a giant should be. Grown men feared him. He got so mad he reached
down and grabbed the car. And he turned it upside down on
the sidewalk with the four guys in it. NARRATOR: Little
girls loved him. When he kissed you,
he knew he was a giant. He could take up your
whole face with his lips. NARRATOR: He grew and grew
and grew to become the biggest attraction in
professional wrestling or any other sport
for that matter. Andr the Giant was the most
recognizable sports figure of the 20th century along
with, of course, Muhammad Ali. NARRATOR: In the spring of
1987, 92,000 people filled the Silverdome in Pontiac,
Michigan to see Hulk Hogan wrestle Andr the Giant for
the Heavyweight Championship. It was the largest audience
ever assembled under one roof for a sporting event. Yet there were no
sportswriters present since the media didn't consider
wrestling to be a sport. Throughout a 20-year career, the
Giant had never been defeated. But now he was past
his prime and ailing. The crowd sensed an
upset in the making. The Giant's best years
they knew were behind him. But for Andr , the night had
even deeper implications. He was two months
past his 40th birthday the age his doctors had said
he would not live beyond. COMMENTATOR: That's the first
time I think that the Giant-- NARRATOR: Once upon a
time, there lived a giant, not at the top of a beanstalk
but in a small French village little more than an
hour's drive from Paris. Molien, France is a farm
community of fertile fields and glistening orchards, not
so different from a hundred other French villages
that seen little changed since the Middle Ages. It was here on May 19th 1946
that Andr Ren Roussimoff, third child of five to Boris and
Marianne Roussimoff, was born. D d , as the boy was called,
seen here at the age of 3, weighed five kilos at
birth, nearly 11 pounds. His brothers and sisters
were normal-sized. And aside from his bigger
than average birth weight, D d showed no sign that he
would grow to be any larger than his siblings. Andr 's father was Bulgarian. He emigrated to
France before the war and found work as a farmer. One of his fellow
workers, a Pole, showed Boris a
photograph of his sister. Boris saved his money
until he had enough to bring his friend's sister
to France for a visit. They were married
soon afterward. Andr 's paternal grandfather
is said to have been 7 feet 8 inches tall. But none of the family living
today can confirm that. Young Andr was
quiet but fun-loving. He was a good student
particularly in math. After school, he divided his
time between soccer games and home chores. The Roussimoffs had little in
the way of material things. The children were brought
up with love and dignity and learned early to accept
without complaint whatever may come. [non-english speech] INTERPRETER: My
parents were very cool. We had a lot of freedom. Of course, we had to work
a lot because at that time, we didn't have a lot of money. So on Thursdays with my
brother, we had to cut wood to heat the house. And that was a good
way to pass the time. NARRATOR: By the time
he was 12 years old, Andr stood over 6 feet
tall and weighed 240 pounds. [non-english speech] INTERPRETER: I knew
him from school. He was born in Molien like me. And we used to play in
the playground together. He used to be the goalie. But the ball would never
manage to get in the goal because he was so big. He would dive for
the ball everywhere. And he would stop it every time. NARRATOR: At harvest time,
the Roussimoff brothers worked beside their father
as day labor in the fields. Andr opted to quit
school after eighth grade. He felt he did not need
a high school education to spend his life working on
a farm that was not his own. Andr Roussimoff dreamed often
of a future that would take him far from the tedium and
near poverty of farm life. But that dream seemed
hopelessly out of reach. Andre worked hard for two
years to learn the trade before deciding, at the
end of his apprenticeship, that woodworking was as unlikely
as farm work to bring him success. It was also at the
age of 16 that Andre made another discovery. He was getting very big. JACQUES ROUSSIMOFF:
[non-english speech] INTERPRETER: My
brother really started to grow when he reached 16. Yeah, when he was 16. He was kind of a curiosity. Of course, everybody
looked at him. They turned their
heads as he passed. NARRATOR: Andr 's parents
were not worried about their boy's growth spurt. The teenager was just big. That's all. Andr was not taken
to see a doctor. Andre left his
woodworking job and went to work in a factory that
manufactured hay baling engines. But for the young dreamer, the
monotony of the assembly line was worse even than the
drudgery of farm labor. In near desperation
and with a heavy heart, Andre went back to work
alongside his father. In the field, Andr could
perform the work of three men. INTERPRETER: He was very
strong, that's for sure. We had a flat tire in the back,
and we didn't have a jack. So I unscrewed all the
lug nuts except for one. Suddenly, he lifted the car,
and I would take the spare tire. And we wouldn't
need a jack anymore. That's when we could
tell he was strong. NARRATOR: Andr was asked to
