Lou Ferrigno
Louis Jude Ferrigno is an
American bodybuilder and
actor. Ferrigno has appeared in such television shows and
movies as
The Incredible Hulk,
Pumping Iron is a documentary film [i], about the run-up to the 1975 [i] Mr. Olympia [i] bodybuilding [i] ...
— with
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu —
Sinbad of the Seven Seas, and, in the title role,
Hercules .
Encyclopedia
Louis Jude Ferrigno is an
American bodybuilder and
actor. Ferrigno has appeared in such television shows and
movies as
The Incredible Hulk,
Pumping Iron is a documentary film [i], about the run-up to the 1975 [i] Mr. Olympia [i] bodybuilding [i] ...
— with
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu —
Sinbad of the Seven Seas, and, in the title role,
Hercules .
Biography
Ferrigno was raised in an
Italian-American family, the son of an
New York City Police Department lieutenant Matthew and mother Victoria. At the age of three, he suffered an ear infection and permanently lost 80% of his hearing. He started weight training at age 13. After graduating from the prestigious
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
Schwarzenegger was the subject of the 1977
documentary Pumping Iron is a documentary film [i], about the run-up to the 1975 [i] Mr. Olympia [i] bodybuilding [i] ...
. 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.
At his peak, the 6'5" Ferrigno weighed 275 lb and was the largest professional bodybuilder at that time. While he never bested
Schwarzenegger in bodybuilding or in his career, Ferrigno did have one triumph over his Austrian rival — the role of the Hulk on the 1970s television series. At 6'2" , Arnold was reportedly deemed not tall enough.
In the early 1990s, Ferrigno returned to bodybuilding, competing for the 1992 and 1993 Mr. Olympia titles. Finishing 12th and 10th, repectively, 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."
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,
.
Since 2000, Ferrigno has played himself during intermittent guest appearances on the
CBS television show,
The King of Queens is an American [i] situation comedy [i] series that debuted on September 21 [i] ...
, where he is the Heffernans' next-door neighbor.
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.
Contests
- 1971 Pro Mr. America — WBBG, Teen 1st
- 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 IFBB Mr. Universe, Tall 1st, Overall Winner IFBB Mr. International IFBB Mr. Universe, Tall 1st, Overall Winner Mr. Olympia, Heavyweight 2nd
- 1975 Mr. Olympia, Tall class, 3rd place Mr. Olympia, 12th Mr. Olympia, 10th Olympia Masters, 2ndgazine Covers
Total 37
- 10 Muscle & Fitness is an American [i] bodybuilding [i] magazine [i] founded by Joe Weider [i], now ...
- 8 Flex
- 7 Muscle Builder
- 4 Iron Man
- 2 Muscle Mag International
- 2 Bodybuilding Lifestyle
- 1 Strength & Health
- 1 Muscular Development
- 1 Natural Bodybuilding
- 1 Muscle Training Illustrated
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 Incredible Hulk. Appropriately, he would later play the role as the Hulk himself in the Incredible Hulk movies and television series. 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.
- He plays himself in the TV show King Of Queens
Notes
References
- Kathleen Lucadamo : , New York Daily News
External link
