Residente[/caption]
Residente, the eponymous documentary by director & 25-time GRAMMY Award winning artist René Pérez Joglar (also known as Residente), has been selected to premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, in Austin, Texas. Residente will be screened in the 24 Beats Per Second section of the festival, which showcases films that highlight sounds, culture and the influence of music and musicians.
Residente is centered on the global journey Pérez Joglar embarked on – after taking a DNA test – to trace his ancestry, explore his creative process and expose local stories, all the while creating music with local communities along the way. The documentary explores the human condition as well as how music and art cut across cultural, social, economic, racial and political divides, while taking audiences on a tour across four continents, seven countries and numerous regions: Siberia (Kyzyl), Moscow, The Caucasus (North Ossetia, South Ossetia, Georgia and Armenia), China, Barcelona, London, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Puerto Rico.
Pérez Joglar expressed: “We are all microscopically invisible in relation to the history of time, yet we are all part of the same map, part of a great moment, and within our greatest moments we are all equally small.”
Through concerted self-exploration Pérez Joglar was confronted with a new world view, that he refined as he wrote and composed his new album. While the film focuses on Residente’s music – the visual, environmental, sociocultural and political landscapes of each region also provided inspiration for his creativity and curiosity. Pérez Joglar added: “I didn’t write my own lyrics, my journey wrote them for me. Our common genetic map, that unites us all, composed my sheet music.”
The film is based on a concept by Pérez Joglar and Marc de Beaufort, and is the first feature-length film directed by the artist himself. It was completed by a talented team, including Rebecca Adorno (editor), Alexandra Posada (director of photography) and Marc de Beaufort (field production) – and features cameo appearances from an equally impressive array of musicians, artists and influencers, from Lin Manuel Miranda to Bombino.
Documentary
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GRAMMY Award Winning René Pérez Joglar’s Documentary RESIDENTE to Premiere at SXSW | Trailer
[caption id="attachment_20404" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Residente[/caption]
Residente, the eponymous documentary by director & 25-time GRAMMY Award winning artist René Pérez Joglar (also known as Residente), has been selected to premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, in Austin, Texas. Residente will be screened in the 24 Beats Per Second section of the festival, which showcases films that highlight sounds, culture and the influence of music and musicians.
Residente is centered on the global journey Pérez Joglar embarked on – after taking a DNA test – to trace his ancestry, explore his creative process and expose local stories, all the while creating music with local communities along the way. The documentary explores the human condition as well as how music and art cut across cultural, social, economic, racial and political divides, while taking audiences on a tour across four continents, seven countries and numerous regions: Siberia (Kyzyl), Moscow, The Caucasus (North Ossetia, South Ossetia, Georgia and Armenia), China, Barcelona, London, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Puerto Rico.
Pérez Joglar expressed: “We are all microscopically invisible in relation to the history of time, yet we are all part of the same map, part of a great moment, and within our greatest moments we are all equally small.”
Through concerted self-exploration Pérez Joglar was confronted with a new world view, that he refined as he wrote and composed his new album. While the film focuses on Residente’s music – the visual, environmental, sociocultural and political landscapes of each region also provided inspiration for his creativity and curiosity. Pérez Joglar added: “I didn’t write my own lyrics, my journey wrote them for me. Our common genetic map, that unites us all, composed my sheet music.”
The film is based on a concept by Pérez Joglar and Marc de Beaufort, and is the first feature-length film directed by the artist himself. It was completed by a talented team, including Rebecca Adorno (editor), Alexandra Posada (director of photography) and Marc de Beaufort (field production) – and features cameo appearances from an equally impressive array of musicians, artists and influencers, from Lin Manuel Miranda to Bombino.
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SXSW 2017: Watch Trailer for DISGRACED Chronicling the 2003 Murder of Baylor University Men’s Basketball Star Patrick Dennehy
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DISGRACED[/caption]
The official trailer was released yesterday for the upcoming documentary film Disgraced, that chronicles the 2003 murder of Baylor University men’s basketball star Patrick Dennehy. Disgraced will world premiere at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival on Sunday, March 12, and on Showtime on Friday, March 31 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The revealing documentary chronicles the 2003 murder of Baylor University men’s basketball star Patrick Dennehy, to which fellow teammate and friend Carlton Dotson pled guilty in the only known instance in the history of the NCAA where one student-athlete was convicted of murdering another. Through first-hand accounts from students, investigators, family and friends,Disgraced calls into question the plea and conviction of Dotson.