join a local rugby organization but he declined as he
didn't care for the sport. As he grew larger, Andre
began to attract attention. [non-english speech] INTERPRETER: I have a very
clear memory of Andr driving by the Place de la Gare
with a [inaudible],, an old clunker [inaudible]. He would drive normally,
but with his head coming out of the roof. These things were kind of funny. JACQUES ROUSSIMOFF:
[non-english speech] INTERPRETER: When he
got out of the car, he used to pretend that he
was stuck between the door and inside the car. He used to pick it up
by lifting his body. And we used to drive this
car without any insurance. The cops never said anything. They never dared to
tell him a thing. NARRATOR: By the time
he was 18, Andre's fame had spread all the way to Paris. A wrestling promoter turned up
at the Roussimoffs' door one day. Andr , the promoter
told the Roussimoffs, could make a very nice living
as a wrestling attraction. A promoter phoned me
one day and said, go and pick this young lad up,
17, a wrestler who is just beginning, they said,
and take him to a town-- I forgot the town where it was. I think it was Porte de
Versailles, just outside Paris. Porte de Ver-- That was the name of the-- Yes. The bar we were
supposed to meet, too. I think it was. So I went there. And here was this
young lad of 17. But in fact, he was
about 6 foot 10" and weighed about 280
pounds and dwarfed me then. Little did I ever realized he
would go grow another almost another foot. NARRATOR: Andre's
parents had mixed feelings about their
son's becoming a wrestler. But they saw it as his ticket,
perhaps, to a better life. Andre's heart leapt
at the opportunity. Maybe he would get a chance
at his dream after all. Andr Roussimoff was 7 feet tall
on the day he left for Paris, an 18-year-old in
search of his fortune. During the day, Andr worked
as a mover to pay his expenses in Paris. At night, he trained
in a wrestling gym. It was slow-going. His size and strength
were tremendous assets but he knew nothing of wrestling
technique, the basic moves and falls every wrestler knows. And it was difficult
for him to learn because his fellow wrestlers
were afraid to train with him. Wrestling then, as now, was 90%
performance, 10% competition. Promoters had long ago
realized that fans were quickly bored with real or
Olympic-style wrestling. Pro wrestling offered not
really sport but rather sports entertainment and
the illusion of violence. But entertainment or not,
the wrestlers of Paris were not eager to create
the illusion of violence with a teenage giant who
didn't know his own strength. On a trip back home in 1965,
Andre received a draft notice for France's peacetime army. He was called in for his
physical examination. [non-english speech] INTERPRETER: The day of the
military physical examinations, he was supposed to
go into the army. And the surgeon that
was recruiting guys saw him come from far
away with another person. And talking about
the other person, thinking that he was very
short, the surgeon said, that dwarf is never going to
pass the test for the army. He's going to be
rejected automatically. But as they were coming closer,
he looked at Andr and said, well, maybe this is the
one that will be rejected. NARRATOR: Andr was deemed unfit
for service as there were no shoes big enough, bunks long
enough or trenches deep enough to accommodate him. Rejection was
nothing new to Andr . Wherever he went, people
stared or snickered. As he returned to
Paris, his dreams of success in their world
seemed more distant than ever. Then one day, in 1964,
his luck began to change. douard Carpentier, a popular
French Canadian wrestler, came to Paris. Andr approached Carpentier and
asked the veteran to train him for the ring. Carpentier saw Andr 's potential
immediately and agreed to teach him. During the next two months,
Andr learned how to give and take what wrestlers
refer to as bumps. Before Carpentier
returned to Montreal, he told Andr to get as much
ring experience as he could. When he was ready,
Carpentier would bring him to North America where wrestling
was much bigger than in Europe. One night in Paris,
not long afterward. Andr went in as a replacement
for an injured wrestler. The crowd loved him. Andr was very happy because he
understood at once that he had found his calling. Fate had had a reason
for making him so big. His destiny was to
entertain the people. He would be a wrestler. of someday leaving the farmmd and seeing the world. His opportunity came in Paris
in 1964 when douard Carpentier agreed to train the
18-year-old boy for the ring. Andr was an instant
sensation with the fans. Andr was unbelievable
as a young man, 16, 17, 18. He had-- I guess he is
almost 7 foot by then. And he had like movie
star, handsome, good looks, a washboard stomach. I mean, when he walked the
midway, he was the man. NARRATOR: Andr 's stature
was even more remarkable because unlike
other very tall men, he was not lanky like
a basketball player. His legs were actually
rather short for his frame. His proportions were
relative to that of a man of average height. Two things you could never
