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he was fake and gay.
{{Infobox Wrestler
|name=Lou Albano
|names=Lou Albano
|image=Lou Albano and a fan crop.jpg
|height={{height|ft=5|in=10}}<ref name="wweprofile"/>
|weight={{convert|250|lb|abbr=on}}<ref name=WWELegends/>
|birth_date={{birth date|mf=yes|1933|07|29}}
|birth_place=[[Rome, Italy]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gmanews.tv/story/174674/pro-wrestler-music-video-icon-albano-dies-at-76|title=Pro wrestler, music video icon Albano dies at 76|last=Associated Press|date=October 15, 2009|accessdate=October 15, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cbs5.com/entertainment/captain.lou.albano.2.1248290.html|title=Wrestler, Pop Icon Captain Lou Albano Dies At 76|date=October 14, 2009|publisher=cbs5.com|accessdate=October 15, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
|death_date={{death date and age|mf=yes|2009|10|14|1933|7|29}}
|death_place=[[Westchester County, New York]]
|resided=[[Mahopac, New York]]
|billed=[[Camel, New York|Carmel]], New York<ref name="wweprofile" />
|trainer=[[Arnold Skaaland]]<ref name=WWELegends/><br/>Soldier Barry<ref name=WWELegends/>
|debut=1953<ref name="wweprofile" />
|retired=1995 (as manager)
}}
'''Louis Vincent "Captain Lou" Albano'''<ref name=slamobit>http://www.youtube.com/user/hailthysatan{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2009/10/08/11349916.html|title=Captain Lou Albano passes away at 76|author=Van der Griend, Blaine|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|accessdate=October 14, 2009|date=October 14, 2009}}</ref> (July 29, 1933 – October 14, 2009) was an Italian-American [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]], [[manager (professional wrestling)|manager]] and actor. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1969, then he became a manager, until 1995.

Throughout his 42-year career, Albano guided 15 different tag teams and four singles competitors to championship gold.<ref name=slamobit/> Albano was part of the "Triumvirate of Terror," a threesome of nefarious WWF managers that also included [[Ernie Roth|The Grand Wizard of Wrestling]] and [[Fred Blassie]]. The trio would be fixtures in the company for a decade, until the Grand Wizard's death in 1983.

A unique showman, with an elongated beard, rubber band facial piercings, and loud outfits, Albano was the forefather of the 1980s [[Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection]]. Collaborating with [[Cyndi Lauper]], Albano helped usher in wrestling's crossover success with a mainstream audience. Capitalizing on his success, he later ventured into Hollywood with various television, film, and music projects.

==Professional wrestling career==
===World Wide Wrestling Federation===
He made little impact as a solo wrestler, but he achieved moderate success as a tag team performer with partner Tony Altomare.<ref name=god166/> Dubbed The Sicilians, Altomare and Albano competed as a stereotypical Italian gangster combo.<ref name=slamobit/> The pair won the Midwest tag team championship on the undercard of the June 30, 1961 [[Comiskey Park]] event starring [[Pat O'Connor (wrestler)|Pat O'Connor]] and [[Buddy Rogers (wrestler)|Buddy Rogers]] that set the all-time record gate in the United States to that point. Their realistic depiction of gangster characters caught the attention of actual [[Mafia|mafiosi]] in 1961. A credible threat on their lives occurred during a run as Midwest tag team champions, resulting in the pair abandoning the territory quickly enough that they did not lose the title before leaving.<ref name=slamobit/> In July 1967, they won the [[WWWF United States Tag Team Championship]] from [[Arnold Skaaland]] and [[Spiros Arion]].<ref name=slamobit/><ref name=god166>Ellison, Lillian. ''First Goddess of the Squared Circle'', pp. 166–167.</ref> Albano and Altomare only held the championship for two weeks, a title change which was not even acknowledged on WWWF television outside the [[Atlantic City]] market. But several photographs of the pair with their title belts were taken, which provided good publicity fodder later in Albano's career.

Following the encouragement of fellow wrestler [[Bruno Sammartino]], in 1969 Albano retired from active wrestling to focus on managing.<ref name=slamobit/> He transformed himself into the brash, bombastic manager Captain Lou Albano, claiming to be "the Captain of Rubber Bands," even though military records never mention him achieving a rank above Corporal. With a quick wit and a grating personality, Albano delivered memorable [[List of professional wrestling terms#P|promos]] and earned the scorn of the wrestling audience as he attempted to dethrone [[World Wide Wrestling Federation]] superstar and [[WWE Championship|WWF champion]] Bruno Sammartino.

