Lou Ferrigno

Background

Louis Jude Ferrigno Sr. was born on November 9, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York, to Victoria and Matt Ferrigno, a police lieutenant and he is of Italian descent. He was bullied for his speech impediment and hearing impairment which wasn’t diagnosed until he was three years old. As a result of the will to defend himself and an obsession for power, he started reading comic books such as “Hulk” and “Spider-Man.” Ferrigno started weight training when he was 13 with Steve Reeves as one of his role models. He made his own weights using a broomstick and pails partially filled with cement because he couldn’t afford to buy weights.

Ferrigno won his first major title, I.F.B.B. Mr. America after graduating high school in 1969 and four years later, he won the title I.F.B.B. Mr. Universe. Ferrigno lived in Columbus, Ohio and trained with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The documentary, “Pumping Iron” made him famous with his attempt at beating Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Mr. Olympia title being the subject of the documentary. In 1977, he competed in his first World’s Strongest Man competition, finishing in fourth place. Ferrigno returned to bodybuilding in the early 1990s and he competed in the 1992 and 1993 Mr. Olympia competitions, finishing in 12th and 10th place respectively. He then went on to compete in the 1994 Masters Olympia. This was captured in the 1996 documentary “Stand Tall” after which he retired from competing.

Ferrigno had a brief acting career in the 1970s and 1980s which included several European-produced fantasy adventures. He also played himself in the CBS sitcom, “The King and Queens” beginning in 2000 until 2007. He was also a personal trainer to the famous American singer, Michael Jackson, beginning in the early 1990s until the death of the singer in 2009.