This Is Why You Recognize Andre The Giant From Young Rock

Matthew Willig, like Dwayne Johnson, started his career as an athlete, playing football for the NFL. The California native played football while in college at the University of Southern California, even playing in the Rose Bowl in 1989, according to Sporting News. Willig then played professionally over an impressive 12-year career with several teams, including the New York Jets, the Green Bay Packers, the San Francisco 49ers, and the St. Louis Rams. He retired from football in 2005 and switched to acting, playing lots of character parts for big guys with names like Vince, Tank, Stone, Sledgehammer, "Jock Guy," and "Famous Athlete."

It makes sense, in Hollywood typecasting, that Willig would play roles like these: he is a big guy! At 6 foot 7, Willig towers over others. He kicked off his screen career with the role of Hulk (but not The Hulk) in 1993's Full Contact, then played Crash in an episode of Malcolm in the Middle on television. His IMDb profile is impressive, with comedic roles in The Benchwarmers, Everybody Hates Chris, iCarly, Year One with Michael Cera and Jack Black, and We're the Millers with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis, as well as dramatic projects like Dexter, The West Wing, CSI, and NCIS — finally expanding from big "muscle" roles to something more intense. He also played the inhuman Lash on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and has now come full circle to comedy as the legendary André the Giant.

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