Lou Ferrigno

About Lou Ferrigno

Louis Jude Ferrigno (born November 9, 1951) is an American bodybuilder and actor. Ferrigno has appeared in such TV 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 recurring role, as himself, in the sitcom The King of Queens.

Ferrigno was born in Brooklyn, New York to 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 second on his first attempt at the Mr. Olympia competition. He then came third the following year, and his attempt to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger was the subject of the 1975 documentary Pumping Iron. Following this, Ferrigno left the competition circuit for many years.