Who doesn't remember "Andre The Giant?" One doesn't have to be a pro wrestling fan to know something about this guy, or at least remember seeing pictures of him. This man truly was a giant, a "gentle giant" whose story, overall, I found very sad. Oh, he led an exciting life and enjoyed the fruits of financial success with plenty of good food and drink.....but you wouldn't have wanted to be him. At least that's the impression I got watching this hour-long TV episode.
For his entire adult life - from 21 to his death at 46 - people mainly gawked at him, especially as he got bigger and bigger. As this program points out, he had a glandular problem which made his growth go on and on. He never stopped growing! This why he was much bigger physical specimen at 30 than he was at 20, and bigger at 40 than at 30. His body was big everywhere. Most extremely tall guys are thin, but not Andre. Nobody could shake hands with him, his paws were so mammoth.
He was told at the age of 21 that would never reach 40. How would you take that? The consensus on this TV show is that Andre decided to live everyday like his last. He never complained or never turned into a recluse, which he could have done.
Andre Rousimoff (his real name), is shown as a small boy growing up on a farm in a little French village called Molien. He was 11 pounds at birth and always a big boy, but nothing indicated he would wind up over 500 pounds! At 12, he was six feet tall and 240 pounds and when he was 16 he was starting to get local attention as a possible wrestler. By 18, his size got the attention of the people of Paris and wrestling promoters came down to check him out. The rest is pro wrestling history.
You can read his biography anywhere, so no sense going on and on about his life. The poor guy couldn't go anywhere in his adult life, couldn't do normal things like sit in chairs at a movie theater. His hands were so big that it wasn't easy using a fork. On the plus side, he had some great lifelong friends, wrestling made him enough money that he certainly didn't go hungry! He could eat - at one dinner - 16 steaks, a dozen lobsters and 100 beers.
However, his glandular condition eventually did him in and he was in a lot of pain after he turned about 35 - more than anything any of us would want to endure. Through it all, this gentle man kept a good attitude, was liked by all who met him and left a positive, lasting impression in this world......not as a freak, but simply a really nice guy. .
For his entire adult life - from 21 to his death at 46 - people mainly gawked at him, especially as he got bigger and bigger. As this program points out, he had a glandular problem which made his growth go on and on. He never stopped growing! This why he was much bigger physical specimen at 30 than he was at 20, and bigger at 40 than at 30. His body was big everywhere. Most extremely tall guys are thin, but not Andre. Nobody could shake hands with him, his paws were so mammoth.
He was told at the age of 21 that would never reach 40. How would you take that? The consensus on this TV show is that Andre decided to live everyday like his last. He never complained or never turned into a recluse, which he could have done.
Andre Rousimoff (his real name), is shown as a small boy growing up on a farm in a little French village called Molien. He was 11 pounds at birth and always a big boy, but nothing indicated he would wind up over 500 pounds! At 12, he was six feet tall and 240 pounds and when he was 16 he was starting to get local attention as a possible wrestler. By 18, his size got the attention of the people of Paris and wrestling promoters came down to check him out. The rest is pro wrestling history.
You can read his biography anywhere, so no sense going on and on about his life. The poor guy couldn't go anywhere in his adult life, couldn't do normal things like sit in chairs at a movie theater. His hands were so big that it wasn't easy using a fork. On the plus side, he had some great lifelong friends, wrestling made him enough money that he certainly didn't go hungry! He could eat - at one dinner - 16 steaks, a dozen lobsters and 100 beers.
However, his glandular condition eventually did him in and he was in a lot of pain after he turned about 35 - more than anything any of us would want to endure. Through it all, this gentle man kept a good attitude, was liked by all who met him and left a positive, lasting impression in this world......not as a freak, but simply a really nice guy. .
