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 placed in the top ten at the Mr. Olympia competition throughout the 1990s. A former bouncer and boxer, he brought a gritty, blue-collar intensity to professional bodybuilding. His physique featured phenomenal leg mass, which became his trademark. On stage, Matarazzo delivered energetic, crowd-pleasing posing routines capped with a wide, gap-toothed grin. Those performances made him a fan favorite, even though he never won the sport's ultimate title. He competed at the highest level of the IFBB for a decade, becoming one of the most recognizable faces in the league. Later years brought serious health challenges. Multiple heart surgeries forced him to document the long-term physical costs of extreme bodybuilding publicly. He died in 2014. He connected deeply with the audience as a warrior of the stage.
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.”
