Background
Ethnicity:
Terry Gene Bollea was born to Italian-American Pete Bollea and Ruth Bollea, who is of French, Italian and Panamanian descent.
Terry Gene Bollea was born on August 11, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia. Bollea is the youngest son of Pete Bollea, a construction foreman, and Ruth Bollea, a homemaker and dance instructor.
Bollea acquired an interest for wrestling in high school. He went on to study at Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida. In spite of his education, his interests remained in the ring and he never received his degree. Instead, he chose to devote his time to working out in a local gym owned by wrestlers Jack and Jerry Brisco. Encouraged by these two brothers, Bollea spent a few months wrestling on small circuits in the Southeast.
In 1979, Bollea's talent caught the attention of Vincent McMahon Sr., the legendary promoter and owner of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the most prominent wrestling league in the Northeast. McMahon gave Bollea an opportunity to join the WWF—and to create a new identity. Because of his massive physique (he stood 6 feet 8 inches, and weighed 303 pounds) and his uncanny resemblance to the comic book hero, the Incredible Hulk, McMahon suggested that Terry assume the stage name "Hulk Hogan."
In 1980, Hogan had his debut bout against the fierce Andre the Giant. Hogan won the match, along with the respect and support of wrestling fans throughout the country. Actor Sylvester Stallone was so impressed by Hogan's performance that he cast him as "Thunderlips the Ultimate Male" in his 1982 movie, Rocky III.