Hollywood Hulk Hogan was more than just a nickname that Hulk Hogan embraced during his villainous heel turn days as a professional wrestler. The flamboyant 6-foot-7-inch Hogan (born Terry Gene Bollea) embraced Tinseltown, body-slamming into movies after throwing Sylvester Stallone's Rocky around the ring as giant wrestler Thunderlips in 1982's "Rocky III."
Hollywood didn't always hug him back. Hogan, who died on July 24 at 71, the gaudy patriarch of the VH1 reality series "Hogan Knows Best" (2005-07), never achieved the movie-crossover success of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He also leveled critics while setting the wrong kind of box-office records with some of his over-the-top films.
But with his flowing blond hair, muscle-bulging physique and larger-than-life persona, Hogan made movie impact – even if it was often a crashing sound. Here are Hogan's most memorable roles.
Hogan's bicep-kissing entrance as Thunderlips in the third "Rocky" movie and his ensuing ring battle are brief but unforgettable. Billing himself as "the ultimate male," Hogan bellowed, "Thunderlips is here!" entering the ring in a charity match against Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). Described as "nearly 7 feet tall" by the ring announcer, Thunderlips towered over Rocky before throwing the heavyweight around like a tomato can. Naturally, Rocky impossibly triumphed in the charity mismatch. But what a movie entrance, in a prime Hollywood franchise!
