image of Louis Albano
Birthday: Jul 29, 1933
Place of Birth: Rome, Lazio, Italy

Louis Albano

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.

Filmography
Movie Cast Year
Wise Guys Frank "The Fixer" Acavano 1986
WrestleMania Capt. Lou Albano (Manager) 1985
It's a Complex World Boris Lee 1992
WrestleMania II Capt. Lou Albano (Manager) 1986
Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story Self 2006
Body Slam Capt. Lou Murano 1986
WWE Paul Bearer's Hits from the Crypt Capt. Lou Albano (Manager) 1994
German Fan Favorites 2 Capt. Lou Albano 1994
The British Bulldogs Capt. Lou Albano 1986
The Macho Man Randy Savage & Elizabeth Capt. Lou Albano (Manager) 1986
WWE Villains of The Squared Circle Capt. Lou Albano 1986
Lipstick & Dynamite, Piss & Vinegar: The First Ladies of Wrestling Himself 2005
Mafioso: The Father The Son Doc 2004
The Undertaker's Dozen Lou Costanza 2003
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology Captain Lou Albano 2006
13th Grade Lou Albano 2005
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports Capt. Lou Albano 1987
The Boys Behind the Desk 2000
WWE Showdown at Shea '80 Capt. Lou Albano (Manager) 1980
Ivan Koloff the Most Hated Man in America Himself 2003
The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers Captain Lou Albano 2006
The Best of the WWF: volume 4 Capt. Lou Albano (Manager) 1985
The Best of the WWF: volume 6 Capt. Lou Albano (Manager) 1986
The Best of the WWF: volume 8 Capt. Lou Albano 1986
The Best of the WWF: volume 7 Capt. Lou Albano 1986
WWE Survivor Series 1996 Capt. Lou Albano (Appearance) 1996
The WWF's Most Unusual Matches Captain Lou Albano 1985
Best of the WWF Volume 1 Capt. Lou Albano (Manager) 1985
Best of the WWF Volume 2 Capt. Lou Albano (Manager) 1985
WWF's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest Captain Lou Albano 1985
Cyndi Lauper: 12 Deadly Cyns... and Then Some 1994
Cyndi Lauper: The Goonies 'R' Good Enough Cyndi's Father 1985
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: October '84 Capt. Lou Albano (Manager) 1984
The Life and Times of Captain Lou Albano Self 1986
Wrestling's Bloopers, Bleeps and Bodyslams! Self 1985
Internet Fear 2005
WWE: The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers 2004
Stay Tuned Ring Announcer 1992
The True Story of WrestleMania Captain Lou Albano (archive footage) 2011
Legends Never Die 2006
WWE Hall Of Fame 1996 1996
Tag Team Champions Lou Albano 1986
Heroes of Wrestling Capt. Lou Albano 1999
WWE The Brawl to End it All Capt. Lou Albano 1984
WWE The Big Event Capt. Lou Albano 1986
WWE The Countdown to The Crowning Capt. Lou Albano 1994
WWE King of the Ring 1994 Capt. Lou Albano (Manager) 1994
WWE SummerSlam 1994 Capt. Lou Albano 1994
WWE Survivor Series 1994 Capt. Lou Albano (Manager) 1994
Hot Ice, No-one Is Safe Frankie the Hat 2010
Cyndi Lauper: Japanese Singles Collection - Greatest Hits Self (archive footage) 2019
WWE Greatest Wrestling Factions Capt. Lou Albano 2014
Biography: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (archive footage) 2021
All-Star Rock 'N' Wrestling Saturday Spectacular Self 1985
Sid & Marty Krofft's Redeye Express 1988
WWE at Madison Square Garden: July 30, 1973 Capt. Lou Albano 1973
Series Cast Year
Miami Vice 1984
227 1985
WWE Raw 1993
Dark Side of the Ring 2019
WWE Raw Capt. Lou Albano 1993
WWE Raw Capt. Lou Albano (archive footage) 1993
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Mario 1989
WWF Wrestling Challenge Capt. Lou Albano 1986
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