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Lou Ferrigno

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Lou Ferrigno at Comicon 2007

Louis Jude Ferrigno (born November 9, 1951[1]) is an American bodybuilder and actor. Ferrigno has appeared in such television shows and movies as The Incredible Hulk, Pumping Iron (with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu), Sinbad of the Seven Seas, and, in the title role, Hercules in 1983. He is more recently known for playing a minor role in the sitcom King of Queens.

Biography

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Ferrigno was raised in an Italian-American family, the son of Matthew, a New York City Police Department Lieutenant who, according to Lou, was also a weightlifter and was often very critical and negative towards him, and mother Victoria. At the age of three, Lou suffered an ear infection and permanently lost 80% of his hearing. He started weight training at age 13, citing body builder and Hercules star Steve Reeves as one of his role models.

After graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1969, Ferrigno won his first major titles, IFBB Mr. America and Mr. Universe, four years later. In 1974, he came in third on his first attempt at the Mr. Olympia competition. He again came third the following year, and his attempt to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger was the subject of the 1977 documentary Pumping Iron. Following this, Ferrigno left the competition circuit for many years.

Ferrigno competed in the first World's Strongest Man contest in 1977, where he finished fourth in a field of eight competitors.

File:Ferrigno as Hulk.jpg
Lou Ferrigno in the episode "Married" of TV's The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series) (1978)

At his peak, the 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) Ferrigno's contest weight was 275 lb (125 kg) and he was the tallest professional bodybuilder at that time.[2] While he never bested Schwarzenegger in bodybuilding, Ferrigno did have one triumph over his Austrian rival: the role of the Hulk on the 1970s television series.

In the early 1990s, Ferrigno returned to bodybuilding, competing for the 1992 and 1993 Mr. Olympia titles. Finishing 12th and 10th, respectively, he then turned to the Olympia Masters, coming second in 1994 to Robby Robinson. After this, he retired from competition.

Ferrigno sees his loss of hearing as influential towards bodybuilding and his life: "...if I hadn't lost some of my hearing, I wouldn't be where I am now. It forced me to maximize my own potential. I had to be better than the average person to succeed."[2]

He married Susan Groff in 1978, divorcing a year later. On May 3, 1980, he married psychotherapist Carla Green, who then also began serving as his manager and later became a personal trainer. They have three children, Shanna, born 1981; Louis, Jr., born 1984; and Brent, born 1990. In the summer of 2005, his daughter was a star of the E! reality TV series, Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive.

Since 2000, Ferrigno has played himself during intermittent guest appearances on the CBS television show, The King of Queens, where he (along with his wife Carla) is the Heffernans' next-door neighbor. Because of his role as the title character on The Incredible Hulk, he is often the target of "Hulk jokes" by Doug and his friends.

Ferrigno has appeared in an ad for Longhorn Steakhouse, a Southeastern chain of steak houses.

On February 13, 2006 he was sworn in as a Los Angeles County reserve sheriff's deputy.

In June 2006, Lou attended the first Bionicon in Tampa, Florida.

In April 29, 2007, Lou attended the second Calgary Comic Expo in Calgary, Alberta.

Contests

  • 1971 Pro Mr. America — WBBG, Teen 1st[3]
  • 1971 Teen Mr. America — AAU, 4th, Most Muscular 5th
  • 1972 Pro Mr. America — WBBG, 2nd
  • 1972 NABBA Mr. Universe, Tall 2nd
  • 1973 IFBB Mr. America, Overall Winner[3]
  • 1973 IFBB Mr. Universe, Tall 1st, Overall Winner[3][4]
  • 1974 IFBB Mr. International[3]
  • 1974 IFBB Mr. Universe, Tall 1st, Overall Winner[3][4]
  • 1974 Mr. Olympia, Heavyweight 2nd
  • 1975 Mr. Olympia, Tall class, 3rd place[3]
  • 1992 Mr. Olympia, 12th[3]
  • 1993 Mr. Olympia, 10th[3]
  • 1994 Olympia Masters, 2nd[3]

Magazine covers

Total: 37

  • 10 Muscle & Fitness ('82, '83, '86, '87, '88, '89, '93, '94)
  • 8 Flex ('83, '85, '89, '92, '93, '94)
  • 7 Muscle Builder ('74, '77, '79, '80)
  • 4 Iron Man ('73, '88, '92, '94)
  • 2 Muscle Mag International ('83, '94)
  • 2 Bodybuilding Lifestyle ('91, '92)
  • 1 Strength & Health ('83)
  • 1 Muscular Development ('81)
  • 1 Natural Bodybuilding ('83)
  • 1 Muscle Training Illustrated ('72)

Trivia

  • Ferrigno commonly went to see a physician who checked up on whether he was doing damage to his body.
  • Ferrigno was harassed frequently as a child and as a result his personal heroes were Spider-Man and the Hulk. Appropriately, he would later play the role as the Hulk himself in the Incredible Hulk television series and related TV movies. He was also a fan of the Hercules film that starred Steve Reeves. Ferrigno frequently points to Reeves as one of his primary role models and would later play Hercules just as Reeves had.
  • He made a cameo in the 2003 film Hulk as a security guard, including one deleted scene.
  • His son, Lou Ferrigno Jr., is a linebacker for the University of Southern California Trojans football team.[5]
  • He once appeared in a segment for the short-lived parody series Banzai, in which he competed against a priest and a rabbi for "the soul of a newborn child" by means of a cycling contest.
  • He is mentioned in the song "Irresistable Force" by the now defunct rap-rock group 2 Skinnee J's"...contents under pressure, about to explode like Lou Ferrigno mean and green so check my signal..."
  • Ferrigno is mentioned in the song "FOB for Life" by the Notorious MSG "Ready to go, I got more muscle than Lou Ferrigno"

Notes

  1. ^ Although Ferrigno's official site does not list a year of birth, it says he was 21 when he won the first of two successive Mr. Universe titles, which occurred in 1973 ("History of the Men's World Amateur Championships", IFBB.com, Accessed 2007-01-01). The results were reported in the July, 1973 issue of Muscle magazine ("Lou Ferigno, Mr Universe, 1973". IFBB.com) Some sources report a birthdate in 1952, but in that case Ferrigno would not have turned 21 until November, 1973. See also "History of Mr. Olympia: Lou Ferrigno".
  2. ^ a b Biography. LouFerrigno.com. Version of Feb 20, 2006 available at archive.org. Accessed 2007-06-23.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i History of Mr. Olympia: Lou Ferrigno. Schwarzenegger.it Accessed 2007-01-01.
  4. ^ a b "History of the Men's World Amateur Championships". IFBB.com. Accessed 2007-01-01.
  5. ^ Player Bio: Lou Ferrigno Jr. USCTrojans.cstv.com. Accessed 2007-01-01.
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