Tony Ganios

Tony Ganios
Tony Ganios in Porky's 1981
Born(1959-10-21)October 21, 1959
DiedFebruary 18, 2024(2024-02-18) (aged 64)
New York, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1979–2024 (semi-retired in 1993)

Tony Ganios (October 21, 1959 – February 18, 2024) was an American actor.[1][2] He played the tough guy Perry in the 1979 film The Wanderers, and Anthony 'Meat' Tuperello in the 1981 comedy Porky's and its sequels.

Life and career

Tony Ganios was of Greek ancestry. He made his debut appearance as tough guy Perry in The Wanderers. In 1981, he played a former football player turned mountain man in the John Belushi film Continental Divide.

Soon after, Ganios starred in the 1981 teen-sex comedy Porky's and its two sequels.

Ganios appeared in five episodes of the Emmy Award-winning 1980s TV series Wiseguy as muscular mob lawyer Mike "Mooch" Cacciatore, and he made a guest appearance in an episode of Scarecrow and Mrs. King. In 1990, Ganios appeared as a mercenary in Die Hard 2, casually murdering a church caretaker, and memorably meeting his death when Bruce Willis stabs him in the eye with an icicle.

After brief appearances in three films between 1991 and 1993, Ganios semi-retired from acting. One of those films was Rising Sun, in which he revisits his matchstick-chewing The Wanderers hero as an adversary for Sean Connery.

Ganios died of heart failure on February 18, 2024, at age 64 after being hospitalized for a spinal-cord infection.[1][2][3]

Filmography

List of acting credits in film
Year Title Role Notes
1979 The Wanderers Perry LaGuardia Debut as an actor and his first collaboration with director Philip Kaufman and actor Ken Wahl.
1981 Back Roads Bartini
1981 Continental Divide Max Bernbaum
1981 Porky's Anthony "Meat" Tuperello
1983 Porky's II: The Next Day Anthony "Meat" Tuperello
1984 Body Rock Big Mac
1985 Porky's Revenge! Anthony "Meat" Tuperello
1987 (TV Series) Scarecrow and Mrs. King Simons Episode: "Any Number Can Play"
1988 (TV Series) The Equalizer Sergio Episode: "Video Games"
1989-1990 (TV Series) Wiseguy Mike "Mooch" Cacciatore Five episodes. Second collaboration with Ken Wahl.
1990 Die Hard 2 Baker
1991 The Taking of Beverly Hills EPA Man Third collaboration with Ken Wahl.
1992 (TV Movie) Ring of the Musketeers [de] Tony
1993 Rising Sun Doorman guard (Perry) Last appearance as an actor and his second collaboration with director Philip Kaufman.

References

  1. ^ a b "Tony Ganios Dies: 'Porky's', 'The Wanderers' Actor Was 64". Deadline. February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Tony Ganios, Star of 'Porky's,' Dies at 64". Variety. February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  3. ^ "Tony Ganios: The gentle giant who was a renaissance man". NEO. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
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