Tony Ganios, the actor who played the muscular and tough ‘Meat’ in the comedy film series ‘Porky’s’ and Perry in the cult classic ‘The Wanderers’, passed away on Feb 18th at a hospital in New York. He was 64 years old.
According to his fiancée, Amanda Serrano-Ganios, who shared the news on social media, Ganios died of a cardiac arrest on Sunday morning, following a surgery for a severe spinal cord infection.
She said that Ganios had hidden his illness from her for days, until he was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery on Saturday.
“He hadn’t felt well and hid it from me for days. When he finally told me, and was taken to the hospital, his spinal cord was severely infected. They did surgery, next morning, his heart stopped. I’m crushed.”
She also expressed her grief and love for her partner of nine years, whom she was planning to marry soon.
Tony Ganios was born in Brooklyn and started his acting career in 1979 with the film ‘The Wanderers’, directed by Philip Kaufman. He played Perry, one of the members of an Italian-American gang in the Bronx in the 1960s. He later reunited with his co-star Ken Wahl for a recurring role in the crime series ‘Wiseguy’ from 1987 to 1990.
However, Ganios was best known for his role as Meat in the ‘Porky’s’ franchise, which started in 1981. He portrayed a high school student who was part of a group of friends who sought revenge on a sleazy nightclub owner named Porky. The film was a box office hit and spawned two sequels, in which Ganios also appeared. The film was also notorious for its raunchy humor and nudity.
Ganios also had roles in action movies such as ‘Die Hard 2’ (1990) and ‘Rising Sun’ (1993). He semi-retired from acting after ‘Rising Sun’ and only made a few appearances in films between 1991 and 1993.
Tributes have poured in for Ganios from his fans and former castmates. Jack Mulcahy, who played Frank Bell in ‘Porky’s’, wrote on X:
“Devastated by the news that my friend and PORKY’s cast-mate Tony Ganios passed away last Sunday. You’ll be missed, Joe Guy. Rest In Peace” 🙏🏻💜💔