Mike Matarazzo
A charismatic bodybuilder known for his massive legs, theatrical posing, and unforgettable gap-toothed smile on the IFBB stage.
1965–2014 (age 49)·American bodybuilder·Birthday: November 8·Generation X
Biography
Mike Matarazzo carved out a unique and beloved niche in the competitive world of professional bodybuilding. With a background as a bouncer and a boxer, he brought a gritty, blue-collar intensity to a sport often defined by polished aesthetics. His physique was legendary for its sheer mass, particularly his phenomenally developed legs, which became his trademark. Matarazzo’s stage presence, however, is what truly set him apart. His energetic, crowd-pleasing posing routines, capped off with a wide, gap-toothed grin, made him a fan favorite despite never winning the sport's ultimate title, Mr. Olympia. He competed at the highest level throughout the 1990s, consistently placing in the top ten and becoming one of the most recognizable faces in the IFBB. His later years were marked by serious health challenges, including multiple heart surgeries, which he publicly documented, bringing awareness to the long-term physical costs of extreme bodybuilding. He passed away in 2014, remembered as a warrior of the stage who connected deeply with the sport's audience.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Mike was born in 1965, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mike Was Born
The biggest hits of 1965
#1 Movie
The Sound of Music
Best Picture
The Sound of Music
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Mike's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1965Born
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1970Started school
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1978Became a teenager
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Could drive
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1983Could vote
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Turned 21
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1995Turned 30
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 40
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2014Died at 49
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
Key Achievements
- Earned his IFBB Pro card by winning the overall title at the 1991 NPC USA Championships.
- Achieved a career-high 3rd place finish at the prestigious 1998 Arnold Classic.
- Competed in the Mr. Olympia contest nine times, with multiple top-ten finishes.
- Won the 1995 Night of Champions professional bodybuilding competition.
Did You Know?
Before bodybuilding, he was an amateur boxer and worked as a nightclub bouncer in Boston.
He was known for his distinctive gap-toothed smile, which he never corrected and which became part of his signature look.
He underwent triple bypass heart surgery in 2004 and later had a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implanted.
“I'm just a kid from Revere who wanted to be a bodybuilder.”
