of the Worldwide Wrestling Federation
or w w F, which later became the w w E.
McMahon made a few suggestions to increase Rusumov's potential success,

(02:32):
including a name change. McMahon dubbed the wrestler Andre the
Giant and sent him off to compete around the world.
On March nine, seventy three, Under the Giant made his
w w F debut at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
He went on to wrestle more than three hundred days
a year and rose to fame as one of the
industry's most respected competitors. Brown said Under the Giants surpassed

(02:54):
the often one dimensional nature of a traction wrestler to
become a massive draw wherever he went in the world.
Andrea was both the leader of the locker room and
a measuring stick for all those who came after. Andre
the Giant was intelligent, multi lingual, and an exceptional in
ring talent. While the wrestler's success is indisputable, his eventual
size is up for debate. Most sources claim he reached

(03:16):
a height of seven feet four inches that's two point
two meters, though according to biography dot com, he was
more likely closer to six ft eleven inches or one
point nine meters. At its full size, Russimov weighed about
five hundred pounds that's two hundred and twenty six kilos.
The wrestler's unique physicality led to plenty of opportunities outside
of the ring, including a memorable role in the film

(03:38):
The Princess Bride, and Rusumov's love for food and drink
was no joke. There are many stories of him drinking
more than a hundred beers in one sitting, though it
supposedly wasn't the norm. His best friend Tim White told
w w E he'd go into a restaurant and eat
twelve stakes and fifteen lobsters just to quote put on
a show and have some laughs. Russimov remained a formidable

(03:59):
competitor throughout his career, taking on titans like Hulk Hogan
and Mascho Man Randy Savage, but by the early nineteen nineties,
the effects of his acromegaly and the massive physical wear
and tear of his career had led to severe effects
on his health. Acromegaly is known to cause everything from
high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease to spinal cord compression
and vision loss. Rusimov grappled with chronic pain and could

(04:20):
no longer endure the breakers of wrestling. He retreated to
his North Carolina ranch, but flew home to France at
early nine three when his father passed away. On January seven,
nine three, Andre the Giant died in his sleep of
congestive heart failure. The wrestler was never married, but he
was survived by a daughter, Robin Christensen Rusumov, born in
nineteen seventy nine. Andre the Giant continues to be heralded

(04:41):
by wrestling fans as one of the sports greatest competitors.
Brown said, this quote is from Tim White, Andre's best friend,
who called me while I was writing this. Once he
befriended you. He was your friend for life. Today's episode
was written by Michelle on Stantonowsky and produced by Tyler Clang.

(05:02):
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