Lou Ferrigno is a popular American actor, fitness trainer, and former professional bodybuilder who has won the IFBB Mr. America once and the IFBB Mr. Universe twice. As an actor, he is known for the sitcom Incredible Hulk, which aired on CBS, and he has also starred in a number of movies and television shows and was the subject of the documentary film Pumping Iron, which earned him celebrity status.
Let’s go through his background data, his hearing problems, his marriages, and his fortune.
Who Is Lou Ferrigno?
The American actor, fitness trainer, and former bodybuilder has the birth name Louis Jude Ferrigno and was born on November 9, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York, USA, as the son of Victoria Ferrigno and Matt Ferrigno. Although he is of Italian descent, Lou has American nationality and his ethnicity is white. It is said that he was interested in strength training at a very young age and attributes his passion for the sport to Hercules’s main character Steve Reeves.
He studied at St. Athanasius Grammar School and Brooklyn Technical High School, where he specialized in learning metalworking and graduated in 1969.
His Body Building Days
Lou Ferrigno started his career as a bodybuilder after he graduated from high school. In the same year, he received the IFBB Mr. America title and four years later the IFBB Mr. Universe title. During his early career as a bodybuilder, Lou was taught by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and in 1974 he competed in the 1974 Olympics where he finished second. The following year, despite all his efforts to defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger, he finished third, but he was brought into the limelight when his quest to defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger was the focus of the 1975 documentary film Pumping Iron.
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Lou Ferrigno is also known for finishing fourth in the 1977 competition for the fourth strongest man in the world. After a long break, the bodybuilder returned to the arena in early 1990 and participated in the 1992 and 1993 Mr. Olympia competitions, where he finished 12th and 10th. The following year he participated in Master Olympia, where he tried his best to defeat Robbie Robinson and Boyer Coe, which was also the focus of the 1996 documentary Stand Tall. After the competition, Lou officially retired as a professional bodybuilder.
Lou Ferrigno Acting Career
Lou Ferrigno ventured into acting in 1977 as The Hulk in the CBS television series Incredible Hulk. He has also appeared in several films and television series, including Battle of the Network Stars, Trauma Center, and the CBS sitcom The King of Queens. He also starred in the comedy I love you Man, My two Chad, sang Billy the Hero in the film Adventure time, and appeared in Avengers, Star Trek Continues.
Is He Really Deaf?
It is worth knowing that shortly after his birth, the American actor had an ear infection that was not well treated and spread to a hearing loss that caused him to lose about 80% of his hearing. He started using hearing aids, but the damage was already done and the device could not completely relieve the deafness.
Lou is said to have been greatly intimidated by his peers and was often harassed as they called him “deaf Louie” or “deaf-mute”. Subsequently, he taught himself to read from people’s lips, and this helped him to overcome his inability, as he could communicate fluently with people.
Lou Ferrigno’s Wife & Children
The American professional bodybuilder is married to Carla Green, a psychotherapist who worked as his manager and later as his personal trainer. The couple married in 1980 and currently have three children; a daughter Shannan and two sons Louis Jr. and Brent.
Before marrying Carla, Lou Ferrigno was married to Susan Groff in 1978, but the marriage did not last long, as the duo separated after only one year of marriage.
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Net Worth
It is not known that the former bodybuilder, who became an actor, has earned good income over the years with his efforts, and although the number of his net worth has been given with a lot of numbers at different times, Lou Ferrigno net worth is currently estimated at $6 million.
