Lou Ferrigno known as the Hulk. Lou Ferrigno Ferrigno was born in Brooklyn, New York to an Italian-American family, the son of Matthew, a New York City Policeman who, according to Lou, was often very critical and negative towards him. At the age of three, Lou suffered ear infection and permanently lost his hearing. Ferrigno started weight training at age 12, citing body builder and Hercules star Steve Reeves as one of his role models. After graduating at Brooklyn Technical High School in Ferrigno won his first major titles, IFBB Mr. America and Mr. Universe, four years later. In 1974, Lou came in second on his first attempt at the Mr. Olympia competition. He then came third the following year, and his attempt to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger was the subject of the 1975 documentary Pumping Iron. Following this, Ferrigno left the competition circuit for many years. Ferrigno competed in the first World's Strongest Man contest in 1977, where he finished fourth in a field of eight competitors. While competing, Ferrigno commonly went to see a physician who checked up on whether he was doing damage to his body.At his peak, the 6 ft 5 (195 cm) Ferrigno's contest weight was 285 lb (130 kg) and he was one of the tallest professional bodybuilders at that time. While he never beat Schwarzenegger in bodybuilding, Ferrigno did have one triumph over his Austrian rival: the role of the Hulk on the 1970s television series.