On May 19, 1946, a child was born in France who would become, quite literally the biggest star in the world — and call Richmond County home.
Andre Rene Rousimoff, better known as Andre the Giant, lived just northwest of Ellerbe during the final decade of his life following a career inside the squared circle and on screen.
This summer, the Rankin Museum of American Heritage, Leland’s Sports in New Jersey and Titan Enterprise will host “A Giant Tribute” in Ellerbe to honor the Eighth Wonder of the World.
A portion of the proceeds from the event, scheduled for Aug. 12, will be going to the museum.
Brett Webb, chairman of the museum’s board, said this “is a dream turned into a reality,” adding he’s been wanting to do something like this for the past several years.
Webb grew up watching wrestling and had a lunchbox with Andre and other star wrestlers of the early to mid ’80s.
Since the event was first announced, several appearances have been booked including Haku, Ted DiBiase, Chuck Coates, The Barbarian, The Warlord and special referee Layne Rosario.
“It’s been really cool to see the amount of support Andre has his from his friends and colleagues,” Webb said.
Also scheduled to make an appearance is Andre’s daughter, Robin.
“She’s really excited to come see where her dad lived,” Webb said.
Tickets have already gone on sale and the event is drawing nationwide interest with people planning to come from South Carolina, Kentucky and New Jersey.
“It’s incredible seeing the amount of people who want to come out,” Webb said.
In May 2015, the Rankin set aside space for an exhibit to pay homage to the former Richmond County resident. Most of the items were donated by Jackie McAuley, a friend of the late wrestler, and Chris Owens, who likely has the largest collection of Andre the Giant memorabilia.
McAuley and her late ex-husband Frenchy Bernard — a former wrestler, manager and referee — helped run Andre’s ranch just outside Ellerbe while he was on the road.
“The exhibit would not exist without Jackie,” Webb said.
Throughout his career, Andre wrestled for several territories across North America and was one of the star attractions of the World Wrestling Federation, later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment, run by the McMahon family.
He also had several screen roles on television and in film, including playing Bigfoot on an episode of “The Six Million Dollar Man,” a giant in a Honeycomb cereal commercial, and as Fezzik in “The Princess Bride.”
Andre died in February of 1993 while back home in France for his father’s funeral. He was cremated and his ashes were spread on his ranch.
In 2017, a film crew came to Ellerbe to shoot B-roll and an interview for an HBO documentary, which was released the following year.
Andre’s former traveling partner Tim White, who was also a referee, visited the Rankin Museum in July of 2020 to remember his old friend. White passed away last June.
Click here to read about White’s memories of Andre.
In 2021, Congressman Dan Bishop recognized Andre on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on what would have been the wrestler’s 75th birthday.
Click here to read that story.
NOTE: This story has been modified to add a sponsor. 2:22 p.m. 6-15-23
