Wrestler André René Roussimoff best known as Andre The Giant in the ring at Wrestlemania V at Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey April 22 1989. (Photo by Jeffrey Asher/ Getty Images)
ELLERBE, N.C. - Andre the Giant—an intimidating force in the wrestling ring yet a gentle presence on screen—is being honored with a roadside marker in the small North Carolina town he came to call home.
Officials plan to unveil the marker in Ellerbe, North Carolina, a community of about 1,000 people where the wrestler born Andre Rene Roussimoff lived on a ranch just outside town.
Dig deeper:
Roussimoff was billed at 7-foot-4 (2.24 meters) and 520 pounds (236 kilograms) during his time wrestling for the WWE in the 1970s and 1980s.
A larger than life villain, Roussimoff was touted as unbeatable until he faced Hulk Hogan in a match in 1987 at WrestleMania III that launched the once regional wrestling company into a nationwide entertainment force.
Later that year, Roussimoff appeared on film as the giant Fezzik in "The Princess Bride." Fezzik was the gentle-hearted muscle for the antagonist and needed rhymes to remember his instructions.
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The backstory:
Roussimoff was born in France. But as he wrestled around the U.S. South he fell in love with the region, buying his North Carolina ranch and raising cattle on his land about 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Charlotte.
He became a critical part of the Ellerbe community. In 1990, he taped TV and radio spots against a possible low-level radioactive landfill nearby. A pair of his size-26 cowboy boots are kept at a museum.
Roussimoff died in 1993 at age 46 in France where he was visiting for his father’s funeral. They had a service for him there, but his body was cremated and his ashes spread at his beloved ranch.
Big picture view:
The Richmond County marker at NC Highway 73 and Old NC Highway 220 simply says "Andre The Giant. 1946-1993. Actor and professional wrestler. Was born Andre Roussimoff. Known for role in The Princess Bride in 1987. Lived nearby."
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from a combination of official announcements by local officials in Ellerbe and Richmond County, along with historical records and widely documented facts about Andre the Giant’s life and career. This story was reported from Los Angeles.