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Tiny town in North Carolina honors
towering Andre The Giant with roadside marker
[April 23, 2026]
ELLERBE, N.C.. (AP) — Andre The Giant, a towering menace in the
wrestling ring but a gentle giant on the movie screen, is being honored
with a roadside marker in his beloved adopted small town in North
Carolina.
Officials plan to unveil the marker Thursday 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. |
Professional wrestler Andre the Giant is seen in 1988 in New York. (AP
Photo/Richard Drew, File) |
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Andre 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.
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.
The Richmond County marker at NC Highway 72 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.”
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