The film also includes exclusive and revealing interviews with former head coach Dave Bliss, who directly addresses the attempted cover-up and secretly recorded statements he made in 2003 that implicated him in NCAA rule violations. The violations, revealed in part by whistle blower and then assistant coach Abar Rouse, ultimately led to Bliss’ resignation and a partial ban on NCAA play for the Baylor Bears basketball team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5s_wI5RehI
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University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Coach John Calipari will be Subject of ESPN 30 For 30 Series
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John Calipari[/caption]
University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari’s will be the subject of the next installment in ESPN Films’ award-winning 30 for 30 series in One and Not Done.
The film, One and Not Done, directed by Jonathan Hock (“Of Miracles and Men,” “Survive and Advance,” “The Best That Never Was”) will premiere on Thursday, April 13, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Who is John Calipari? To his devotees, he is one of college basketball’s greatest coaches. To his detractors, he represents everything wrong with college sports. Somewhere in between lies one of the most compelling and complicated figures in American sports. “One and Not Done” chronicles the life of Calipari – from high school point guard, to dominating UMass coach, to king of Kentucky. A man who has not only altered the college basketball landscape and become the face of the so-called “One and Done” phenomenon, but has also had two Final Four appearances vacated and evolved as a coach who at one point had to rebuild his career.
“‘One and Not Done’ is really three films in one,” said director Jonathan Hock. “It’s a biography of an immigrant son’s American Dream, an intense and revealing all-access sports film, and a meditation on corruption and the true meaning of big-time college sports. Making this film was a chance to write history while it’s being made, the kind of filmmaking opportunity that keeps me coming back to 30 for 30 year after year.”
Hock takes viewers behind the scenes with never-before-seen footage as Calipari tries to reach the Final Four for the seventh time and win his second national title. “One and Not Done” features exclusive interviews with some of the players whose lives he changed, including Marcus Camby, Lou Roe, Derrick Rose, John Wall and Anthony Davis.
Added says ESPN Films Vice President and Executive Producer John Dahl: “With our 30 for 30 series, it’s unusual for us to focus on someone whose career is still a work in progress. But in this instance, with Jon Hock directing, we thought it was warranted. Few figures in sports today draw such strong opinions and already have the kind of influence and body of work that John Calipari does, and the film provides a deeper understanding of what he’s all about.”
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GET ME ROGER STONE, Documentary on Controversial Republican Political Consultant to World Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival
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Roger Stone in GET ME ROGER STONE. Photo credit: Barbara Nitke/Netflix.[/caption]
Get Me Roger Stone, a documentary on the controversial Republican political consultant, lobbyist, and strategist, will have its world premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
The whole world was riveted by the rise of Donald Trump, but there is only one man who has been with the mogul since the beginning, plotting his improbable ascent. Ever since political consultant Roger Stone became the youngest person called before the Watergate grand jury, his career as a master in the dark arts of politics has intersected many momentous low points in modern political history.
Stone, the subject of the documentary, has had an unconventional political career from engineering political scandals to upending the establishment. His relationship to Trump began in the 1980s, when Stone began planting the seed for the businessman to enter politics, culminating in 2016 with one of the biggest election upsets in U.S. history. A chronicle of the infamous Roger Stone, Get Me Roger Stone gives an up-close look into his rise and the transformation of American Politics.
Get Me Roger Stone, a Netflix original documentary, is directed by Morgan Pehme, Daniel DiMauro, and Dylan Bank and executive produced by Blair Foster, Lisa Nishimura, Jason Spingarn-Koff and Adam Del Deo. The film will launch globally on Netflix in spring 2017.
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Film on Controversial Anti-Vaccine Filmmaker, Andrew Wakefield, to Open Manhattan Film Festival
The Pathological Optimist by director Miranda Bailey, will open the 11th Manhattan Film Festival on April 20, 2017. The documentary is a character study that features never-before-seen, full access footage, of the man at the center of one of the biggest medical and media controversies of our time – Andrew Wakefield – whose film Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe, screened at last year’s Manhattan Film Festival and sparked fierce debate.
“As a filmmaker, I was drawn to exploring a controversial subject so I’m grateful that the Manhattan Film Festival embraces provocative films, and I look forward to premiering The Pathological Optimist,” says Director Miranda Bailey.
