He has also appeared in European-produced fantasy-adventures such as Hercules (1983) and Sinbad of the Seven Seas (1989), and as himself in the sitcom The King of Queens and the 2009 comedy I Love You, Man.

Soon after he was born, Ferrigno says he believes he had a series of ear infections and lost 75% to 80% of his hearing, though his condition was not diagnosed until he was three years old.

[4][5] Hearing loss and his speech impediment caused Ferrigno to be bullied by peers during his childhood who called him "deaf" and "mute".

[7] Ferrigno started weight training at the age of 13, citing bodybuilder and Hercules star Steve Reeves as one of his role models.

[11] Following this, Ferrigno left the competition circuit for many years, a period that included a brief stint as a defensive lineman for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.

[1] Ferrigno competed in the first annual World's Strongest Man competition in 1977, where he finished fourth in a field of eight competitors.

Finishing 12th and 10th, respectively, he then turned to the 1994 Masters Olympia,[15] where his attempt to beat Robbie Robinson and Boyer Coe was the subject of the 1996 documentary Stand Tall.

[18][19] He portrayed the titular character in the 1983 science fantasy adventure film Hercules, and received mixed-to-negative reviews for his performance.

He was, however, praised by Marylynn Uricchio, a film critic for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,[20] and Andy Brack of Charleston City Paper.

[23] Ferrigno played himself during intermittent guest appearances on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens, beginning in 2000 and continuing until the program's conclusion in 2007.

[24] In the latter film, Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) bribes him with a pizza to gain entry into a university building.

[32] In February 2006, Ferrigno was sworn in as a Los Angeles County, California, reserve sheriff's deputy, Level II.

[34] Ferrigno was a contestant on season five of the NBC reality television series The Celebrity Apprentice, which premiered in February 2012.

Ferrigno was Team Unanimous' project manager for the task depicted in the fifth episode, "I'm Going to Mop the Floor With You," which was to create a viral video to promote O-Cedar's ProMist Spray Mop, placing him in competition with actress Tia Carrere, the project manager of the women's team, Forte.

[36] In June 2012, Ferrigno was sworn in as a reserve deputy to the San Luis Obispo County, California, Sheriff's Department.

[37] There he completed his level I law enforcement academy, bringing his training up to full peace officer status.