forget about Andr when you saw him. One was just his enormous mass. He was big all over. The other thing was, if you
actually had a chance to shake hands with Andr the Giant,
there's something you would never forget. Because it was literally
impossible to shake hands with him. His hand was just so huge. Your hand would be just like
a small child's next to his. MAN: Oh, he would
make two of me. I have big hands for
an ordinary fellow but his hands would be
about like that, you know, and longer fingers. It looked like
bananas, his fingers. And pretty big feet. He could have made a
fortune stomping out fires. [laughs] You couldn't ask for
a better person, gentle. You shake your hand, you
didn't even know you had it, it was so big. You know what I mean? And he would grab your hand. It was almost scary because
he had this big palm at you, you know. And he's just a real gentleman. I mean, easy,
easy-going, never-- always the same mood,
morning or night, you know. NARRATOR: The promoters
build Andr as Geant Ferre, the name of a legendary
French lumberjack. Performance or not, wrestling
was a rough contact sport. And the giant Geant Ferre soon
became the most feared man in wrestling. [non-english speech] INTERPRETER: He was famous
because his first fights took place around here,
quite a lot actually. News got spread pretty quickly. And he quickly became famous. He was working during the week. And he was wrestling in the
evenings and almost every Sunday. NARRATOR: For the
next few years, Andr traveled throughout
Europe and Africa, wrestling in arenas
as well as carnivals. Most of his matches
were performances. But occasionally, he would take
challengers from the audience, singly or in groups,
taking on all comers. The only way you could beat the
Giant was if he allowed you to. MAN: On any given night,
no one could beat Andr . Andr 's strength
was immeasurable. He didn't even know
how strong he was. I've seen him do some awesome
things inside the ring, especially if he got angry,
got the adrenaline flowing. And if he didn't like
you, you pay the price. Those chops were brutal. NARRATOR: By the time he was 21,
the poor farm boy from Molien was living a dream. He was well-paid. He traveled, ate and drank
in the best restaurants. He was the center of
attention everywhere he went. Family and friends traveled
to Paris for Andr 's matches or they watched on television. [non-english speech] INTERPRETER: I saw him wrestle
in France at the Palais de la Mutualite a Saturday night. It was a two-round match. It was very impressive,
especially when there was such a weight falling on the floor. It echoed. I think he was hurt. I felt this hurt as him,
especially when the opponent would pull his hair. He had a mane, and the opponent
would pull it to throw him off balance. But he was never really
nasty as far as the fight. Otherwise, he would have
crushed him from the first hit. I just think he was trying
to make the fight last, to make the people happy that
had come to see the show so it would last a little more. Otherwise, the fight would
have been very short. Andre's visits home were
always an eagerly-anticipated occasion. MAN: He lived in a
little town, Molien. They'd put a sign that
population was 27, and it was 30 if
Andr came home. [non-english speech] INTERPRETER: Well,
of course, he was an event when he was
coming back in the village to see his friends. When we saw the car,
we knew right away that the 'big one" was here,
as we used to call him. NARRATOR: Whenever
Andr came home, he'd spend hours playing
cards with his friends. JACQUES ROUSSIMOFF:
[non-english speech] INTERPRETER: His card friends
are people that knew him since he was a little kid. Because they are people that
always lived in the village. One was a cement
layer, the one that used to fix my mother's house. The other was a mechanic. And the other one was
a small cultivator. They knew us all. They knew all the family,
and they remained very good friends. [non-english speech] INTERPRETER: We used to
play here all the time. That was his seat. Sometimes he would lose
but it didn't matter. Losing or winning,
he would always pay. He never wanted us to pay. He used to say, Jerry,
and Jerry would serve. NARRATOR: By 1969, douard
Carpentier believed Andr was ready for the American market. But now, it was Carpentier
who would have to wait. Andr had signed a contract to
wrestle in Japan under the name Monster Roussimoff. The Monster was
the biggest thing to hit Japan since Godzilla. He'd come out of the hotel,
walked down the street and when he's-- they'd all
run away, you know. They're smaller than--
they run away from him but they'd walk on the
other side of the street. And they'd just follow
him wherever he went. There's mobs following
around, just looking at him. Sometimes we'd duck in a store. And then the whole
store would fill up. ANDRE ROUSSIMOFF: I just
thought everybody was so small. And they can't believe it to
see a big person like myself. I didn't want to
shoot me all time. They shoot me 26 hours a day. You couldn't believe it. NARRATOR: In Japan, Andr was
examined for the first time by a prominent doctor. He diagnosed Andr as having a
rare glandular disorder called acromegaly or giantism,