Albano described the strategy behind his overblown, ranting interview style:
:"I just remember the point I wanna bring across, and then I just babble before, during, and after. Somehow, in the middle, I said the two or three sentences that sold tickets. Mostly, I just tried to make people want to see me get my ass kicked, and along the way, hopefully the guy I was managing would catch a beating too!"<ref>http://heymanhustle.craveonline.com/articles/news/22266-rip-captain-lou</ref>

Albano's first high-profile protege was Oscar "Crusher" Verdu. Albano emphasized Verdu's physique and insisted that he had never been taken off his feet during a match. To rile up audiences, he also engaged in ethnic slurs, which were then a more common part of WWWF banter. The result was a [[Madison Square Garden]] sellout when Verdu faced Sammartino in June 1970, the first for the company in five years and a then-record gate for a wrestling event in that arena. The record lasted only a month, when a rematch brought in over $85,000 in ticket receipts. In January 1971, Albano was the manager when [[Ivan Koloff|"Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff]] ended Sammartino's seven year reign as champion.<ref name=slamobit/> Koloff's title reign was a transitional one, lasting just three weeks. Albano then resumed his role as the mastermind trying to lead his latest bad guy wrestler to the gold. For the remainder of the 1970s, Albano's cadre of loyal henchmen were unable to re-secure the heavyweight championship.<ref name=slamobit/> However, Albano guided singles wrestlers [[Don Muraco]] and [[Greg Valentine|Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine]] to the [[WWE Intercontinental Championship|Intercontinental Championship]].<ref name=slamobit/> Furthermore, Albano guided fifteen teams to the [[World Tag Team Championship (WWE)|WWF World Tag Team Championships]], including The Valiant Brothers, The Wild Samoans, The Blackjacks, The Moondogs and The Executioners.<ref name=slamobit/><ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/lou_albano/biography.php Lou Albano – Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile], retrieved on October 15, 2009.</ref> By the end of his career, Albano managed over 50 different wrestlers who won two dozen championships.

Albano could also help elevate wrestlers by splitting from them. In 1982, despite being managed by the villainous Albano, [[Jimmy Snuka|"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka]] was becoming a fan favorite due to his high-flying ring style. An interview segment revealed that Snuka had no legal contract with Albano, and thus was able to leave his manager.<ref>[http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/snukastevensreview.htm Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka vs. Ray "The Crippler" Stevens], Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, December 28, 1982, retrieved on October 15, 2009.</ref> Shortly thereafter, a bloody beatdown by Albano, [[Fred Blassie]] and [[Ray Stevens (wrestler)|Ray Stevens]], helped transform Snuka into a sympathetic figure, and triggered the most successful period of his career.<ref>[http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/snuka.html Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka – Wrestling Legends – WWE Hall of Fame legend – Media Man Australia], retrieved on October 15, 2009.</ref> Albano had previously helped turn the villainous Intercontinental Champion [[Pat Patterson (wrestler)|Pat Patterson]] into a fan favorite, by "purchasing" Patterson's contract against his will.

The last championship team of wrestlers that Albano managed in the WWF were The Headshrinkers in 1994. His career as a WWF (now WWE) manager ended in early 1995.

==Television and film==
Albano played a role in the ''[[Wise Guys (film)|Wise Guys]]'' (1986) film along [[Danny DeVito]] and also as the video game character [[Mario]], [[Nintendo]]'s mascot, in the live-action segments and the voice in the animated segments of [[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]], which was a TV series made based upon the classic Nintendo hit [[Super Mario Bros.]] games. He also had roles in the TV series [[227 (TV series)|227]] and [[Miami Vice]] and the 1992 film [[Stay Tuned (film)|Stay Tuned]].

He also played the role of the father in [[Cyndi Lauper]]'s "[[Girls Just Want to Have Fun]]", "[[Goonies R' Good Enough]]" and "[[She Bop]]" music videos.<ref>http://episodeguides.freeiz.com/actors.html</ref>

==Personal life==
Albano was born in 1933 in [[Rome, Italy]] to parents who emigrated to the United States shortly after his birth.<ref name=WWELegends>{{cite book|title=WWE Legends|last=Solomon|first=Brian|page=38–43|publisher=|[[Pocket Books]]|date=2006|isbn=978-0-7434-9033-7}}</ref> As a teenager, Lou played [[American football]] in high school, then enlisted in the [[US Army]] after graduation. When his military career was over, Albano went to work as a bouncer and had gained interest in professional wrestling.

In 2008 he released his autobiography, "Often Imitated, Never Duplicated"<ref>[http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Reviews/2009/05/26/9573756.html SLAM! Wrestling review of Lou Albano's Autobiography]</ref> with the foreword written by [[Cyndi Lauper]].

