Ellerbe, NC Celebrates Andre The Giant with Roadside Marker

Sat Apr 25 2026 22:31:44 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The small town of Ellerbe, North Carolina honors the legendary wrestler and actor Andre The Giant with the installation of a new roadside marker.

Andre The Giant, born Andre Rene Roussimoff, who was not only a towering figure in the wrestling community but also a beloved movie star, has been honored by his adopted hometown of Ellerbe, North Carolina. This roadside marker commemorates his significant contributions and connection to the community where he lived for many years.

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 unveiled 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.

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.

Roussimoff died in 1993 at age 46 in France where he was visiting for his father’s funeral. His body was cremated and his ashes spread at his beloved ranch.

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.”