Ted Cassidy, known for playing Lurch in The Addams Family, provided the voice for the Hulk and the opening narration in the 1970s TV series The Incredible Hulk. His contributions added a distinctive growling presence to the show until his death in 1979. The narration became an iconic element of the series.
In the 1960s, Ted Cassidy appeared on the TV series The Addams Family as Lurch, the family's towering, gloomy butler. He later took on two key roles in The Incredible Hulk, one of Marvel's earliest live-action TV series, which debuted in 1977. The show starred Bill Bixby as David Banner, renamed from the comic book character Bruce Banner, and Lou Ferrigno as the green-skinned alter ego, the Hulk.
Cassidy supplied the Hulk's low, animalistic growls for the first two seasons, drawing on his experience with guttural vocalizations. Unlike the comics, where the Hulk spoke in a stunted, caveman-like style, Ferrigno's version only growled and roared, aligning with producer Kenneth Johnson's aim to ground the series in adult drama sensibilities rather than comic book tropes.
After Cassidy's death in 1979, Charles Napier provided the Hulk's voice and appeared on-screen in two episodes. Cassidy's involvement extended to the opening narration of every episode, delivered in his severe tones: "Dr. David Banner: physician, scientist; searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have." This monologue explained Banner's failed experiment to unlock superhuman strength, resulting in his transformation into the Hulk when angry, and noted the world's belief that Banner was dead, killed by the Hulk.
The narration became instantly recognizable and was imitated in the finale of the Disney+ series She-Hulk, along with a replicated opening montage. Following the original series, Lou Ferrigno voiced the Hulk in the 1990s animated series and the 2008 Marvel Cinematic Universe movie The Incredible Hulk. Elements of Ferrigno's performance were combined with Mark Ruffalo's voice in the first two Avengers films before Ruffalo took over solely from Thor: Ragnarok in 2017.
