WWE legend Lou Albano offered to legally change his name for his iconic role as Mario.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is in theatres, marking Nintendo’s latest foray into taking the titular plumber out of video games and into entertainment. Long before Illumination took the reins of the animated films, pro wrestling collided with pop culture when DiC Entertainment cast Lou Albano as Mario in a live-action television series.
Albano’s Italian roots may have played a role in convincing producers he was the right fit. During an interview with Polygon’s Matt Paprocki, John Grusd, a longtime producer at DiC Entertainment, recalled why Captain Lou Albano was the ideal choice to play Mario in the late-1980s live-action series, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.
“I kept going back to what a really nice guy he was,” Grusd said, praising the late WWE Hall of Famer for his personality and commitment. He even noted that Albano even offered to legally change his name to Mario.
“And he was just a fish out of water. He wasn’t an actor, but he was a personality. He actually offered to legally change his name to Mario.”
Albano wasn’t the only wrestling name associated with the live-action version of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. Fellow WWE Hall of Famers “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Sgt. Slaughter also made appearances.
Both Lou Albano and Danny Wells (Luigi) also voiced their respective characters in the animated segments of the show. Albano was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 1996. He passed away on October 14, 2009.
READ MORE: WWE Producer Is Concerned Fewer Matches Could Hurt Wrestlers’ Development