a condition that causes a constant secretion
of growth hormone. Andr 's body could
not stop growing. MAN: He had that
disease that the-- all these giants. Of course, he had-- his head was getting
larger every year. He could notice it, you know,
because we come back there several times. And he told me that this
kind of disease that he had, guys are lucky if
they make their 40s. But Andr -- I try to tell
Andr to go have-- you know, go down and see this guy. This guy doesn't know anything. NARRATOR: Andr refused to
accept the doctor's diagnosis. And he never mentioned it
to anyone in his family. He knew, you know, that
he didn't have long to live. So I think he-- that was in
the back of his mind, you know, all the time. That's why he drank and just
did whatever he wanted to do, just to enjoy what time he had. NARRATOR: Andre's unique
physical condition had brought him far from
his humble origins and close to the realization
of all his dreams. But now, he was finding that
success came with a hefty price tag. MAN: I think that
Andr was lonely. Because I think
that's the reason why he drank like he did or he went
night-clubbing like he did. He didn't want to be by himself. When you're big as he
was, people look at you like a freak and everything. And you resent that eventually. And I'm sure he did. Because man had feelings
just like you and I. NARRATOR: Every day of Andr 's
life had involved a painful effort to shoehorn himself
into an undersized world. And now, the final most
bitter irony, to be told at the age of 22
that he had already lived half his life. ur wa, Andr traveled to Montreal. As douard Carpentier
had predicted, the Giant was an immediate
hit with Canadian fans. Andr , at that
time, was like, what, maybe the 24 years old
probably and all that. I mean, he was very-- I mean, impressive, you know. I mean, he's so big, and
you just knowing all that. And he was not 500 pound then. He was must have been
about like 375, you know. And he really looked good. NARRATOR: But the
novelty soon wore off when the promoters couldn't find
a plausible opponent for him. It was obvious to the fans
that Andr couldn't be beaten. Gate receipts for
his matches dwindled. Out of desperation, Carpentier
consulted Vince McMahon and his son Vince Jr, a pair of
successful American wrestling promoters. The McMahons saw problems
with the way Andr was being presented to the fans. After you see a giant over
and over and over it's almost-- well you can become accustomed
to-- you know to seeing a giant. That's not good. NARRATOR: The McMahons proposed
a schedule where Andre would stay perpetually on the road. VINCE MCMAHON, JR. : Andre would
just literally travel all over the world, never wearing out
his welcome in any one area. And when he came once a
year, you really look forward to seeing Andre. NARRATOR: The McMahons also
knew that the name Geant Ferre, the French lumberjack, meant
little to North American fans. Henceforth, Andre
would be billed simply and appropriately
as Andre the Giant. Ever the showman Vince
McMahon Jr's promotional ideas included standing Andre on
a box for a TV interview. That's why I'm partying
like this all year long. I just want to make
everybody happy. Indeed, that was your primary
goal to make people happy. There should be more people-- NARRATOR: McMahons
called their promotion the Worldwide Wrestling
Federation and Andre the Giant would soon be their
most popular export. The world traveler developed
sophisticated tastes for fine wine and food. His appetite for all life had
to offer exhausted even the most dauntless of his
traveling companions. Like we say in French,
he was a bon viveur. [laughter] TIM WHITE: When you
have dinner with Andre, that was not a half
an hour a deal. No, that was a five-course meal. The legend that
travels Andre around-- the food, the drink. He could do this,
he could do that, he ate 16 steaks, 12 lobsters,
drank a case of beer and 10 bottles of
wine and finished off with a bottle of Jack Daniels. Well, I'm here to tell
you it's all true. NARRATOR: Yet that
sort of indulgence was not common for Andre. TIM WHITE: He'd do it more for
fun, he had a normal appetite. It was a decent appetite--
believe me, a lot more than I could eat. But for his size it was normal,
it was normal as could be. NARRATOR: Less normal was
his capacity for drink. Andre's drinking is
the stuff of legend. Most of the stories, the
times he drank over 100 beers at a sitting, the occasions
on which he imbibed multiple bottles of blended
whiskey before dinner, several bottles of
wine with dinner and then cognac for dessert
are hard to substantiate because his drinking
partners were seldom conscious of the finish. GORILLA MONSOON: It's amazing
the amount of capacity that Andre had for beverages. He was a fine
connoisseur of wine but when the good
wine wasn't available, Andre would drink
any wine or beer. Andre with a beer
can in his hand-- you didn't know what he was
drinking because you couldn't see it. It would be like you
holding a thimble. I took his ring and
I had a silver dollar and I passed the silver
dollar right through the ring. That's how big his fingers were. NARRATOR: Even when
