Louis Albano

Acting · 1.2 popularity

Age

Movies

Born: July 29, 1933 – October 14, 2009
From: Rome, Lazio, Italy

Biography

Louis Vincent "Captain Lou" Albano was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, manager and actor. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1969, then he became a manager, until 1995. Throughout his 42-year career, Albano guided 15 different tag teams and four singles competitors to championship gold. Albano was part of the "Triumvirate of Terror," a threesome of nefarious WWF managers that also included The Grand Wizard of Wrestling and Freddie Blassie. The trio would be fixtures in the company for a decade, until the Grand Wizard's death in 1983. A unique showman, with an elongated beard, rubber band facial piercings, and loud outfits, Albano was the forefather of the 1980s Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection. Collaborating with Cyndi Lauper, Albano helped usher in wrestling's crossover success with a mainstream audience. Capitalizing on his success, he later ventured into Hollywood with various television, film, and music projects. He became well-known to a new generation of fans as the actor and voice of Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! In 1953, Albano married his high school sweetheart, Geraldine Tango. The marriage lasted 56 years, until his death. Albano has been noted by several others for his faithfulness to his wife, a rare characteristic in the on-the-road world of 1970s and 1980s professional wrestling. Albano released his autobiography, Often Imitated, Never Duplicated, on July 20, 2008 through his website. The book includes a foreword by Cyndi Lauper. The other Albano siblings are Vincent, George, Eleanor, and Carl, all of whom became teachers. Albano's brother, Carl, taught health for 32 years at Ridgewood High School in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and was head of the Ridgewood High health department from 1974 until 2001. Carl's students have noted that he used his brother Lou as an example of the difference between crazy and unique. George served as the Principal of Lincoln Elementary School in Mount Vernon, New York and often brought Lou in to delight the school's students during their lunch hour. Vincent was an art teacher and lived part-time in a lake house in Connecticut. Eleanor was a music teacher for preschool students in Connecticut and impacts the lives of countless students through music. Albano's son, Carl Albano, has been a member of the Putnam County Legislature since 2011. During the 1990s, Albano shed 150 pounds (70 kg) following a health scare. In May 2005, Albano suffered a heart attack, but later recovered. Albano was sent home from the hospital and again began watching his health. The song "Captain Lou" by Kimya Dawson is dedicated to him. In 1983 the band NRBQ wrote a song about Albano called "Captain Lou." Albano was featured as a singer on that song as well on another called "Boardin' House Pie." Both of these songs appear on NRBQ's Tap Dancin' Bats compilation, their Lou and Q spoken-word comedy record, as well as their out-of-print, hard-to-find single which Albano used to sell at his wrestling matches. Albano died on October 14, 2009 of a heart attack while residing in hospice care.He was 76 years old.

Works

61 films

Stay Tuned

19926.2

Wise Guys

19865.4

Internet Fear

2005

The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers

20065.5

WWE Greatest Wrestling Factions

201410.0

WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology

20067.9

Lipstick & Dynamite

20056.4

Body Slam

19865.1

WWE Grudge Match

1986

Footlong

20027.0

WWE Survivor Series 1996

19967.4

WrestleMania II

19866.4

Wrestling's Bloopers, Bleeps, & Bodyslams

198510.0

All-Star Rock 'N' Wrestling Saturday Spectacular

1985

Sid & Marty Krofft's Redeye Express

1988

WWE Showdown at Shea '80

1980

Cyndi Lauper: 12 Deadly Cyns... and Then Some

19948.5

George "The Animal" Steele

1987

German Fan Favorites

1994

WrestleMania

19856.6

Villains of the Squared Circle

1986

WWE Survivor Series 1994

19947.3

Tag Team Champions

1986

WWE King of the Ring 1994

19947.4

WWE SummerSlam 1994

19946.7

Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports

1987

Man and Cat

20017.0

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Mario's Magic Carpet

1989

The Life and Times of Captain Lou Albano

198610.0

Below the Belt

19806.7

WWE Paul Bearer's Hits From the Crypt

1994

WWE The Big Event

19868.0

The Best of the WWF: volume 6

1986

The Best of the WWF: volume 7

1986

Best of the WWF Volume 1

1985

Mafioso: The Father The Son

20046.7

WWE at Madison Square Garden: October 17, 1983

1983

Legends Never Die

2006

Best of the WWF Volume 2

1985

Most Unusual Matches

19859.0

The Best of the WWF: volume 4

1985

Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story

20067.5

The British Bulldogs

19864.0

The Boys Behind the Desk

20007.0

WWE The Brawl to End it All

198410.0

The Macho Man Randy Savage & Elizabeth

1986

The WWF's Amazing Managers

1985

Cyndi Lauper: Japanese Singles Collection - Greatest Hits

2019

The Undertaker's Dozen

200310.0

WWF Countdown to The Crowning

1994

Heroes of Wrestling

19991.0

Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!

19856.0

WWE Hall Of Fame 1996

1996

It's a Complex World

19925.8

13th Grade

20057.0

WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: October '84

1984

WWE at Madison Square Garden: June 30, 1973

1973

Hot Ice, No-one Is Safe

20102.0

WWE: The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers

200410.0

The Best of the WWF: volume 8

1986

Ivan Koloff the Most Hated Man in America

2003