Louis
Jude Ferrigno (born November 9, 1951) 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.
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.
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. 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."
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.
Lou Ferrigno Movies
The Hulk
Ping!
Hangfire
Liberty & Bash
Cage
Sinbad of the Seven Seas
Hercules
Pumping Iron
The King of Queens
The Incredible Hulk |