Albano was one of five children born to Dr. Carmen Louis and Eleanor Albano, both deceased. The other Albano siblings are Vincent, George, Eleanor, and Carl, all of whom became teachers.<ref name="nyjnews.com">[http://www.nyjnews.com/obits/Obit1.php?fulldate=April 15, 2004&pid=1415176 Carl M. Albano Obituary], retrieved on October 15, 2009.</ref> Albano's brother, Carl, taught health for 32 years at Ridgewood High School in [[Ridgewood, New Jersey]], and was head of the Ridgewood High health department from 1974 until 2001.<ref name="nyjnews.com"/> He has a little brother named Jim Dandy. Carl Albano's students have noted that he used his brother Lou as an example of the difference between crazy and unique. George C. Albano served as the Principal of Lincoln Elementary School in Mt. Vernon, NY and often brought Lou in to delight the school's students during their lunch hour.

During the 1990s, Albano shed 150 pounds (70&nbsp;kg) following a health scare. In May 2005, Albano suffered a heart attack, but later recovered. Albano was sent home from the hospital and again began watching his health. However on October 14, 2009, he died in his sleep from a severe heart attack at age 76.<ref>[http://www.gmanews.tv/story/174674/pro-wrestler-music-video-icon-albano-dies-at-76 Pro wrestler, music video icon Albano dies at 76], retrieved on October 15, 2009.</ref> He was survived by his wife Geri, four children and 14 grandchildren. He was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Putnam County, New York.

==In wrestling==
*'''Wrestlers [[Manager (professional wrestling)|managed]]'''
{|
|-
|valign=top |
:*[[Austin Idol|"Iron" Mike McCord]]
:*[[Don Muraco]]
:*[[Charles Kalani, Jr.|Professor Toru Tanaka]]
:*[[Nikolai Volkoff]]
:*[[George Steele|George 'The Animal' Steele]]
:*[[Ivan Koloff]]
:*[[Bobby Duncum, Sr.]]
:*[[André the Giant]]
:*[[Brian Blair]]
|valign=top |
:*[[Greg Valentine]]
:*[[Iron Sheik|The Iron Sheik]]
:*[[Larry Hennig]]
:*[[Jimmy Snuka|"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka]]
:*[[Grady Johnson|"Crazy" Luke Graham]]
:*[[Camille Tourville|Tarzan Tyler]]
:*[[King Curtis Iaukea]]
:*[[Blackjack Mulligan]]
|valign=top |
:*[[Mikel Scicluna|Baron Mikel Scicluna]]
:*[[Pat Patterson (wrestler)|Pat Patterson]]
:*[[Golden Terror]]
:*[[Mighty Joe Thunder]]
:*[[Ray Stevens (wrestler)|Ray "The Crippler" Stevens]] (with [[Fred Blassie|Freddie Blassie]])
:*[[Dick Murdoch]]
:*[[Adrian Adonis]]
:*[[Ken Patera]]
:*[[The Fabulous Moolah]]
:*[[Hulk Hogan]]
:*[[Bulldog Brower]]
:*[[Iron Mike Sharpe]]
|}

*'''Tag teams managed'''
:*[[Harry Fujiwara|Mr. Fuji]] and [[Masa Saito|Mr. Saito]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/f/fujisaito.html|title=Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito Profile|publisher=Online World of Wrestling|accessdate=August 5, 2008}}</ref>
:*[[Wild Samoans]] ([[Afa Anoa'i|Afa]] and [[Sika Anoa'i|Sika]])
:*The Executioners ([[Big John Studd|Masked Executioner 1]] and [[Killer Kowalski|Masked Executioner 2]])
:*The Mongols ([[Nikolai Volkoff|Bepo]] and [[Bill Eadie|Geeto]])
:*[[The Yukon Lumberjacks]] ([[Scott Irwin|Yukon Eric]] and [[Zarinoff Lebeouf|Yukon Pierre]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/y/yukon-lumberjacks.html|title=Yukon Lumberjacks profile|publisher=Online World of Wrestling|accessdate=September 5, 2009}}</ref>
:*[[The British Bulldogs]] ([[Davey Boy Smith]] and [[Dynamite Kid|The Dynamite Kid]])<ref>Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.83)</ref>
:*[[The Headshrinkers]]<ref name=god166/> ([[Samula Anoa'i|Samu]] and [[Solofa Fatu|Fatu]])
:*[[The Headshrinkers|The New Headshrinkers]] ([[Solofa Fatu|Fatu]] and [[Sione Vailahi|Sionne]])
:*[[The Valiant Brothers]] ([[Jimmy Valiant]], [[Johnny Valiant]] and [[Jerry Valiant]])
:*[[The Machines (wrestling)|The Machines]] ([[Bill Eadie|Super Machine]], [[Blackjack Mulligan|Big Machine]] and [[André the Giant|Giant Machine]])
:*[[Moondogs|The Moondogs]]<ref name=god166/> ([[Ed White (wrestler)|Moondog King]], [[Randy Colley|Moondog Rex]] and [[Larry Latham (wrestler)|Moondog Spot]])
:*[[U.S. Express|The U.S. Express]] ([[Mike Rotunda|Mike Rotundo]] and [[Barry Windham]])

