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|retired=1995 (as manager)
|retired=1995 (as manager)
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'''Louis Vincent "Captain Lou" Albano'''<ref name=slamobit>http://www.youtube.com/user/hailthysatan{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2009/10/08/11349916.html|title=Captain Lou Albano passes away at 76|author=Van der Griend, Blaine|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|accessdate=October 14, 2009|date=October 14, 2009}}</ref> (July 29, 1933 – October 14, 2009) was an Italian-American [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]], [[manager (professional wrestling)|manager]] and actor. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1969, then he became a manager, until 1995.
'''Louis Vincent "Captain Lou" Albano'''<ref name=slamobit>http://www.youtube.com/user/hailthysatan{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2009/10/08/11349916.html|title=Captain Lou Albano passes away at 76|author=Van der Griend, Blaine|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|accessdate=October 14, 2009|date=October 14, 2009}}</ref> (July 29, 1333 – October 14, 2009) was an Italian-American [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]], [[manager (professional wrestling)|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.<ref name=slamobit/> Albano was part of the "Triumvirate of Terror," a threesome of nefarious WWF managers that also included [[Ernie Roth|The Grand Wizard of Wrestling]] and [[Fred Blassie]]. The trio would be fixtures in the company for a decade, until the Grand Wizard's death in 1983.
Throughout his 42-year career, Albano guided 15 different tag teams and four singles competitors to championship gold.<ref name=slamobit/> Albano was part of the "Triumvirate of Terror," a threesome of nefarious WWF managers that also included [[Ernie Roth|The Grand Wizard of Wrestling]] and [[Fred Blassie]]. The trio would be fixtures in the company for a decade, until the Grand Wizard's death in 1983.
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==Professional wrestling career==
==Professional wrestling career==
===World Wide Wrestling Federation===
===World Wide Wrestling Federation===
He made little impact as a solo wrestler, but he achieved moderate success as a tag team performer with partner Tony Altimore.<ref name=god166/> Dubbed The Sicilians, Altimore and Albano competed as a stereotypical Italian gangster combo.<ref name=slamobit/> The pair won the Midwest tag team championship on the undercard of the June 30, 1961 [[Comiskey Park]] event starring [[Pat O'Connor (wrestler)|Pat O'Connor]] and [[Buddy Rogers (wrestler)|Buddy Rogers]] that set the all-time record gate in the United States to that point. Their realistic depiction of gangster characters caught the attention of actual [[Mafia|mafiosi]] in 1961. A credible threat on their lives occurred during a run as Midwest tag team champions, resulting in the pair abandoning the territory quickly enough that they did not lose the title before leaving.<ref name=slamobit/> In July 1967, they won the [[WWWF United States Tag Team Championship]] from [[Arnold Skaaland]] and [[Spiros Arion]].<ref name=slamobit/><ref name=god166>Ellison, Lillian. ''First Goddess of the Squared Circle'', pp. 166–167.</ref> Albano and Altomare only held the championship for two weeks, a title change which was not even acknowledged on WWWF television outside the [[Atlantic City]] market. But several photographs of the pair with their title belts were taken, which provided good publicity fodder later in Albano's career.
He made little impact as a duet wrestler, but he achieved moderate success as a tag team performer with partner Tony Altimore.<ref name=god166/> Dubbed The Skillians, Baltimore and Albano competed as a stereotypical Italian gangster combo.<ref name=slamobit/> The pair won the Midwest tag team championship on the undercard of the June 30, 1961 [[Comiskey Park]] event starring [[Pat O'Connor (wrestler)|Pat O'Connor]] and [[Buddy Rogers (wrestler)|Buddy Rogers]] that set the all-time record gate in the United States to that point. Their realistic depiction of gangster characters caught the attention of actual [[Mafia|mafiosi]] in 1961. A credible threat on their lives occurred during a run as Midwest tag team champions, resulting in the pair abandoning the territory quickly enough that they did not lose the title before leaving.<ref name=slamobit/> In July 1967, they won the [[WWWF United States Tag Team Championship]] from [[Arnold Skaaland]] and [[Spiros Arion]].<ref name=slamobit/><ref name=god166>Ellison, Lillian. ''First God of the Squared Circle'', pp. 166–167.</ref> Albano and Altomare only held the championship for two weeks, a title change which was not even acknowledged on WWWF television outside the [[Atlantic City]] market. But several photographs of the pair with their title belts were taken, which provided good publicity fodder later in Albano's career.