he was drinking, Andre was the designated driver. [speaking french] INTERPRETER: When we were
partying it was better not to compete with him
or try to keep up with him because his
friends would end up sick whereas he would
always end up fine. So when we would go out he was
always the one taking us home. He was like our chauffeur. He was a lonely man, you know. Like-- the only place he
could really go and pass time it was in the bar. And maybe that's why he
drank a lot sometimes. ARNOLD SKAALAND: He used
to tell me sometimes-- he says you know Arnie,
I'd like to see a play. You know I heard so much
about these plays and Broadway and stuff. He said I'd like to go. I said well, I'll get
some tickets and we'll go. He said no-- he said I can't. I couldn't go to a place. First of all, I can't
fit in the seats. If I was sitting
in the seats I'd be blocking everyone-- if
I could find a seat I'd be blocking everybody off. And he says everybody
would be looking at me. So-- he really felt bad because
he couldn't go see a play. NARRATOR: Andre didn't feel
he needed to keep himself in shape. There was no man or even three
or four men who could match up to him in a wrestling ring. FRENCH BERNARD: He didn't
jog, he didn't run, he bought all that equipment
for lifting weight and all that treadmill and
he never used it. Never, never got on
it-- maybe one time and never sit
there, that was it. Sloppy he was not. He was exceptionally
good in that ring. The way he moved around
that ring they were amazed. NARRATOR: For the most part,
Andre was a gentle giant. He didn't know his own strength. But he took pains not to
inflict harm on others. FRENCH BERNARD: I would
never know of him even hurting a wrestler. He would win a match but he
didn't have to cripple him. He'd be that the
kind of guy that-- he would look after the
other guy more than himself. [music playing] life required a giant's portion of patience. He couldn't fit into automobiles
or movie theater seats, even a first-class seat in a
plane was too small for him. On short hops when
there was no first-class he had to sit on the floor. All my clothes came from
Japan except my boots. [inaudible] said
everything is big. It's come from Texas. NARRATOR: Though Andre made
light of his inconveniences, he struggled daily with
discomfort and indignities. You've just going
to be in his shoes for a second to understand
what he went through day in, day out. He couldn't hide from anybody. Wherever he went he was
public, people swarmed to him. When he got into a hotel
room the bed was too small, the shower came up
to his waistline, his fingers were too
big to dial the phone. I mean the guy went
through heck every day and not once did
he ever complain. Sometimes he was in
private in his room because people would
chase you up the elevator and find out what room and
call your room all night. We've had it-- we used to
have to check out of hotel sometimes because it
got to be too much. It was incredible to me
the patience that he had. NARRATOR: But even Andre's
patience had limits. ARNOLD SKAALAND: One night
he was in a bar in Montreal and these guys come up and they
were bothering him-- you know. You're not-- you're big
but you're not strong. So Andre says, look I
just come in to drink. I don't want-- you know
no problems or anything. Well these guys kept on-- they were you know
feeling pretty good. Andre-- Andre couldn't
take it anyway. He finally got up
and he went for them. They ran out and their car
was parked on a sidewalk, right in front of the place. They jumped in the
car and locked it. And Andre ran
around to the side-- to the driver's side trying
to open the door, he couldn't. And he got so mad he reached
down and grabbed the car and he turned it upside down on
the sidewalk with the four guys in it. NARRATOR: Andre was gone by the
time the authorities arrived leaving his four drunken victims
to explain to skeptical police officers how an angry
giant had come along and turned their car over. As he approached
the age of 30 Andre the Giant transcended his sport. SHELDON GOLDBERG: Andre was
really the only wrestler who at that time in the 1970s
was booked on a national basis. So when pro-wrestling was
a regional enterprise, Andre was a national
figure, which was totally unheard of
in professional wrestling and actually the forerunner to
what pro-wrestling is today. In the 70s, it was very unusual
for professional wrestlers to get mainstream publicity. Because of his
size, Andre became sort of an instant celebrity. VINCE MCMAHON, JR. : Most
people are fascinated by giants. You know we grow up reading
about Jack and the beanstalk and to be able to go see
a real live giant who had this effusive personality
and who had so much charisma and to see him in action,
it was truly a treat. NARRATOR: Although Andre
was very much a man's man, women too were
drawn to the giant. Andre had lots of girlfriends. Andre had a girlfriend
in every town. And when he came
back to that town he could have a
different girlfriend. ARNOLD SKAALAND: He
had all kinds of women because everybody wanted to be
with him-- you know how big he was and everything. Outstanding for the rest of
