Hulk Hogan Biography

Birth Name : Terry Gene Bollea

Nickname : The Hulkster, Hulk, Hollywood Hogan, Hulkamania, Thunder Lips

Date of Birth : 11 August 1953, Augusta, Georgia, USA

Height : 6' 5" (1.96 m)

Occupation : American professional wrestler, actor

One of the greatest, most popular, most hated and charismatic wrestlers of all time, Hulk Hogan is one of the men who helped parlay the circus-like world of professional wrestling from cult following into the forefront of American entertainment. What many people who know about Hogan don't know is he was in the "sport" for several years in virtual obscurity before hitting the big time. Hogan made his pro debut in 1978 and wrestled as "Sterling Golden" before becoming "Hulk." Hogan was getting main event matches while wrestling in the American Wrestling Alliance (AWA) in the early 1980s before he was cast as Thunderlips in Rocky III (1982). That bit of casting propelled Hogan into the spotlight and he was soon to enter the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1983. At the time, the WWF was just beginning to go from local television (they were based in the Northeast U.S.) to national, and Hogan's personality (and some well-done marketing and PR, plus the Wrestlemania series) helped to transform not only the WWF, but wrestling into the big show it is today.

Undoubtedly the most recognized personality to emerge from World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation), Hulk Hogan maintained enormous popularity as a professional wrestler throughout a long career that saw its share of dizzying highs and humiliating lows. Though wrestling had always been defined by absolutes -- the morality tale of good versus evil - the story behind the scenes was far more complex, as personal tragedies entangled in an intricate web of a billion-dollar business. For Hogan, however, brushes with scandal did little to unhinge a successful career that saw his face on lunch pails, bed sheets and movie posters the world over. With his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, he cemented his place in wrestling's elite and the cultural pantheon.