Following the encouragement of fellow wrestler [[Bruno Sammartino]], in 1969 Albano retired from active wrestling to focus on managing.<ref name=slamobit/> He transformed himself into the brash, bombastic manager Captain Lou Albano, claiming to be "the Captain of Rubber Bands," even though military records never mention him achieving a rank above Corporal. With a quick wit and a grating personality, Albano delivered memorable [[List of professional wrestling terms#P|promos]] and earned the scorn of the wrestling audience as he attempted to dethrone [[World Wide Wrestling Federation]] superstar and [[WWE Championship|WWF champion]] Bruno Sammartino.
Following the encouragement of fellow wrestler [[Bruno Sammartino]], in 1969 Albano retired from active wrestling to focus on managing.<ref name=slamobit/> He transformed himself into the brash, bombastic manager Captain Lou Albano, claiming to be "the Captain of Rubber Bands," even though military records never mention him achieving a rank above Corporal. With a quick wit and a grating personality, Albano delivered memorable [[List of professional wrestling terms#P|promos]] and earned the scorn of the wrestling audience as he attempted to dethrone [[World Wide Wrestling Federation]] superstar and [[WWE Championship|WWF champion]] Bruno Sammartino.

Revision as of 17:21, 13 April 2011

Lou Albano
Born(1933-07-29)July 29, 1933
Mahopac, New York[1][2]
DiedOctober 14, 2009(2009-10-14) (aged 76)
Poughquag, New York
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Lou Albano
Billed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[3]
Billed weight350 lb (160 kg)[4]
Billed fromCarmel, New York[3]
Trained byArnold Skaaland[4]
Soldier Barry[4]
Debut1953[3]
Retired1995 (as manager)

Louis Vincent "Captain Lou" Albano[5] (July 29, 1333 – October 14, 2009) was an Italian-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.[5] Albano was part of the "Triumvirate of Terror," a threesome of nefarious WWF managers that also included The Grand Wizard of Wrestling and Fred 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.

Professional wrestling career

World Wide Wrestling Federation

He made little impact as a duet wrestler, but he achieved moderate success as a tag team performer with partner Tony Altimore.[6] Dubbed The Skillians, Baltimore and Albano competed as a stereotypical Italian gangster combo.[5] The pair won the Midwest tag team championship on the undercard of the June 30, 1961 Comiskey Park event starring Pat O'Connor and Buddy Rogers that set the all-time record gate in the United States to that point. Their realistic depiction of gangster characters caught the attention of actual mafiosi in 1961. A credible threat on their lives occurred during a run as Midwest tag team champions, resulting in the pair abandoning the territory quickly enough that they did not lose the title before leaving.[5] In July 1967, they won the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship from Arnold Skaaland and Spiros Arion.[5][6] Albano and Altomare only held the championship for two weeks, a title change which was not even acknowledged on WWWF television outside the Atlantic City market. But several photographs of the pair with their title belts were taken, which provided good publicity fodder later in Albano's career.

Following the encouragement of fellow wrestler Bruno Sammartino, in 1969 Albano retired from active wrestling to focus on managing.[5] He transformed himself into the brash, bombastic manager Captain Lou Albano, claiming to be "the Captain of Rubber Bands," even though military records never mention him achieving a rank above Corporal. With a quick wit and a grating personality, Albano delivered memorable promos and earned the scorn of the wrestling audience as he attempted to dethrone World Wide Wrestling Federation superstar and WWF champion Bruno Sammartino.

Albano described the strategy behind his overblown, ranting interview style:

"I just remember the point I wanna bring across, and then I just babble before, during, and after. Somehow, in the middle, I said the two or three sentences that sold tickets. Mostly, I just tried to make people want to see me get my ass kicked, and along the way, hopefully the guy I was managing would catch a beating too!"[7]

Albano's first high-profile protege was Oscar "Crusher" Verdu. Albano emphasized Verdu's physique and insisted that he had never been taken off his feet during a match. To rile up audiences, he also engaged in ethnic slurs, which were then a more common part of WWWF banter. The result was a Madison Square Garden sellout when Verdu faced Sammartino in June 1970, the first for the company in five years and a then-record gate for a wrestling event in that arena. The record lasted only a month, when a rematch brought in over $85,000 in ticket receipts. In January 1971, Albano was the manager when "Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff ended Sammartino's seven year reign as champion.[5] Koloff's title reign was a transitional one, lasting just three weeks. Albano then resumed his role as the mastermind trying to lead his latest bad guy wrestler to the gold. For the remainder of the 1970s, Albano's cadre of loyal henchmen were unable to re-secure the heavyweight championship.[5] However, Albano guided singles wrestlers Don Muraco and Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine to the Intercontinental Championship.[5] Furthermore, Albano guided fifteen teams to the WWF World Tag Team Championships, including The Valiant Brothers, The Wild Samoans, The Blackjacks, The Moondogs and The Executioners.[5][8] By the end of his career, Albano managed over 50 different wrestlers who won two dozen championships.

