With his enormously popular role of the Incredible Hulk, in the late 1970s television show of the same name, bodybuilder-turned-actor Lou Ferrigno cemented himself in the public consciousness with his gentle green giant characterization. But while his physique may have landed him the superhero part, it was his emotional range that made the violent character both believable and sympathetic and which helped him to land additional parts and public service gigs even decades later.
Born Nov. 9, 1952, Ferrigno was raised in Brooklyn, NY. During his childhood, he developed a severe ear infection that would forever change his life. The significant hearing loss forced him to wear a bulky hearing aid with a battery strapped across his chest. This contraption never failed to illicit cruel taunts of fellow children, so young “Louie” coped the best way he knew how – by immersing himself in the worlds of fantasy literature, motion pictures, and most particularly, comic books. He fell in love with the Incredible Hulk the moment he laid eyes on him, seeing in the tortured, misunderstood character a kindred spirit. Little did he know that one day, he would play him – along with his other adolescent hero, Hercules – in adulthood.
Feeling like an outcast while living in a deaf-inducing isolation, the teenager chose to focus his energies on weightlifting. Drawing on his continued inspiration from the Hulk, Ferrigno took weight training very seriously. At just 21, he became the youngest person to hold the title of Mr. Universe, and won again the following year. Ferrigno also played in the Canadian Football League, and eventually moved to California in 1976 to pursue bodybuilding as a career.
Ferrigno began to draw widespread attention after appearing in the popular bodybuilding documentary, “Pumping Iron,” which also featured the up-and-coming Arnold Schwarzenegger. Captured on film talking about his desire to be the Hulk, he caught the attention of television producer Kenneth Johnson, who was looking to fill the role of the temperamental behemoth in his new CBS television series. The show already had its star, Bill Bixby, signed to play the Hulk’s alter ego, David (Bruce) Banner. When the first choice to play the Hulk, actor Ted Cassidy (famous for his roles in James Bond films), was deemed unconvincing, a more muscular actor replacement was sought. Ferrigno easily fit the bill, and, at 6 5”, he beat out the other contender, fellow body-building star Schwarzenegger, who was three inches shorter. Despite his childhood interest in the character, he was initially reluctant to undergo the full-body green makeup job, but eventually acquiesced.
Ferrigno played the Hulk throughout the run of the show from 1978 to 1981. After the show was cancelled following its fifth season, Ferrigno continued acting, appearing on the big screen in 1983’s “Hercules.” Back on television that same year, he landed a regular role of a paramedic on the short-lived medical program, “Trauma Center,” before guesting on shows such as ABC’s “Fall Guy” (1981-86) in 1983 and “Matt Houston” (1982-85) in 1984, as well as NBC’s “Night Court” (1984-1992) in 1985 and the Steven Spielberg-produced, “Amazing Stories” (1985-87), also in 1985 where, as in “The Fall Guy,” he played cameo versions of the Hulk. He appeared again on the big screen in “Sinbad of the Seven Seas” in 1989.
CBS, realizing there was still a nostalgic fan base for the old “Hulk” TV series, brought Ferrigno back to play the Marvel character in three television movies, culminating in “The Death of the Incredible Hulk,” in 1990. After a string of bit parts in TV throughout the early 1990s, he also did voice-over work in for animated versions of The Hulk and The Fantastic Four as part of the “Marvel Action Hour” syndicated programming block.
After a string of bit parts in genre series such as “Conan,” in 1997 and “Black Scorpion,” in 2001, Ferrigno appeared in Universal’s big screen version of the comic hero, “Hulk” in 2003. The actor made his memorable cameo alongside the character’s creator, Stan Lee of Marvel Comics. In 2005, he landed a recurring part in the hit CBS sitcom, “The King of Queens,” playing himself opposite series stars Kevin James and Leah Remini.
In 2004, Ferrigno made yet another cameo – this time on Comedy Central’s cult cop spoof, “Reno, 911!” (2003- ) playing Deputy Cletus Senior. Proving life imitates art, Ferrigno made news again when he became deputized by the real Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, as part of his ongoing interest in law enforcement and working with county youth programs. In 2008, he found himself the focus of a massive Marvel P.R. blitz when he was cast in a cameo role of a bodyguard in the studio's latest version of their beloved hero, "The Incredible Hulk" (2008); this time starring Ed Norton as David Banner, versus Eric Bana in 2003's disappointing "Hulk." Ferrigno also provided the growls of the beast when he would unfortunately get "angry" in the 2008 version.