Good 21º frozen morning.
André René Roussimoff 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Known as "the Eighth Wonder of the World," Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by excess growth hormones.
Beginning his career in 1966, Roussimoff relocated to North America in 1971. From 1973 to the mid-1980s, Roussimoff was booked by World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) promoter Vincent J. McMahon as a roving "special attraction" who wrestled for promotions throughout the United States, as well as in Japan for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. During the 1980s wrestling boom, Roussimoff became a mainstay of the WWWF (by then renamed the World Wrestling Federation), being paired with the villainous manager Bobby Heenan and feuding with Hulk Hogan. The two headlined WrestleMania III in 1987, and in 1988, he defeated Hogan to win the WWF Championship, his sole world heavyweight championship, on the first episode of The Main Event. As his WWF career wound down after WrestleMania VI in 1990, Roussimoff wrestled primarily for All Japan Pro-Wrestling, usually alongside Giant Baba, until his sudden death.
After his death in 1993, Roussimoff became the inaugural inductee into the newly created WWF Hall of Fame. He was later a charter member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame; the latter describes him as being "one of the most recognizable figures in the world both as a professional wrestler and as a pop culture icon." Outside of wrestling, Roussimoff is best known for appearing as Fezzik, the giant in the 1987 film The Princess Bride.
André René Roussimoff was born on 19 May 1946 in Coulommiers, Seine-et-Marne, the son of immigrants Boris Roussimoff (1907–1993) and Mariann Roussimoff Stoeff (1910–1997); his father was Bulgarian and his mother was Polish. He was raised Catholic. He had two older siblings and two younger. His childhood nickname was Dédé (/ˈdeɪdeɪ/, French: [dede]). At birth, André weighed 13 pounds as a child, he displayed symptoms of gigantism, and was noted as "a good head taller than other kids", with abnormally long hands. In a 1970s television interview, Roussimoff stated that his mother was 5 feet 2 inches tall and his father 6 feet 2 inches tall, and that according to his father his grandfather was 7 feet 8 inches tall. By the time he was 12, Roussimoff stood 6 ft 3 in.
At the age of 18, Roussimoff moved to Paris and was taught professional wrestling by a local promoter, Robert Lageat, who recognized the earning potential of Roussimoff's size. He trained at night and worked as a mover during the day to pay living expenses. Roussimoff was billed as "Géant Ferré", a name based on the Picardian folk hero Grand Ferré, and began wrestling in Paris and nearby areas. Canadian promoter and wrestler Frank Valois met Roussimoff in 1966, years later to become his business manager and adviser. Roussimoff began making a name for himself wrestling in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa.
Death
Roussimoff died at age 46 of congestive heart failure and apparent heart attack in his sleep, likely associated with his untreated acromegaly, at a Paris hotel on the morning of Thursday 28 January 1993. He went to play cards with some friends on the night of Wednesday 27 January. He came back to his hotel room around 1 a.m. CET on 28 January. In the afternoon, Roussimoff was found dead in his room by hotel management and his chauffeur. He was in Paris to attend his father's funeral. While there, he decided to stay longer to be with his mother on her birthday. He spent the day before his death visiting and playing cards with some of his oldest friends in Molien.
If you want to read more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_the_Giant
There couldn't be an easier way to make an elegant sweet potato side dish. Canned sweet potatoes are a huge time-saver, and when they're mixed and baked with a few ingredients and topped with pecans, it makes this Sweet Potato Casserole hard to resist. We love having an easy sweet potato casserole recipe on hand, especially during the holiday season, so you'll sure be thankful you saved this one 'cause it's just so simple!
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened, divided
- 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut (optional)
- 2 (29-ounce) cans sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine pecans, brown sugar, flour, 1/4 cup butter, and the coconut, if desired; mix until crumbly, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, including remaining butter; mix well. Spoon into casserole dish and sprinkle evenly with pecan mixture.
- Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until bubbly and heated through.
1952 – James D. Wetherbee, American astronaut
1958 – Mike Scioscia, American baseball player and manager
