Jean Christensen was the mother of André the Giant’s only child, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, and a woman he met through the professional wrestling business in the early 1970s. She is often called his wife online, but reliable public sources do not confirm that she and André René Roussimoff ever legally married. The most accurate description is former partner and mother of his daughter.
That distinction matters because much of the online material about Jean Christensen blends a small set of documented facts with copied claims about her birth, height, modeling work, marriage, and finances. Some pages even publish conflicting birth years or attach unrelated obituaries to her name. A careful account must focus on what Robin said publicly, what established wrestling reporting recorded, and what official sources confirm about André’s life.
| Detail | Verified public information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jean Christensen |
| Known for | Former partner of André the Giant and mother of his only child |
| Child | Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, born in 1979 |
| Connection to André | They met through wrestling around 1972 or 1973 |
| Marriage | No reliable public confirmation |
| Death | Reported as occurring in 2008 |
CBS Sports provides the clearest sourced account of the family. Its reporting includes direct comments from Robin and people who were close to André.
Who Was Jean Christensen?
She entered the public record mainly through her connection to André and their daughter. CBS Sports reported that she became acquainted with him through the wrestling business around 1972 or 1973. By then, the French wrestler was becoming a major international attraction whose work required constant travel across North America, Europe, and Japan.
The surviving public record says far more about André than it does about Jean. Public profiles from CBS Sports, WWE, and André’s official site document his career and his relationship with Robin, but they do not provide a complete account of Jean’s childhood, education, parents, or independent work history. Claims that fill those gaps should not be presented as settled facts.
Was Jean Christensen André the Giant’s Wife?
People searching Jean Christensen André the Giant wife are usually trying to answer one direct question: were they married? No marriage certificate, official announcement, court record, or well-sourced contemporary report confirming a marriage surfaced in the sources reviewed for this article. CBS Sports refers to Jean as Robin’s mother and describes her relationship with André, but it does not identify her as his wife.
The safest conclusion is that Jean was André’s romantic partner, not a verified legal spouse. Some newer biography pages call her Jean Christensen-Roussimoff or describe a common-law marriage, but they do not provide primary documentation. Other profiles of André state that he never married, so the “wife” label should not be treated as established fact.
How Jean and André Met
The relationship between Jean Christensen and André René Roussimoff began inside the wrestling world. CBS Sports places their first acquaintance around 1972 or 1973, when André was starting his rise as a touring attraction in the United States. Promoter Vincent J. McMahon presented him as a rare special attraction rather than tying him to one regional territory, which kept him moving among wrestling markets.
Reliable reporting does not establish Jean’s exact job at the time. Many later articles describe a Jean Christensen model career followed by public relations work for a wrestling promotion. Those claims may have grown from older interviews or repeated secondary accounts, but no modeling credit, agency record, employment file, or official promotion history reviewed here confirms them.
It is safe to say she was connected to wrestling, but not to assign her a specific job title without stronger evidence.
Their Daughter, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff
Jean and André had one child, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, who was born in 1979. CBS Sports identifies Robin as André’s only child and reports that she grew up in the Seattle area with her mother. André’s travel schedule and the strained relationship between the adults made a conventional family life difficult.
Robin recalled seeing her father in person only five times, including meetings at wrestling arenas and encounters connected with court proceedings. She also made clear that her mother did not block contact. When André tried to arrange a visit to his North Carolina ranch, Robin was too young to feel comfortable traveling without Jean and declined the trip herself.
Despite the distance, André stayed in telephone contact and paid child support. Robin said their last conversation took place at Christmas in 1992. André died of heart failure in Paris on January 27, 1993, at age 46, shortly after returning to France because of his father’s illness.
Jean’s Role in Robin’s Upbringing
Jean appears to have been Robin’s primary day-to-day parent. Robin told CBS Sports that wrestling was not regularly shown in their home because she had little interest in it and her mother was no longer part of the industry. Jean wanted her daughter to form her own view of André rather than accept the public character sold through television and promotion.
That choice offers one of the clearest glimpses of her parenting. André was advertised as a near-mythic figure, billed by WWE at 7 feet 4 inches and more than 500 pounds. At home, Jean tried to separate that spectacle from Robin’s private understanding of her father.
André’s best-known acting role came as Fezzik in The Princess Bride, Rob Reiner’s 1987 film. The American Film Institute lists André among the film’s main cast, and accounts from people close to him say he was especially proud of the part. For Robin, however, watching her father on screen could bring mixed emotions because their real relationship remained limited.
What Is Known About Her Age, Height, and Death?
Searches for Jean Christensen height often return 6 feet 4 inches, while searches for Jean Christensen age produce conflicting birth years and ages. No reliable public document reviewed here verifies either figure. Without a confirmed birth date, her age at any point in her life cannot be stated responsibly.
The question Jean Christensen still alive has a clearer answer. CBS Sports reported that Robin’s mother died in 2008. It did not provide a date, location, or cause of death, and obituary pages for other women with the same name should not be assumed to refer to her.
Claims about her net worth are also unsupported. There are no public financial disclosures, verified probate records, business filings, or credible estimates tied conclusively to her in the available sources. Numbers repeated by celebrity biography sites should therefore be treated as speculation, not fact.
Name Confusion and Unrelated Search Results
The form Jean Christensen-Roussimoff is common online, but it is not confirmed as Jean’s legal name. Robin uses the hyphenated surname Christensen-Roussimoff, which may explain why some pages apply the same style to her mother. CBS Sports refers to the mother simply as Jean and uses the hyphenated family name for Robin.
Searches for Dr. Jean Christensen and Deborah Jean Christensen can lead to unrelated people. Public professional and athletic directories identify other people named Jean Christensen in health care, research, athletics, and business. No reliable evidence connects those individuals, or a person named Deborah Jean Christensen, to André the Giant’s family.
Why Jean Still Draws Interest
Interest in her continues because André’s public image remains unusually durable. WWE recognizes him as its first Hall of Fame inductee and one of wrestling’s defining attractions. His performance as Fezzik introduced him to movie audiences who may never have watched a wrestling match.
Jean’s place in that history is quieter but important. She was the mother who raised André’s only child, handled the realities of an often-absent famous parent, and stayed largely outside the spotlight. André’s will named Robin as the principal family beneficiary and created a detailed trust for her, while also leaving specific gifts to two close friends.
A fact-based profile cannot turn Jean’s private life into a complete celebrity biography. It can, however, correct the central misconception. She was a significant former partner of André the Giant and the mother of Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, but calling her his confirmed wife goes beyond the reliable public evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was she married to André the Giant?
No reliable public record confirms a legal marriage. She is best described as André’s former partner and the mother of his daughter.
Did Jean and André have children?
Yes. Their daughter, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, was born in 1979 and is André’s only known child.
How tall was she?
Her height is not reliably documented. The widely repeated 6-foot-4 claim lacks a verifiable primary source.
Is she still alive?
No. CBS Sports reported that she died in 2008, but the exact circumstances were not provided.
What did she do for work?
She was connected to the wrestling business. Claims that she modeled or worked in public relations are widespread but not confirmed by reliable employment records.
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