A distant cousin and family friend, Lou Duva, introduced Albano to Willie Gilzenberg, a boxing promoter who later became the first titular president of the Albano's father had himself been an amateur wrestler, and Albano himself had been introduced to professional wrestling at an event held at Fort Dix during his tenure in the Army, where he had seen the likes of Gorgeous George, Arnold Skaaland, Soldier Barry, and Lenny Montana-all of whom Albano later worked with. Professional wrestling career Early career (1953–1967) Īlthough Albano's father, retired from medicine, wanted to open an insurance agency with his son, Lou instead began training as a boxer. He then joined the United States Army, but due to a childhood injury exacerbated by his football days, Albano was honorably discharged after only eight months. Albano had conflicts with the dean due to poor behavior and was expelled after attempting to cheat on a final exam. Here, Albano was teammates with the likes of Darris McCord, Doug Atkins, and his roommate, Sam Rutigliano. His skills were such that he received 32 offers of full scholarship from universities around the country, and he chose the University of Tennessee on the strength of their football team. It was this rank that later inspired his wrestling moniker, "Captain" Lou Albano. Lou attended Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York, where he competed in track and field, and finally rose to the position of captain of the football team. The family settled in the Mount Vernon area. Lou was one of nine children, of whom five lived to adulthood. He was baptized in the Vatican, and his parents shortly thereafter returned to the New York City area aboard the RMS Majestic. He later co-patented a forceps instrument to assist in breech birth deliveries. Lou was born around the time his father was studying. After marrying, they temporarily relocated to Italy while Carmen pursued his medical degree at the University of Bari. Her brother, a physician, introduced her to Carmen in the 1930s, who was training to be an obstetrician. Eleanor was a classical concert pianist who had performed at Carnegie Hall and later became a registered nurse. His parents, Carmen Louis Albano and Eleanor Albano née Morrone, were of Italian heritage but both born in the United States. Super Show! Early life Īlbano was born on July 29, 1933, in Rome. He became well known to a younger generation of fans as the actor and voice of Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Capitalizing on his success, he later ventured into Hollywood with various television, film, and music projects. Working first with NRBQ and later with Cyndi Lauper, Albano helped usher in wrestling's crossover success with a mainstream audience. The trio was a fixture in the company for a decade until The Grand Wizard's death in 1983.Ī unique showman, with an elongated beard, rubber band, facial piercings, and loud outfits, Albano was the forefather of the 1980s Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection. Albano was one of the "Triumvirate of Terror", a threesome of nefarious WWF managers which included The Grand Wizard of Wrestling and Freddie Blassie. Over the course of his 42-year career, Albano guided 15 different tag teams and three singles competitors to championship gold. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1969, before becoming a manager until 1996. Louis Vincent Albano (J– October 14, 2009) was an Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor, who performed under the ring/stage name " Captain" Lou Albano.
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