*'''[[Nickname]]s'''
**"Captain"
**"Leaping"

*'''[[Music in professional wrestling|Entrance music]]'''
:*"Captain Lou's History of Music" performed by himself and [[George Steele|George "The Animal" Steele]]
:*Another version of "Captain Lou's History of Music" performed by himself and [[NRBQ]]

==Championships and accomplishments==
*'''[[Cauliflower Alley Club]]'''
:*Other honoree ([[Cauliflower Alley Club#1995|1995]])

*'''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]]'''
**[[PWI Manager of the Year]] (1974, 1981, 1986)
**[[PWI Stanley Weston Award]] (1994)
*'''[[Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum]]'''
**[[Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame#Non-Participant|Class of 2009]]<ref name="pwhfbio">{{cite web|url=http://www.pwhf.org/halloffamers/bios/albano.asp|title="Captain" Lou Albano's Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame bio|publisher=[[Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum]]|accessdate=2011-05-22}}</ref>
*'''[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]'''
**[[WWE Hall of Fame|WWF Hall of Fame]] ([[WWE Hall of Fame#1996|Class of 1996]])<ref name="wweprofile">{{cite web |url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/inductees/captainloualbano/ |title=Lou Albano's WWE Hall of Fame Profile |accessdate=2011-03-29|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref>
**[[WWWF United States Tag Team Championship]] ([[WWWF United States Tag Team Championship#Title history|1 time]]) – with Tony Altimore
*'''[[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards|Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards]]'''
**[[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Best on Interviews|Best on Interviews]] (1981) <small>tied with [[Roddy Piper]]</small>
**[[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Worst Worked Match of the Year|Worst Worked Match of the Year]] (1985) <small>vs. [[Freddie Blassie]] at [[Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum]]</small>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
*{{Cite book|author=Foley, Mick|title=Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks|publisher=HarperCollins|date=2000|isbn=0061031011}}
*{{Cite book|author=Ellison, Lillian|title=The Fabulous Moolah: First Goddess of the Squared Circle|year=2003|isbn=9780060012588|publisher=ReaganBooks}}
*[http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/inductees/captainloualbano/ "WWE Hall of Fame Profile"]
*[http://wrestlingmuseum.com/pages/wrestlers/loualbano2.html "Wrestling Museum Hall of Fame Induction Article"]

==External links==
{{Portal|Professional wrestling}}
{{commons category}}
*[http://loualbano.posterous.com Lou Albano on Posterous]
*[http://www.captainloualbano.com Official website]
*{{IMDB name|id=0016304|name=Lou Albano}}
*[http://www.pwhf.org/halloffamers/bios/albano.asp Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame profile]
*[http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/inductees/captainloualbano/ WWE Hall of Fame profile]
*[http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/l/lou-albano.html Online World of Wrestling profile]
*{{Find a Grave|43101806}}

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box|before=[[Peter Cullen]]<br />1983–1985<br />[[Saturday Supercade]] |title=Voice of [[Mario]] |years=1989–1990<br />[[Super Mario Brothers Super Show]] |after=[[Walker Boone]]<br />1990–1992<br />[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]] & [[Captain N: The Game Master]] & [[Super Mario World (TV series)|Super Mario World]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{WWE Hall of Fame}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2010}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME =Albano, Lou
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =Albano, Louis Vincent
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =professional wrestler, professional wrestling manager, and actor
| DATE OF BIRTH =July 29, 1933
| PLACE OF BIRTH =[[Rome, Italy]]
| DATE OF DEATH =October 14, 2009
| PLACE OF DEATH =[[Carmel, New York]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albano, Lou}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:2009 deaths]]
[[Category:American professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:People from Putnam County, New York]]
[[Category:People from Westchester County, New York]]
[[Category:Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Professional wrestling managers and valets]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:WWE Hall of Fame]]

[[de:Lou Albano]]
[[es:Lou Albano]]
[[fr:Lou Albano]]
[[nl:Lou Albano]]
[[ja:ルー・アルバーノ]]
[[no:Lou Albano]]
[[simple:Lou Albano]]
[[fi:Lou Albano]]
[[sv:Lou Albano]]
[[for more detail visit:]]
[[www/justformaza.co.cc]]

Revision as of 13:47, 21 June 2011

he was fake and gay.