Louis Jude "Lou" Ferrigno (born November 9, 1951 in Brooklyn, New York City) is a former professional bodybuilder turned actor and fitness consultant of Italian-American descent.
In his bodybuilding days, he won an IFBB Mr. America title and two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles. For a glimpse at his career in that field, there is the documentary Pumping Iron, in which Ferrigno figures as one of the main challengers attempting to overthrow the reigning Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger.
He is most famous for portraying The Incredible Hulk whenever Dr. Banner (Bill Bixby) got angry and turned green, mean and big in the 1970s eponymous series and its attached TV films.
A lesser known fact is that he reprised the role of Hulk through voice acting in the 1990s animated series, then the 2003 film, and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, when CGI technologies allowed to render the monster more convincingly than green paint on his jacked body. He also had a Remake Cameo in both the 2003 film and the MCU's Incredible Hulk film, both as a security guard.
In addition, he also reprised his role as the Hulk in a couple live-action television commercials many years after his run on the show, those being for AGF investments
and Italian mobile phone company T.I.M. in 2001 and 2004 respectively, the latter being his final appearance as the character physically in any medium.
His stature and musculature also got him cast as Classical Mythology hero Hercules in a couple of B-to-Z grade movies in the 1980s.
Has a famously unique speaking voice, the result of losing most of his hearing before he was 3.
His son, Lou Ferrigno Jr., is also an actor.
Roles include:
Film:
- Hercules — As the titular character (1983)
- Sinbad of the Seven Seas — As the titular character (1989)
- The Godson — As Bugsy (1998)
- Hulk — Cameoing alongside Stan Lee as a security guard (2003)
- Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! — As Secret Service Agent Banner (2015)
- Avengers Grimm — As Iron John (2015)
Television:
- The Incredible Hulk (1977) — As the Hulk (1977-82)
- The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988)
- The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989)
- The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990)
- The Incredible Hulk (1996) — As the Hulk (1996-1997)
- The King of Queens — As Lou Ferrigno (2000–07)
- Adventure Time — As Billy (2010-2016)
Others:
- Star Trek Continues — As Zaminhon (2014)
- LEGO Marvel's Avengers — As Lou Ferrigno
Tropes & Trivia about his career:
- I Am Not Leonard Nimoy: Fully embraces this trope to this day, to the point that his autobiography was titled My Incredible Life as the Hulk and when he became a deputy sheriff in New Mexico, his desk name plate said "The Hulk" in quotations between his first and last names. Even as his roles have branched out, he still embraces his status as the big green guy and has no qualms about being most known for the role.
- Older Than They Look: He's approaching his mid-70s but looks like he's around ten or fifteen years younger.
- "Sesame Street" Cred: He appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood along with his co-star Bill Bixby in 1981 when Fred Rogers visits the set of the Hulk show, which is one of the only occasions he is seen speaking while in his Hulk makeup (the other being on The Fall Guy).
- What Could Have Been: He pursued the role of Tigris of Gaul in Gladiator, which eventually went to fellow bodybuilder Sven-Ole Thorsen.