The screening will also include a filmmaker Q & A with participants in the film to create an open discussion about the subject matter.
“MFF strongly feels part of the role for an independent film festival is to spark debate and give filmmakers a platform,” said Festival Director Philip Nelson. “We are thrilled and honored to open the festival with The Pathological Optimist, and look forward to the dialog to follow.”
Bailey made her directorial debut with the documentary Greenlit – a humorous documentary examining the hypocrisy inherent in Hollywood’s “green” movement – premiered at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival to critical acclaim and was acquired by IFC International. Additionally, she established herself as a prolific producer championing independent films as CEO of Cold Iron Pictures. In the last year, her film Swiss Army Man and Don’t Think Twice were released to box office success and critical acclaim. Her most recent film, Norman, will be released by Sony Classics April 14.
The 11th annual Manhattan Film Festival will take place April 19 to 30, 2017.
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WHITNEY. “CAN I BE ME,” Documentary to World Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival
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Whitney Houston in WHITNEY ‘CAN I BE ME.’ Photo by David Corio.[/caption]
WHITNEY. “CAN I BE ME,” a film exploring the incredible career and complicated life of the memorable singer, will World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on April 26, and then air on SHOWTIME later this year. The powerful documentary is directed by acclaimed BAFTA Award winner Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney, Tales of the Grim Sleeper).
Hers was the golden voice with the unmatchable range. Six-time Grammy(R) winner Whitney Houston was one of the most successful female recording artists of all time. After a troubled marriage to singer Bobby Brown and many years of struggles with addiction, Houston died suddenly and tragically at age 48. With behind the scenes materials, candid interviews and performance footage – including many of Houston’s greatest hits – WHITNEY. “CAN I BE ME” will offer a raw and uncensored look at Houston, exploring the impact her life and death had on the people around her and the world of music.
According to her band members, “Can I be me?” was Houston’s favorite expression, one she used so much that they sampled it to play at the start of rehearsals. The film explores Whitney’s central dilemma: even though she had made millions of dollars, had more consecutive number ones than The Beatles and was recognized as having one of the greatest voices of all time, she still couldn’t do what she wanted to do, either professionally or in her personal life.
WHITNEY. “CAN I BE ME” joins an esteemed list of projects under the Showtime Documentary Films banner that focus on the lives and legacies of culture-defining figures, including ERIC CLAPTON: A LIFE IN 12 BARS, which will screen at festivals and theaters this year before airing nationally on SHOWTIME this fall, and an upcoming documentary film on John Belushi‘s life and career.
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NEWTOWN, Documentary on Deadliest Mass Shooting of Schoolchildren in American History, to Air on PBS | Trailer
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Newtown[/caption]
Kim A. Snyder’s documentary Newtown that tells the story of the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American history will air on Independent Lens on PBS April 3.
On December 14, 2012, a disturbed young man committed a horrific mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that took the lives of 20 elementary school children and six educators. Kim A. Snyder’s searing new documentary Newtown, filmed over the course of nearly three years, uses deeply personal, never-before-heard testimonies to relate the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American history. Through raw and heartbreaking interviews with parents, siblings, teachers, doctors and first responders, Newtown documents a traumatized community still reeling from the senseless tragedy, fractured by grief but driven toward a sense of purpose.
Newtown premieres on Independent Lens Monday, April 3, 2017, 10:00-11:30PM ET (check local listings) on PBS.
There are no words of compassion or reassurance that can bring back those who lost their lives during the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Instead, Snyder delves into the lives and homes of those who remain, all of whom have been indelibly changed by the events. They speak candidly about their grief, anger and disbelief over what occurred and their disappointment that nothing has truly changed with regard to the country’s legal response to gun violence. Newtown bears witness to their profound grief and allows it to reverberate within our collective conscience, exploring what happens to a community after it becomes the epicenter of a national discussion and what it must cope with after the cameras leave.
“Working with Kim on this film has been a deeply rewarding experience,” said Lois Vossen, Independent Lens executive producer. “The team was committed to making a film that was incisive without being exploitative. Newtown shows the impact of trauma on a community, the grief gun violence causes and how we begin to heal and move forward.”
