The very first Mario actor, “Captain” Lou Albano passed away seventeen years ago at 76, leaving behind one of the strangest and most unforgettable crossover legacies of his era. To wrestling fans, Albano was already a larger-than-life personality, one of the most recognizable managers of the 1970s and ’80s whose wild look, booming personality and chaotic energy made him impossible to ignore. Then an entirely different generation met him as Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, where he portrayed the character in live action and voiced him in the animated segments. For countless kids, Albano became one of the earliest human faces ever associated with Nintendo’s most famous hero. That is what made his career so unusual. He didn’t simply move between wrestling and television. He became memorable in two completely different corners of childhood nostalgia. Seventeen years later, wrestling fans still remember Captain Lou, and Mario fans still remember the man in the red cap and overalls. Few entertainers could claim they helped define both the ring and the Mushroom Kingdom. Lou Albano could. Rest in paradise, Captain Lou. 🤍