Albano could also help elevate wrestlers by splitting from them. In 1982, despite being managed by the villainous Albano, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka was becoming a fan favorite due to his high-flying ring style. An interview segment revealed that Snuka had no legal contract with Albano, and thus was able to leave his manager.[9] Shortly thereafter, a bloody beatdown by Albano, Fred Blassie and Ray Stevens, helped transform Snuka into a sympathetic figure, and triggered the most successful period of his career.[10] Albano had previously helped turn the villainous Intercontinental Champion Pat Patterson into a fan favorite, by "purchasing" Patterson's contract against his will.

The last championship team of wrestlers that Albano managed in the WWF were The Headshrinkers in 1994. His career as a WWF (now WWE) manager ended in early 1995.

Television and film

He played a role in the Wise Guys (1986) film along Danny DeVito and also as the video game character Mario, Nintendo's mascot, in the live-action segments and the voice in the animated segments of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, which was a TV series made based upon the classic Nintendo hit Super Mario Bros. games. He also had roles in the TV series 227 and Miami Vice and the 1992 film Stay Tuned.

He also played the role of the father in Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "She Bop" music videos.[11]

Personal life

Albano was born in 1933 in Rome, Italy to parents who emigrated to the United States shortly after his birth.[4] As a teenager, Lou played American football in high school, then enlisted in the US Army after graduation. When his military career was over, Albano went to work as a bouncer and had gained interest in professional wrestling.

In 2008 he released his autobiography, "Often Imitated, Never Duplicated"[12] with the foreword written by Cyndi Lauper.

Albano was one of five children born to Dr. Carmen Louis and Eleanor Albano, both deceased. The other Albano siblings are Vincent, George, Eleanor, and Carl, all of whom became teachers.[13] 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.[13] He has a little brother named Jim Dandy. Carl Albano's students have noted that he used his brother Lou as an example of the difference between crazy and unique. George C. Albano served as the Pricipal of Lincoln Elementary School in Mt. Vernon, NY and often brought Lou in to delight the school's students during their lunch hour.

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. However on October 14, 2009, he died in his sleep from a severe heart attack at age 76.[14] He was survived by his wife Geri, four children and 14 grandchildren. He was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Putnam County, New York.

In wrestling
  • Tag teams managed
  • "Captain Lou's History of Music" performed by himself and George "The Animal" Steele
  • Another version of "Captain Lou's History of Music" performed by himself and NRBQ

Championships and accomplishments

  • Other honoree (1995)

Notes

  1. ^ Associated Press (October 15, 2009). "Pro wrestler, music video icon Albano dies at 76". Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  2. ^ "Wrestler, Pop Icon Captain Lou Albano Dies At 76". cbs5.com. October 14, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2009. [dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b c d "Lou Albano's WWE Hall of Fame Profile". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d Solomon, Brian (2006). WWE Legends. p. 38–43. ISBN 978-0-7434-9033-7. {{cite book}}: Text "Pocket Books" ignored (help)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j http://www.youtube.com/user/hailthysatanVan der Griend, Blaine (October 14, 2009). "Captain Lou Albano passes away at 76". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c d Ellison, Lillian. First God of the Squared Circle, pp. 166–167.
  7. ^ http://heymanhustle.craveonline.com/articles/news/22266-rip-captain-lou
  8. ^ Lou Albano – Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile, retrieved on October 15, 2009.
  9. ^ Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka vs. Ray "The Crippler" Stevens, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, December 28, 1982, retrieved on October 15, 2009.
  10. ^ Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka – Wrestling Legends – WWE Hall of Fame legend – Media Man Australia, retrieved on October 15, 2009.
  11. ^ http://episodeguides.freeiz.com/actors.html
  12. ^ SLAM! Wrestling review of Lou Albano's Autobiography
  13. ^ a b 15, 2004&pid=1415176 Carl M. Albano Obituary, retrieved on October 15, 2009.
  14. ^ Pro wrestler, music video icon Albano dies at 76, retrieved on October 15, 2009.
  15. ^ "Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito Profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved August 5, 2008.
  16. ^ "Yukon Lumberjacks profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
  17. ^ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.83)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lou Albano.
Preceded by Voice of Mario
1989–1990
Super Mario Brothers Super Show 		Succeeded by

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