About the Participants
in Alphabetical Order: Mark Barden, the father of Daniel, who at age seven was killed at Sandy Hook. Mark’s journey from isolation to reconnection with family, community and ultimately with his murdered son is intimate, raw and informed by strength. Dr. William Begg, ER doctor, Danbury Hospital. Sgt. Bill Cario, Connecticut State Trooper. Abbey Clements, Sandy Hook Elementary School teacher. Sarah Clements, daughter of surviving Sandy Hook Elementary School teacher. Nicole Hockley, mother of Dylan, one of the children murdered at Sandy Hook. Her son, Jake, a third grade survivor, is manifesting symptoms of PTSD. In the midst of all this, her unrelenting conviction to effect change connects her with fellow bereaved parent Mark Barden. Mary Ann Jacob, Sandy Hook Elementary School library clerk. Melissa Malin, Newtown resident and neighbor of the Barden family. Gene Rosen, Sandy Hook Elementary School neighbor. Rick Thorne, Sandy Hook Elementary School custodian. Laurie Veillette, volunteer EMT. David Wheeler, whose youngest son Ben was killed at Sandy Hook.Active in the Newtown community, he shares his story out of the desire to protect the rest of the world from going through what his family endured.About the Filmmakers
Kim A. Snyder (Director/Producer) Newtown, Kim Snyder’s most recent film, premiered in competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was hailed in Entertainment Weekly as among the “Best of Sundance.” The film will continue to screen at premiere festivals worldwide and is poised to have a theatrical release in September 2016, followed by a national broadcast on PBS’s Independent Lens. Snyder’s last feature documentary, Welcome to Shelbyville, was also nationally broadcast on Independent Lens. In 2007, Snyder co-founded the BeCause Foundation to direct and produce a series of socially conscious documentaries, which have won numerous awards with campaigns furthering the work of the social innovators they highlight. Her award-winning directorial debut feature documentary, I Remember Me, was theatrically distributed by Zeitgeist Films. In 1994, she associate produced the Academy Award-winning short film Trevor, directed by Peggy Rajski. Snyder graduated with a Masters in international affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and resides in New York City. Maria Cuomo Cole (Producer) Maria Cuomo Cole is the award-winning producer of Newtown, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. In her career, she has tackled such subjects as gun violence, homelessness, veterans’ PTSD, domestic violence and sexual assault. Most recently, she executive produced The Hunting Ground, directed by Kirby Dick. This Emmy and Peabody Award-winning film has been lauded as a powerful investigation into the epidemic of sexual assaults on college campuses. In 2012, Cuomo Cole worked with the same film team, executive producing the 2014 Oscar®-nominated documentary The Invisible War. This groundbreaking documentary about the epidemic of rape and sexual violence in the U.S. military served as a catalyst for federal legislation and influenced federal policy reforms. Cuomo Cole’s 2011 documentary Living for 32, about gun laws in America, was short-listed for an Academy Award® and premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In collaboration with national communities of gun violence survivors, faith leaders, political leaders and nonprofits, the film has served as a catalyst for awareness and advocacy on the subject of federal and state legislative reform across the country. Since 1992, she has led HELP USA, the national nonprofit leader in both homeless and permanent supportive service housing and employment programs for veterans, families and survivors of domestic violence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V0QuGuFf2k
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SXSW Documentary MISSION CONTROL: THE UNSUNG HEROES OF APOLLO Sets Release Launch Date | Trailer
The documentary Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo, directed by David Fairhead, about the NASA team that guided the United States’ early astronauts, has been acquired by Gravitas Ventures for release in the U.S.
Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo, which is set for its world premiere on March 14 at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, will be released in select U.S. theaters and through video on demand (VOD) on April 14.
Featuring archival and on-site footage and stories from the men who lived it, “Mission Control” includes interviews with the founder of NASA’s Mission Control Center (and now its namesake) Chris Kraft and Apollo-era flight directors Gene Kranz (portrayed by Ed Harris in the 1995 film “Apollo 13”), Glynn Lunney and Gerry Griffin. Also appearing in the film are Apollo flight controllers Jerry Bostick, John Aaron and Sy Liebergot, and astronauts James Lovell (played by Tom Hanks in “Apollo 13”), Charles Duke, and the late Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon. Through their testimony, the movie explores the journey in Mission Control, from the Mercury and Gemini trailblazing flights to the tragic Apollo 1 fire and, ultimately, the glories of the moon landings.
