Tony Ganios was an actor who played Anthony “Meat” Tuperello in the Porky’s series and Perry LaGuardia in The Wanderers. He died of cardiac arrest on February 18, 2024, at the age of 64, after undergoing emergency surgery for a spinal cord infection.
Early Life and Career
Tony Ganios was born on October 21, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in a Greek-American family and had a passion for bodybuilding. He was discovered by his uncle, also a bodybuilder, who took him to audition for a movie. The movie turned out to be The Wanderers, a 1979 cult classic directed by Philip Kaufman. Ganios landed the role of Perry, the leader of a gang of Italian-American teenagers in the Bronx in the 1960s. He chewed on a wooden matchstick throughout the film, which became his trademark.
He continued his acting career with roles in Continental Divide, Die Hard 2, The Taking of Beverly Hills, and Rising Sun. He also reunited with Kaufman in the latter film, playing a doorman named Perry who also chewed on a matchstick.
However, he was best known for his role as Meat in the Porky’s franchise, a series of raunchy comedies set in a Florida high school in the 1950s. He starred in all three films: Porky’s, Porky’s II: The Next Day, and Porky’s Revenge. He played a muscular and well-endowed student who often got into trouble with his friends and the authorities.
He also appeared in several TV shows, such as Wiseguy, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, and The Equalizer. He retired from acting in the mid-1990s and became a licensed insurance broker. He also taught acting classes and mentored young actors.
Illness and Death
Tony Ganios’ health problems began in late 2023, when he developed a severe spinal cord infection that caused him excruciating pain and paralysis. He was admitted to a hospital in New York, where he underwent a four-hour emergency surgery to remove the infection.
The surgery was successful, but he suffered a cardiac arrest shortly after. He was pronounced dead on February 18, 2024. His fiancée, Amanda Serrano-Ganios, confirmed his death and paid tribute to him on social media. She wrote, “You are everything to me. My heart, my soul and my best friend”.
Tributes and Legacy
Tony Ganios’ death shocked and saddened his fans and colleagues, who remembered him as a talented and generous actor and a kind and funny person. Many of them took to social media to express their condolences and share their memories of him.
Some of the notable personalities who paid homage to him include Ken Wahl, his co-star in The Wanderers, who called him “a great guy and a great actor”; Bob Clark, the director of Porky’s, who said he was “one of the funniest and most talented actors I ever worked with”; and Bruce Willis, his co-star in Die Hard 2, who said he was “a good friend and a great man”.
Tony Ganios is survived by his fiancée, his mother, his sister, his niece, and his nephew. He will be remembered for his iconic roles in The Wanderers and Porky’s, and for his humor, his charisma, and his love.