![]() In 1994 Lou competed in the first ever IFBB Masters Mr. Placing 12th at this contest, then returning the following year only to garner 10th at this same show - and an accompanying lesson in humility - before stating that he was just happy to prove to himself that he could once again be the best he could be under the circumstances, demonstrates the good sportsmanship and realistic outlook he possesses, further qualities that set the great Lou Ferrigno apart. Olympia in Helsinki, Finland, after 17 years away from the game, does much to underscore his amazing self-belief. The fact Lou returned to bodybuilding to compete in the 1992 IFBB Mr. Having firsthand experience in reaching the top despite the odds, Lou is living testimony to the power of positive thought and man's inherent ability to maximize his potential. Still heavily involved in the bodybuilding industry (pun intended) Lou is today living large at around 250 pounds of solid muscle, still represents the Weider Company and travels the US giving seminars to bodybuilding and corporate audiences alike.Ĭentral to his talks is the concept of facing one's fears and overcoming obstacles, topics he is intimately acquainted with. Standing tall.Īnd bodybuilding has remained Lou's first love. But to his bodybuilding fans Lou will be best remembered as one of the sport's true greats, a legend standing literally head and shoulders above the rest. He has also transitioned his acting talents to the stage as a serious theatrical performer (with staring roles in Arsenic and Old Lace and Requiem for a Heavyweight) and will appear once again in The Hulk (the 2008 version), to be screened on June 13. With over 20 feature films to his credit, including Cage One and Two, Hercules, Sinbad and the Seven Seas and, of course, Pumping Iron, Lou has proven his acting worth. Olympia contest, the 1975 Pretoria, South Africa affair famously documented on the 1977 landmark production and cult bodybuilding movie, Pumping Iron.Īfter placing third to his boyhood idol and the most famous bodybuilder of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, at the '74 Olympia ( Serge Nubret came second), Lou parleyed the massive look he had attained (he was at the time the most muscular man in the world at 285 pounds, cut) into a Hollywood career and instantly became the most recognizable bodybuilder in the world as, fittingly, one of the comic book heroes he had dreamed of becoming as a youth: The Incredible Hulk.Īnd while Arnold went on to claim seven Olympia titles, Lou became a major screen star and an internationally renowned fitness trainer, the latter career blossoming as much from Lou's onscreen notoriety as from the training expertise he had gained during his extensive bodybuilding and fitness career. ![]() At 23 he was one of the youngest men to enter the Mr. Universe twice consecutively (in 1973 and '74) and, at six feet, five inches, and 21 years old, the tallest and youngest man to ever do so. Today he is recognized worldwide as one of the two biggest superstars in the history of bodybuilding and fitness, as a man who has redefined the word superhero and served as inspiration to his legions of fans.Ī lifelong admirer of the muscular physique and one of bodybuilding's strongest, most passionate advocates and devotees, Lou Ferrigno has made his mark in more ways than one on a sport that has given him so much since he picked up his first barbell at age 12.įirst of all there is his bodybuilding career: the only man to have won the IFBB Mr. As a child, Louis Jude Ferrigno lived a life of seclusion due to severe hearing loss resulting from an ear infection diagnosed at age three, experienced extreme shyness and difficulty forming friendships, and constantly fantasized about adding weight to his unhealthy skinny physique to become muscular and powerful, just like the comic book heroes he wished to emulate. ![]()
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