Tony Ganios
| Tony Ganios | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 21, 1959 |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1979–2024 (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 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 cult teen-sex comedy Porky's and its two sequels.
Ganios appeared in five episodes of the 1980s TV series Wiseguy as 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.
Ganios semi-retired from acting after Rising Sun, with brief appearances in three films between 1991 and 1993, where he revisited his matchstick-chewing The Wanderers hero as an adversary for Sean Connery. He is also known for his recurring comedic role as a muscular mob lawyer on the Emmy Award winning series Wiseguy (1987).
Ganios died on February 18, 2024, at the age of 64, after being hospitalized for a spinal cord infection.[1][2]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Wanderers | Perry LaGuardia | Tony Ganios's first 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' 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 'Serge' | Episode "Video Games" |
| 1989-1990 (TV Series) | Wiseguy | Mike 'Mooch' Cacciatore | Five episodes as 'Mike "Mooch" Cacciatore'. 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 | Tony | |
| 1993 | Rising Sun | Doorman guard (Perry) | Tony Ganios's last appearance as an actor and his second collaboration with director Philip Kaufman |
