Actor Lou Ferrigno will speak at ETSU on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. in the D.P. Culp University Center’s Martha Street Culp Auditorium.In his free public talk, held in conjunction with Disability Awareness Month, Ferrigno will discuss his life with a severe hearing impairment and how it motivated him to better himself in many ways, including in the areas of bodybuilding and acting.

Ferrigno, perhaps best known as the star of television’s “The Incredible Hulk,” developed an ear infection as an infant that caused him to lose 85 percent of his hearing.

“This forced me to maximize my own potential,” he says. “I have to be better than the average person to succeed. That’s why I chose bodybuilding. If I became a world champion, if I could win admiration from my peers, I could do anything.”

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Ferrigno once played football for the Toronto Argonauts, but later moved to California to advance his bodybuilding career. He won such titles as Mr. Teenage America, Mr. America and Mr. International, as well as two consecutive Mr. Universe titles.

Along the way, Ferrigno discovered he wanted to act. After persevering to overcome stereotypes of an actor who is deaf, he landed his role in “The Incredible Hulk,” a series which ran for four years. He later starred as Johnny Six in the ABC series “Trauma Center” and held roles in such fantasy films as “Hercules,” “Cage” and “Desert Warrior.” He is also the author ofLou Ferrigno’s Guide to Personal Power, Bodybuilding and Fitness for Everyone. He still maintains a solid body at 260 pounds and stands 6 feet, 5 inches tall.

Doors open at 6:15 p.m. for ETSU students, faculty and staff and at 6:45 p.m. for the public. This event is co-sponsored by ETSU’s Office of Disability Services, Student Government Association, Multicultural Affairs, Student Affairs, and Housing and Residence Life, as well as Atomik Comics.

For more information or special assistance for those with disabilities, call the Office of Disability Services at (423) 439-8346 or e-mail Linda Gibson, director, at gibsonl@etsu.edu, or Brian Edwards, graduate assistant, atedwardsbj@goldmail.etsu.edu.

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