“To make this film of the unsung heroes [of NASA Mission Control] has been a fantastic experience,” Fairhead said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7maQ_-k6DI
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I CALLED HIM MORGAN Documentary on Jazz Legend Lee Morgan Sets March Release Date
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I CALLED HIM MORGAN[/caption]
I CALLED HIM MORGAN, Kasper Collin’s (My Name Is Albert Ayler) documentary portrait of legendary jazz musician Lee Morgan and the woman who tragically took his life will open in New York on March 24 and Los Angeles on March 31. Featuring cinematography by Oscar-nominated DP Bradford Young (Arrival, Selma), I CALLED HIM MORGAN swept a prestigious group of fall film festivals—Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York, and London.
The film will open theatrically on Friday, March 24 at New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center, and followed on Friday, March 31 by openings at Manhattan’s Metrograph Theater and Los Angeles’ Laemmle Monica with a national expansion to follow.
On a snowy night in February 1972, 33-year-old jazz trumpet star Lee Morgan was shot dead by his common-law wife, Helen, during a gig at a club in New York City. The murder sent shockwaves through the jazz community, where Morgan played with such greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and John Coltrane. Helen served time for the crime and, following her release, retreated into obscurity. Over 20 years later, a chance encounter led her to give a remarkable interview. Helen’s revealing audio “testimony” acts as a refrain throughout the film, which draws together a wealth of archival photographs and footage, interviews with friends and bandmates and incredible jazz music to tell the ill-fated pair’s story. Part true-crime tale, part love story, and an all-out musical treat, I CALLED HIM MORGAN is a captivating chronicle of the dramatic destinies of two unique personalities and the music that brought them together.
Featuring Wayne Shorter, Paul West, Charli Persip, Albert “Tootie” Heath, Larry Ridley, Jymie Merritt, Bennie Maupin, Billy Harper, Larry Reni Thomas, and more.
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Documentary INVISIBLE WOMEN: BEING A BLACK WOMAN IN CORPORATE AMERICA to Screen at Hollywood Black Film Festival | TRAILER
The documentary Invisible Women: Being a Black Woman in Corporate America directed by Melody Shere’a will screen at the 2017 Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF). The film which is executive produced by her talented sibling Monica Simmons, is the result of a year-long research study interviewing professional black women in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City.
Invisible Women uncovers and addresses issues around racism that profoundly affects black women in the corporate workplace. In the film, several women share respective experiences of disappointment and rejection when simply trying to earn a living and compete against women of other races for a higher step on the corporate ladder.
The film will screen at the Hollywood Black Film Festival on Thursday, February 23rd at 2:15 p.m., hosted at the AMC Theater Marketplace 6 in Marina del Rey, CA.
“For the production of Invisible Women: Being a Black Woman in Corporate America, we interviewed black women of varied professional levels who generously shared their previously untold stories and feelings around race-related issues on the job,” said Shere’a, HNTT Productions founder and CEO. “In conducting the research, we found the corporate practice of discrimination to be a common harsh reality faced by countless women of color. We also interviewed experts who provide employment reports and statistical data on this topic.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYztEMOuQ4Y
According to Simmons, “Black women continue to experience racism on the job. We must be open to talking about this distressing issue to move toward a resolution. Obstacles that my sister and I have faced working in Corporate America were the inspiration behind Invisible Women: Being a Black Woman in Corporate America. Our film is meant to drive a movement for change in the workplace, especially the technology industry. ”
“No longer should we be silenced. We need to speak up and call it what it is,” commented Shere’a. Unlike “Hidden Figures,” we are no longer in the 1950’s-60’s era. This racial discrimination against smart, educated, and powerful black women is unacceptable. We deserve a seat at the table, and we are demanding our place to exist, no longer will we continue to remain Invisible Women.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdUthH1rGhc&t=9s
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HBO to Air Documentary DAVID BOWIE: THE LAST FIVE YEARS
DAVID BOWIE: THE LAST FIVE YEARS, directed and produced by Francis Whately, spotlights two critically acclaimed albums and the stage musical “Lazarus,” offering new insights into his extraordinary creativity during the final five years of his life. HBO has acquired the documentary film with an expected air date later this year.
Featuring a wealth of rarely seen Bowie interviews, archival footage, audio from the recording sessions for “The Next Day” and “Blackstar,” and unprecedented access to Bowie’s closest friends and artistic collaborators, the film is a tribute to one of the greatest rock icons of all time.
