Believe it or not, I worked with this guy, too. Years ago, I wrote and co-produced a prime-time special for CBS with a bunch of wrestlers from what was then called the World Wrestling Federation. I argued script notes with Vince McMahon, rehearsed "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (a great guy, despite his ring image) and at one point we suddenly needed a stand-in for Hulk Hogan so the director stood me on a box and had me take his place. I'm 6'3" and I was the third-tallest person on the set. (Hulk was second. We also had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the show.)
I got along great with McMahon and all the wrestlers. The only person on the show I didn't get along with was Cyndi Lauper, who was one of the executive producers…which was disturbing because I always loved her as a performer and still do. Anyway, our cast also included the legendary Captain Lou Albano, wrestler-turned-manager. I was never a huge fan of wrestling but I came to admire the showmanship of guys like Roddy Piper and Cap'n Lou, especially their instincts for exciting a crowd in just the way that it pays to be excited. When I mentioned to McMahon that I was impressed with the performance skills of some of his rasslers, he pointed across the stage to Captain Lou and said, "Most of them learned it from him."
Lou was a pussycat, at least during the two days we worked together. He was charming. He was funny. He was always ready to go into character (so as not to disappoint) when a fan asked for an autograph. At one point, since this show was slanted for a kids' audience, the Standards and Practices folks asked timidly if Mr. Albano could not be shot in close-up because of his facial piercings. When he heard that, the Good Captain scurried over to the make-up department and when he returned, the objects were all removed and the holes were covered with Max Factor. He couldn't have been easier to work with…and he was very good on the show.
That's about all I have to say about him. He was 76 years old and he sure had a lot of fans.