ELEB, N.C. (AP) — Andre the Giant was a huge menace in the wrestling ring but a gentle giant on the movie screen, earning roadside sign honors in his beloved adopted town in North Carolina.
Officials unveiled the sign Thursday in Eller Bay, North Carolina, a community of about 1,000 people where wrestler Andre Rene Roussimoff lives on a ranch outside the city.
Rusimov stood 7 feet 4 inches (2.24 meters) tall and weighed 520 pounds (236 kilograms) while wrestling for WWE in the 1970s and 1980s.
Rusimov was a legendary villain who was considered unbeatable until his match against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III in 1987, a match that turned the once regional wrestling company into a national entertainment force.
Later that year, Rusimov starred as the giant Fezzik in the film The Princess Bride. Fezzik is the kind-hearted muscle of his opponents, needing rhythm to remember his instructions.
Rousimov was born in France. But as he traveled around the American South, he fell in love with the region, buying a North Carolina ranch and raising cattle on land about 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Charlotte.
He became an important part of the Ellerbe community. In 1990, he recorded a television and radio program addressing the possible presence of a nearby low-level radioactive landfill. A pair of his size 26 cowboy boots are preserved in a museum.
In 1993, Rusimov died at the age of 46 while attending his father’s funeral in France. They held a funeral for him there, but his body was cremated and his ashes scattered on his beloved ranch.
Wrestler Vladimir Koloff, who became friends with Rusimov when he entered the wrestling business, said his friend deserved it for turning wrestling from a regional pastime into a huge international business.
“The world of professional wrestling gave us an icon that was larger than life,” Koloff said before helping to unveil the mark.
Richmond County signs on N.C. Highway 73 and old N.C. Highway 220 simply read “Andre the Giant. 1946-1993. Actor and professional wrestler. Born Andrei Russimov. Best known for his role in 1987’s The Princess Bride. Lived nearby.”