the crowds so they wanted to be around you know, so
they could be seen with him. He was such a lovable person. Anybody could fall
in love with him because he was
good to everybody. He didn't dance, of course,
except when we were in Hawaii he couldn't dance sometimes
because there was no room on the floor for nobody else. So you know-- there's
a good thing you didn't do the shake I'm telling you. NARRATOR: Although Andre kept
such personal things to himself there were, aside
from his mother, at least two special
women in his life. RENE GOULET: I remember one
time he was not with the ladies. I think that if Andre
would've married a woman it would be that one there. You know I don't want to mention
any name or anything like that or where's she from. But it was very
tough for a woman to have a really close
relation with Andre because he was gone all
the time and his life is not like a regular person. You know-- you're
going to go shopping, you're going to go to the
grocery and things like that. It's nightlife and
that's it for Andre. NARRATOR: The other special
woman in Andre's life was the daughter he
never spoke about. VINCE MCMAHON, JR. : Andre
was a very quiet man in terms of subjects that he
didn't want to talk about. And he was a very private
man and if he didn't offer to talk about a certain subject
matter he didn't bring it up. TIM WHITE: Andre has a daughter
and I believe she still lives out around the
Seattle, Washington area. I'm not sure that-- she maybe
even 20-years-old today. He certainly cared for
her and took care of her but because of the
situation with the mother, she was never able
to come to his ranch or come with him on the
road and he really, really wanted that to happen--
to get to know her. And that didn't happen and
that hurt him quite a bit. NARRATOR: In the mid-70s
Andre was much in demand. VINCE MCMAHON, JR.
(ON TV): But you've been on so many shows, Andre. You've been on-- you've been
on the Johnny Carson show so many times.
ANDRE THE GIANT: Merv Griffin. VINCE MCMAHON, JR.
(ON TV): Merv Griffin. ANDRE THE GIANT: "Six
Million Dollar Man"-- All of the movies. You've been in so many-- "BJ and the Bear,"
[inaudible],, "The Fall Guy." NARRATOR: By the end
of the '70s, Andre the Giant was the
most famous wrestler-- perhaps the most famous
athlete in the world. He was well over 400
pounds and still, his body continued to grow. How about getting your
foot off my shoulder? [inaudible] comd with Andre's indulgent
lifestyle were taking their toll on the Giants health. By 1980, in his mid-30s now,
Andre became increasingly aware of his own mortality. The doctors had told him
he wouldn't reach 40. Some men would have taken
this as a death sentence, Andre took it as a reminder
to enjoy the time he had. TIM WHITE: When I would ask
Andre about the condition that he had, he would just-- kind of like a big brother,
put it to the side. Don't worry about loss
everything's fine. Don't worry about it. But on the other side, I'd
hear from doctors and people that I would speak to and
they'd say he is a miracle. He's amazing that with
the condition he has-- that he's a
professional wrestler. I think deep down
Andre always knew-- why he was tipped-- which a lot of us never
get a tip like this-- that you're not going
to be a senior citizen. You have so many days on
Earth so use the best of them. Andre was the only
man that ever did it. NARRATOR: Just as Andre
and professional wrestling were peaking in
terms of popularity, Andre's body began
to turn on him. Andre broke his ankle allegedly
in a match with Killer Khan, but he actually did it
while getting out of bed. The recuperation
was long and painful and there were no crutches
long enough or strong enough to support a giant. During the next two
years, Andre was able to perform some of his
best matches but by 1983 the disease he had ignored
for years began to take hold. SHELDON GOLDBERG: When the body
physically can't grow anymore, changes start to take place,
bodies start to age rapidly. Andre's weight
increased to the point that his joints weren't
really able to handle the stress of his body
weight very, very well. So his look started
to physically change. He started to look older. He started to move slower. NARRATOR: Still the giant
refused to modify his schedule or curtail his drinking. TIM WHITE: When you live on
the road you have two choices. You can go out and
have a good time or you can sit in your
room like it's a cell. And we went out and
had a good time. As he got older and-- that way is down and
there were days when I left him and I was in tears. His back, his knees,
everything was hurting. And I would say to him, boss
is there anything I can do. And he would just tap
me on the shoulder and say don't worry
about it, Tim. FRENCHY BERNARD:
Lots of times he said to me I wish I was your size. And I said man, I
wish I was your size. He said, man, I wish
I was small, man-- just a regular
sized man you know. Because it had to
be hard on him. You sit at a table, your knee
hitting the edge of the table. You pick up a little fork-- I mean you know, that big hand--
it was only a little piece of it sticking out. You know what I mean--