On Feb. 12, David Bowie posthumously swept the 2017 Grammy Awards with five wins for “Blackstar,” his final album, including: Best Rock Performance; Best Alternative Music Album; Best Recording Package; Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; and Best Rock Song.
“Looking at Bowie’s extraordinary creativity during the last five years of his life has allowed me to reexamine his life’s work and move beyond the simplistic view that his career was simply predicated on change,” says Whately. “HBO, whose global output the world admires, is a great channel to get this incredible documentary out to the U.S. fans.”
Perhaps no period of David Bowie’s extraordinary career has inspired more fascination, more surprise or more questions. DAVID BOWIE: THE LAST FIVE YEARS focuses on three major projects: the albums “The Next Day” and the jazz-infused “Blackstar” (released on Bowie’s 69th birthday, two days before his death), and the musical “Lazarus.” The film includes revealing interviews with, among others, Tony Visconti, Bowie’s longtime producer, musicians who contributed to “The Next Day” and “Blackstar,” Jonathan Barnbrook, the graphic designer of both albums, and Robert Fox, producer of “Lazarus,” along with cast members from the show, providing a unique behind-the-scenes look at Bowie’s creative process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2bL6ARhkUw
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ANDRE THE GIANT Documentary in the Works at HBO
WWE in partnership with HBO Sports and the Bill Simmons Media Group will produce ANDRE THE GIANT, a documentary film examining the life and career of one of the most beloved legends in WWE history. The ambitious and wide-ranging documentary film will explore Andre’s upbringing in France, his celebrated career in WWE and his forays in the entertainment world.
“For more than 20 years, Andre the Giant’s larger than life personality and unique charisma captured the imagination of fans around the world,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “I will always value our friendship, and I am proud to tell the story of the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’.”
Emmy-Award winning director and producer Jason Hehir will serve as the film’s director. HBO Sports and WWE are partnering for the first time ever on this full-length signature presentation, which will combine never-before-seen footage and revealing interviews for a comprehensive and intimate portrait of one of WWE’s most beloved, yet largely unknown figures. Interviews will include WWE Superstars, sports and entertainment executives, athletes, media, family, friends and associates.
André René Roussimoff was born in 1946 in Grenoble, France. Early in his teenage years, he exhibited signs of gigantism, rapidly growing to more than seven feet, though he was not diagnosed with acromegaly until his twenties. He began his training in Paris at 17 and eventually became known in wrestling circuits around the world, including Europe, Australia and Africa. In 1970, Roussimoff made his Japanese debut, which put him on the radar of Vince McMahon Sr., founder of what is now known as World Wrestling Entertainment.
In 1973, Andre joined the organization where McMahon Sr. famously billed him as Andre the Giant. Andre’s unique voice and athletic prowess, coupled with his more than 500-pound, seven-foot, four-inch frame, made him an unforgettable attraction.
During his ascension to the top of the ranks, Andre engaged in memorable matches with Killer Khan, Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy and compiled an undefeated streak that lasted for the better part of a decade. In 1987, Andre hit the pinnacle of his career during his rivalry with Hulk Hogan, one of the biggest stars in WWE and pop culture history. As a new villain, Andre squared off with Hogan at WrestleMania® III at the Silverdome in Michigan, and in one of the most memorable moments in history, Hogan body-slammed Andre to retain the championship in front of 93,173 fans.
While wrestling’s fan base continued to grow, Roussimoff’s health began to decline. Despite his health issues, the “Eighth Wonder of the World” remained at the forefront during the company’s golden era. Following WrestleMania III, Andre took on other WWE Legends such as Jake “The Snake” Roberts™, “Macho Man” Randy Savage™ and The Ultimate Warrior® and participated in numerous marquee events until 1991. Andre became the first-ever inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1993.
Roussimoff’s larger-than-life personality also allowed him to pursue a career in acting. He appeared in television sitcoms and films during the ‘70s and ‘80s, often playing himself or some variation of a human giant, and is remembered for his role as Fezzik in Rob Reiner’s classic “The Princess Bride.”
Outside the ring, Andre Roussimoff was a gentle giant. The subject of stares and ridicule for his size throughout his life, he was a self-declared introvert. On Jan. 27, 1993, Andre Roussimoff succumbed to his gigantism and died of congestive heart failure. And while WWE has had a memorable cast of larger-than-life stars during the two decades since his passing, Andre the Giant is still remembered as one of the greatest.