Tony Ganios Dies: ‘Porky’s’ and ‘Die Hard 2’ Actor Was 64

Martin Holmes
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Tony Ganios at CollectorFest
Bobby Bank/Getty Images

Tony Ganios, an actor best known for his roles in the comedy franchise Porky’s, coming-of-age film The Wanderers, and action classic Die Hard 2, has died. He was 64.

Ganios’ wife, Amanda Serrano-Ganios, confirmed the passing on social media, where she shared a photo of the two holding hands. “I love you so much, my love. I’m broken,” she wrote alongside the image.

She later shared a follow-up tweet, writing, “The last words we said to each other were, “I love you.” Love is an understatement. You are everything to me. My heart, my soul and my best friend.”

According to People, Ganios died on Sunday morning (February 18) after a long surgery for a spinal infection. Amanda later confirmed this on X, noting that his “heart stopped.”

“It’s just unreal to me right now. It was so fast. He hadn’t felt well and hid it from me for days,” she shared. “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.”

Born on October 21, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York, Ganios made his on-screen debut as tough guy Perry in the 1979 coming-of-age comedy-drama The Wanderers. From there, he starred in the John Belushi film Continental Divide before landing his most memorable role as Anthony ‘Meat’ Tuperello in the 1981 cult classic Porky’s.

Ganios would reprise his role of ‘Meat’ in the sequels Porky’s II: The Next Day and Porky’s Revenge!

Tony Ganios in Porky's Revenge

Tony Ganios in Porky’s Revenge; 20th Century Fox Film Corp./courtesy Everett Collection

In addition, he appeared in the television series Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Equalizer, and five episodes of the CBS crime drama Wiseguy, reuniting with Wanderers star Ken Wahl.

Ganios continued acting in the early 90s, appearing as Baker in Die Hard 2, The Taking of Beverly Hills (his third collaboration with Wahl), the Ring of the Musketeers, and Rising Sun, which marked his last appearance as an actor.

Tony Ganios in Die Hard 2

Tony Ganios in Die Hard 2; YouTube

“Rest In Peace, Buddy ….. I love you,’ Wahl tweeted on Tuesday, February 20.

Gianos was scheduled to appear at the Cult Classics Convention in Bastrop, Texas, on March 1, where he would reunite with his fellow Porky’s stars Roger Wilson, Dan Monahan, Cyril O’Reilly, and Mark Herrier.

“We’re like a big, dysfunctional family that for over thirty years has seen each other through marriages, childbirth, divorces, lawsuits, and the tragic loss of one of our own,” Gianos said of his Porky’s castmates in a 2015 interview with Cult Faction. “Sometimes we feel like strangling one another, but when the chips are down, we have always rallied for our mutual aid and defense.”

Check out more tributes to Ganios below.

Porky's

Tony Ganios

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