Lou Ferrigno first received acclaim as the youngest man to win the title of Mr. Universe at the tender young age of 21, a record which still stands today.
Ferrigno went on to win the contest the following year as well, making him the only man to win back-to-back titles. Those accomplishments led to a starring role in the body-building film
Pumping Iron (1977), which also featured Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film brought body-building into the mainstream and catapulted Ferrigno into the role for which he became most widely known, that of The Incredible Hulk.
Ferrigno first portrayed the jade giant in the 1977 TV movie,
The Incredible Hulk: Death in the Family, and then went on to star in
The Incredible Hulk TV series from 1978-1982, as well as another made-for-TV movie in 1979,
Bride of The Incredible Hulk. After the series was cancelled, Ferrigno reprised the role in
The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988),
Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989) and
The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990). Ferrigno once again had an opportunity to portray the Hulk when he voiced the character in the 1996 animated TV series.
Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee’s attempt at reinvigorating the character fell flat when his
Hulk (2003) was both critically panned and a financial disaster for Universal Pictures, despite receiving several award nominations. The non-sequel
The Incredible Hulk, due out next year, is directed by Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, Transporter 2) and stars Edward Norton (The Illusionist), Liv Tyler (Reign Over Me), Tim Roth (Dark Water) and William Hurt (Mr. Brooks).
When asked by MTV if he would be involved in the upcoming film, Ferrigno said,
"I just finished filming. It's a spectacular movie. Very impressive." Ferrigno’s role will likely be little more than a cameo, as was his role in Ang Lee’s film, when he played “Head of Security,” but he did get a chance to speak with Edward Norton about the Hulk, saying,
“He's not just doing another movie, he wanted to be involved with the character. I think that's going to bring it to the next level.” The Incredible Hulk is scheduled to be released June 13, 2008.