Actors - Lou Ferrigno

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	Actors - Lou Ferrigno

Louis Jude Ferrigno (born November 9, 1952, Brooklyn, New York, USA) 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 (1983).

Biography

Raised in an Italian-American family, the son of an NYPD police lieutenant Matthew and mother Victoria, Ferrigno started training at age 13. After graduating from the prestigious Brooklyn Technical High School in 1969, he 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
. Following this, Ferrigno left the competition circuit for many years.

At his peak, the 6'5" (1.95 m) Ferrigno weighed 275 lb (125 kg) 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, whom he secretly admired — 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 has been 80% deaf since the age of three after an ear infection. He 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 30, 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 or Shawns (accounts differ), 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 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 (California) 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
1973 IFBB Mr. Universe, Tall 1st, Overall Winner
1974 IFBB Mr. International, Tall 1st, Overall Winner
1974 Mr. Olympia, Heavyweight 2nd
1975 Mr. Olympia, Tall class, 3rd place
1992 Mr. Olympia, 12th
1993 Mr. Olympia, 10th
1994 Olympia Masters, 2nd

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

Lou commonly went to see a physician who checked up on whether he was doing damage to his body, however, when X-rays were given to Lou because of his incredibly thick body the X-rays had to be increased to 3 times its original power.
Lou was harrassed frequently as a child and as a result his personal heroes were Spiderman and The Incredible Hulk, ironically Lou would later play the role as the Hulk himself in the Incredible Hulk movies and television series.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Lou Ferrigno ]

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Actors - Lou Ferrigno

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