04/01/2024
DID YOU KNOW?
Louis Jude Ferrigno Sr. (/fəˈrɪɡnoʊ/; born November 9, 1951) is an American actor and retired professional bodybuilder. As a bodybuilder, Ferrigno won an IFBB Mr. America title and two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles; and appeared in the documentary film Pumping Iron. As an actor, he is best known for his title role in the CBS television series The Incredible Hulk and vocally reprising the role in subsequent animated and computer-generated incarnations. He has also appeared in European-produced fantasy-adventures such as Sinbad of the Seven Seas and Hercules, and as himself in the sitcom The King of Queens and the 2009 comedy I Love You, Man.
Ferrigno was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Victoria and Matt Ferrigno, a police lieutenant. He is of Italian descent. Soon after he was born, Ferrigno says he believes he had a series of ear infections and lost 75% to 80% of his hearing, though his condition was not diagnosed until he was three years old. Hearing loss and his speech impediment caused Ferrigno to be bullied by peers during his childhood who called him "deaf" and "mute". He began reading comic books such as Hulk and Spider-Man at this time, later saying "I was obsessed with power", and "I wanted to be strong enough so that I could be able to defend myself". (1)
Ferrigno did attend the Public School for the Deaf in Manhattan for a short while.
Ferrigno started weight training at the age of 13, citing bodybuilder and Hercules star Steve Reeves as one of his role models. Because he could not afford to buy weights, he made his own using a broomstick and pails which he partially filled with cement. He was also a fan of the Hercules films that starred Reeves. Ferrigno attended St. Athanasius Grammar School and Brooklyn Technical High School, where he learned metal working.
(1) Mazziotta, Julie (May 20, 2021). "Incredible Hulk's Lou Ferrigno Is Fixing His Lifelong Hearing Problem: 'A Dream Come True'". People. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
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