Lou Albano

Lou Albano (born July 29, 1933) was a professional wrestler and one-time voice of Mario for the Nintendo series.

For most of his career, he was a notorious heel both as a wrestler and as a manager, working for World Wrestling Entertainment (then called the World Wrestling Federation, or WWF). He wore rubber bands through his facial cheeks. In 1982, he and Ray "The Crippler" Stevens turned on Superfly Jimmy Snuka, causing Snuka to become a fan favorite. Stevens piledrove Snuka on the cement floor (kayfabe) back before there were mats on the arena floor outside the ring.

Lou also managed the Wild Samoans when they were WWF World Tag Team Champions. He had a memorable feud with rock star Cyndi Lauper in the mid-1980s during the "Rock n Wrestling" era around the time of Wrestlemania I.

In a departure from his primarily villainous roles in the WWF, Albano played Mario in the live action segments of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show from 1989 to 1991, and voiced the character in the animated segments. He also played the part of a "fixer" in the Brian De Palma film Wise Guys.

Championships

Awards

• Lou won the Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) Manager of the Year Award 3 times: 1974, 1981 and 1986. He also was awarded the 1994 PWI Editor's Award.