He was taller than most doors..

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00:00He was taller than most doors, stronger than almost any man alive and he was so massive that

00:06it took dozens of people to carry him when he passed away. But this isn't the story about

00:12superpowers. This is the story about a real man, a man whose life was equal parts awe-inspiring

00:19and heartbreaking. So who was he and why do people call him the 8th wonder of this world?

00:25So let's rewind. He was born as André Rene Roussimoff in a small village in France in 1946.

00:33By the age of 12, he stood 6 feet and 3 inches tall. But it wasn't a miracle. It was a rare

00:39condition called acromegaly which causes the body to produce excessive hormones. His hands were as

00:46huge as baseball gloves. His shoe could fit in almost 2 feet of a normal human being. Talking

00:52about his appetite, it was unbelievable as he could eat 12 steaks in one meal and wash it

00:59down with a case of beer. This is the story of André the Giant. By his late teens, André

01:05was over 7 feet tall and weighed nearly 400 pounds. His size made daily life almost impossible.

01:12Normal beds were too small for him. No car was so spacious that it could fit the giant. And

01:19airplane seats were no deal for the giant. Even walking through doors became a challenge.

01:25But André's size also gave him a golden ticket and that was wrestling. André became a global

01:30sensation in the late 1970s and 80s. They called him the 8th wonder of this world. He wrestled

01:38in front of patch stadiums, often against dozens of opponents at once. And in 1987, he faced

01:45Hulk Hogan in one of the most watched wrestling matches in the history of WrestleMania 3. He

01:51let Hogan win. That's how André earned respect. But wrestling was just the beginning. Hollywood

01:58came calling. André starred in the cult classic, The Princess Bride, where his gentle, funny side

02:05shone through. Despite constant pain from his condition, he never complained on set. Actors

02:11said he was kind, humble, and always ready to help. Lifting entire cars off IC roads for example.

02:19But André paid a heavy price for his fame. His joint ached. His heart strained. He couldn't bend.

02:26He often turned to alcohol to seek relief. Reportedly drinking 119 beers in one sitting.

02:33He joked that it was his only thing that could fit in him.

02:36But inside, André was lonely. He once said that people don't ask me how am I. They just want to see

02:44the giant. André passed away in 1993 at just 46 years old, in his sleep after attending his father's

02:51funeral in France. He knew this time was limited, but never let him stop. He was the first ever inductee

02:59into the WWE Hall of Fame. A giant not in size but in heart. André the giant story isn't about wrestling

03:07or records or size. It's about living big. Despite the pain, it's about embracing what makes you different.

03:14And it is a reminder that sometimes our biggest strengths hide our deepest struggles. So next time

03:21you hear the name André the giant, remember one thing. He wasn't just a man larger than life,

03:27but he was a man who lived it to the fullest.

03:29Thank you for watching. This is Gaurang Kadam and you are watching Lokmat Times.