Lou Ferrigno was born in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn on Nov. 9, 1951, the son of a NYC police lieutenant. He attended St. Athanasius Grammar School and Brooklyn Technical High School. In spite of hearing problems, he became a famous bodybuilder. Lou has won every major title in the bodybuilding field, including Teenage Mr. America (’71), Mr. America (’73), Mr. Universe (’73), Mr. International (’74) and Mr. Universe again (’74). His physical attributes are awesome: 6'5", 275 pounds, 59-inch chest, 19-inch neck, 22-inch biceps.

Fresh from those trophies, Lou decided to become a football player, signing with the Toronto Argonauts. The team was delighted to have a human bulldozer on its line, but during a scrimmage Lou blocked another player and broke the man’s legs. Lou, a sensitive man, was so upset by the incident he quit football and moved to Los Angeles to pursue bodybuilding instead. Several months later he won a part in the movie Pumping Iron (‘77), as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s rival for the Mr. Olympia title. This led to an interest in acting. Next came the role of Bill Bixby’s snarling alter-ego in “The Incredible Hulk,� which was first seen as a TV movie in November 1977 and became a hit series the following spring. A movie version was made of the Jekyll-Hyde type story in which Bill Bixby turns into a powerful seven-foot monster (Ferrigno) when enraged. This film was followed by TV feature sequels: “The Return of the Hulk� (1977), “The Incredible Hulk Returns� (1988) and “The Trial of the Incredible Hulk� (1989).

It was during the run of “Hulk� that Lou decided to do something about a handicap that had dogged him since youth. As the result of an inner-ear infection as a child, Lou was 60 percent deaf and he had a halting speech pattern characteristic of children who grow up unable to hear the sound of their own voice. He worked diligently to overcome his speech impediment, accepting dozens of speaking engagements and appearances on talk shows — any public event where he would be required to talk. He became a spokesman for hearing-and-speech-impairment associations and during the episodes of TV’s “Trauma Center� (’83) was seen in stories urging understanding of the problem, especially as it effects children. “We are all handicapped,� he points out. “Some more noticeably than others.�

— Vernon Parker

Questions? Comments? Sound off to the Editor

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2009 All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law. Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net