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The Princess Bride: Cary Elwes' Tribute on Andre the Giant's Birthday

It's no secret that one of the greatest joys in pro-wrestler André Roussimoff's (aka Andre the Giant) life was playing the beloved Fezzik in the 1987 Rob Reiner classic The Princess Bride. Fezzik was the muscle, traveling companion, and best friend of Iñigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), who's on the quest to avenge the death of his father, as those familiar with one of the most quotable lines of all of cinema are aware of. The film's star Cary Elwes, who played Wesley, a swashbuckling type whose cunning is only matched by his scrappy ways. The actor tweeted a selfie with a framed poster of a wrestling event held at Packard Music Hall with the match card listed.

The Princess Bride: Cary Elwes Commemorates Andre the Giant's Birthday
Cary Elwes and Andre the Giant in The Princess Bride (1987). Image courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Cary Elwes' Tribute to The Princess Bride Co-Star

"Happy Birthday, Andre. Your heart was indeed bigger than everyone's and it was filled with love. You may be gone but you will certainly never be forgotten. #AndreTheGiant 🙏❤️⚔️," Elwes tweeted remembering the actor, who passed in 1993 and remains beloved by his co-stars. Roussimoff had one of the film's most memorable fight scenes with the star that saw the battle end with Wesley putting Fezzik in a sleeper hold and making him pass out. With his foe defeated, Wesley parts with the line hoping he "dreams of large women". Late in his wrestling career, that includes his iconic WrestleMania III match with Hulk Hogan, Roussimoff suffered chronic and debilitating back pain, afflicting him for the remainder of his life.

While the larger-the-life figure often tried to remain normal in all his ventures, the pain affected not only Roussimoff's mobility and matches but also the more physical scenes with the other actors. Robin Wright, who played The Princess Bride/Buttercup, weighed considerably less than the opponents Andre the Giant had to face in the ring. The actress had to be suspended on a wire harness to lighten the load on his back, including his climactic scene catching Buttercup as she fell.

 


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Tom ChangAbout Tom Chang

I'm a follower of pop culture from gaming, comics, sci-fi, fantasy, film, and TV for over 30 years. I grew up reading magazines like Starlog, Mad, and Fangoria. As a writer for over 10 years, Star Wars was the first sci-fi franchise I fell in love with. I'm a nerd-of-all-trades.
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