it's hard to work with. NARRATOR: In 1986 Andre
traveled to England to perform in the movie
The Princess Bride. He played a character very
close to himself, Fezzik the gentle giant. The movie was very popular
and Andre received praise for his performance. GORILLA MONSOON: Andre
loved doing the movie. Never really spoke a lot about
it, but I knew inside it-- it was one of the great things
that he did in his lifetime. NARRATOR: During his time
in England Andre's back pain increased to
the point where he decided to undergo surgery to
relieve the stress on his back. To facilitate the surgery,
an oversize operating table and special tools had
to be constructed. Perhaps the most apprehensive
participant in the surgery was not Andre but
his anesthesiologist. VINCE MCMAHON, JR.: How do you
sedate a man who is 500 pounds? Jim Troy who was
a friend of Andre was there when he
had the operation. The anesthesiologist would
come over and say, well give me some idea how much
of this should I give him. The only thing they could
possibly equate it to was Andre's
consumption of alcohol. And Andre said, well
it takes two quarts-- you know two liters of vodka
for me to get a buzz on. And they couldn't believe that
and Jimmy Troy confirmed it. That would be about
right, I've seen it happen with a bottle and a half. You know-- but-- so in essence that
was the trickiest part of the entire operation
was the anesthesiology. She you can't give him
too much, you're killing. If you don't give him
enough he's going to wake up and that won't be nice
to wake up an angry giant when you have his
back laid open. NARRATOR: The operation
was termed a success. But to those who
observed Andre close up, it provided little,
if any relief for his overburdened frame. FRENCHY BERNARD: You know--
he couldn't bend down. His back was really hurting
him all the time, you know. And the only time he
was really comfortable is sitting in a big recliner. I would say after he had
a surgery on his back he was never the same-- as far as I'm concerned, myself. It's a tough time but I got a
surprise for my wrestling fans. And believe me, I've got
a great surprise for you. I'll be back, all the way, just
like I used to compete before. COMMENTATOR: He weighs 520
pounds, Andre the Giant. NARRATOR: Promoter
Vince McMahon Jr was counting on Andre's
enormous popularity to create excitement
for Wrestle Mania 3, a spectacular
wrestling program to be held at the Silverdome
in Pontiac, Michigan. SHELDON GOLDBERG: Andre
was hurting around the time of Wrestle Mania 3
he was well past his prime physically the wrestling
business, on the other hand, was just reaching its crescendo. Wrestle Mania 3, unlike the
first two Wrestle Manias, was sold strictly on the
strength of the main event. The main event being Hulk
Hogan, who was at the time the WWF champion, facing
Andre for the title. Andre was billed as being
undefeated at that time so the story line went--
could Hulk Hogan defeat the heretofore unbeatable
Andre the Giant? It was the strength of that
main event that caused the show to become the biggest
wrestling event in the history of the business. NARRATOR: Andre had agreed by
pre-arrangement with McMahon to allow Hogan to
beat him that night. Still, Hogan was
understandably nervous. This, after all, was a
giant he was wrestling. What if Andre changed
his mind about losing? VINCE MCMAHON, JR.: Hogan
and was extremely worried about the outcome of the match. Have you talked with Andre? Have you talked-- I
said it'll be just fine. It'll be fine. Hogan couldn't believe what
Andre was going to do for him and do for the business. And it was a classic
example of giving back Andre knew that this was a
tremendous opportunity not only a set of record that
probably will never be broken but to give back
to the business, to be the performer
that he-- he always was. But to show other wrestlers
this is what you do. You know you pass that torch
and that's what he did. NARRATOR: 92,000 people filled
the Silverdome that night to watch Andre battle Hulk
Hogan for the championship. Wrestle Mania 3 set the
all-time attendance record for an indoor event
and it still stands. Only months after
major back surgery, Andre allowed Hogan to
defeat him with a body slam. Andre the Giant's reign as the
biggest attraction in wrestling was over. He passed his 41st
birthday well aware that he was living on borrowed time. l sports events in history
and Andre the Giant was known all over the world. But his success provided little
compensation for his pain. The giant was buckling
under his own weight. [speaking french] INTERPRETER: After
his operation, he went on wrestling
for several years. It was hard, of course, because
it was difficult to get around but he always wrestled. He had said he would never stop. He wanted to go until the end. [speaking french] NARRATOR: During
the late '80s, Andre appeared in several
rematches with Hulk Hogan but the fans soon
caught on to the fact that his skills were
greatly diminished. In truth the once agile
giant could scarcely move. Back in the '70s, Andre had
purchased a ranch in Ellerbee, North Carolina. Throughout his wrestling career,
