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AndreTheGiant_crop_northCourtesy of YouTube:

Andre Rene Roussimoff was best known as Andre the Giant, was a French and American professional wrestler and actor of Bulgarian and Polish descent. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride.

His size was a result of acromegaly, and led to him being called “The Eighth Wonder of the World”. In the World Wrestling Federation (WWE), Roussimoff was a one-time WWF Champion and a one-time WWF World Tag Team Champion.

His parents and four siblings were all of normal size, but André suffered from acromegaly, a hormonal disorder that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone.

As the Giant grew up (very quickly, as he reached the height of 6? 3? by the age of 12) he began to often disagree with his parents. He left home at 14 and obtained a job with a furniture-moving firm and began to play rugby.

At 17 he was seen training at a gym by several professional wrestlers. Impressed by his size, they taught him some basic wrestling skills and built a friendship with him. Later, when one of the wrestlers was injured, André stepped in for him. He would wrestle for nearly thirty more years.