it provided peace and refuge from the spotlight. FRENCHY BERNARD:
He loved it here. He loved it here because
it was quiet for him. It was a place that
he could relax. People didn't bother
him, most of them we stayed home and ate here. We'd barbecue outside,
he loved to barbecue. Then we sit on the deck and
drink a few beers and play cards most of the time. NARRATOR: Here Andre could
be himself, free from stares. Only his closest
friends were invited to visit him on the ranch. His favorite recreation was
riding around on an ATV, checking out the Longhorn
cattle he raised. Evenings were spent watching TV
from his specially constructed recliner or playing
cards with Frenchy. FRENCHY BERNARD: And as
soon as he had one day off he'd come here. Some days he was
only sleep overnight and we'd bring him
back to the airport. That's the only time he
really had peace, you know? And he enjoyed
it-- my wife would cook him some home-cooked
meal and that's what he like, you know? Quiet-- and he would watch
that TV all night long and sleep half the day. NARRATOR: By late 1992 Andre's
wrestling days were over. His weight swelled
to 550 pounds. Every movement required
painful effort. FRENCHY BERNARD: We're
sitting at the table one night and he said well,
French if I die, I want to be cremated and
put my ashes on the farm. I said Andre I will
do it no matter what. He said that's what I want. I don't-- I don't want
to go nowhere else, I don't want people to
see me after I'm dead. They want to--see me now. You know what I'm saying? When I'm alive. NARRATOR: Friends were
worried that Andre was dying, not from the affliction
that had shaped his life but from a broken heart. He missed wrestling that much. The end was like
the way he lived it. He never ever complained. I had stopped at the ranch--
it was just before New Year's. Andre, at that time now was
on crutches and his condition had taken over on him. I was in tears because
he was hurting so bad. Yet he was so happy
that I stopped through that he was telling jokes and-- matter of fact I
told him, boss I'm going to leave at about
8:00 tomorrow morning. This is something he never
did when we're on the ranch. He goes what time? I said at eight o'clock. He goes well I'm
going to get up, we'll have something for
breakfast and then you can go. He never would do that. When I drove away I
knew something was wrong and it just killed
me because he was-- you know he was just the
greatest and it really hurt. That was the last
time I saw him. NARRATOR: Just after
New Year's, 1993, Andre got a call to
come back to France. His father had passed away. For days after
the funeral, Andre hung around in his
village playing cards with his old friends. At night he drove back to
Paris to sleep in a hotel. On the night of January
27, Andre went to sleep and never woke up. His chauffeur found
him in the morning. Death was attributed to
congestive heart failure, from a buildup of
fluid in the body. Andre Roussimoff weighed
530 pounds when he died. He was 46 years old. [speaking french] INTERPRETER: The last card game
I remember is the last one we played together. We were on the
same team that day and the next day
he never woke up. That's what hurts me. I was kind of the last one
to play cards with him. He was a very simple person, a
person who loved his village, loved the people he was around. He died too quickly. He deserved a better destiny. NARRATOR: As Andre
had requested, his body was returned to North
Carolina where it was cremated two weeks after his death. More than 200 of Andre's
friends attended the funeral held at his home. After a short ceremony,
Frenchy rode a horse to spread his friend's
ashes on the ranch. Andre the Giant was modern
wrestling's first and only international attraction. On his broad shoulders,
wrestling rose from its status as a questionable sport
to become big business and some might argue
performance art. Andre Roussimoff, the man,
was born with an affliction that threatened to
physically and socially ostracize him from society. A lesser man might have gone
through life a recluse hidden from the world's mocking eyes. Andre chose to live his
life the way he was raised, with pride and dignity
and without complaint. He lived every single
day like it was the last and I was the luckiest
guy in the world. I was with him so every
day was a happy new year. NARRATOR: Andre Roussimoff the
man of immeasurable strength made his living as a wrestler
but never harmed a living soul in his short, gentle life. He brought pleasure to
millions and the friends that he made were
devoted to him. FRENCHY BERNARD: When you
got one true friend like him, that's all you need in
this world, a true friend. [music playing] [speaking french] INTERPRETER: The kindness
that he had towards me, his friends it is engraved. It will remain engraved
I think for a while. There are a lot of things
that he did for my parents and everything-- he was someone great
that nobody can forget. I don't think someone
would ever forget him. [cheering] NARRATOR: Andre Rene
Roussimoff lived according to his size, larger than life.
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