Tony Ganios, a Brooklyn-born individual, was coerced into the film industry at the tender age of 18 by his larger and more powerful uncle Pete. This unexpected turn of events occurred when Pete interrupted Tony's powerlifting workout at the Sheridan Square Gym in Manhattan, compelling him to audition for director Philip Kaufman.
As a result, Tony made his film debut as the teen paladin "Perry" in Kaufman's cult classic The Wanderers (1979). His initial performance was well-received by audiences, and soon he found himself dancing with Sally Field in Back Roads (1981),a role he secured by hurling the film's script into the chest of its director.
Tony's subsequent roles included playing a former NFL defensive end turned mountain man in the Lawrence Kasdan-scripted John Belushi romantic comedy Continental Divide (1981),as well as a well-hung high school senior "Meat" in the raunchy, but highly successful comedy Porky's (1981),which was directed by Bob Clark.
One of Tony's most unforgettable roles was as the ill-fated member of the terrorist team in the hit action film Die Hard 2 (1990),who was fatally dispatched by Bruce Willis with an icicle. Some of his other notable film and television credits include The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991),Ring of the Musketeers (1992),and Rising Sun (1993),where he revisited his matchstick-chewing Wanderers hero as an adversary for Sean Connery.
Tony is also recognized for his recurring comedic role as a muscular mob lawyer on the Emmy Award-winning series Wiseguy (1987). An ancient military history and period weapons expert, Tony is one of Brazilian jiu-jitsu pioneer and UFC founder Rorion Gracie's original students.
Although retired from acting since 1993, Tony and Police Academy veteran Leslie Easterbrook supplied voices for the low-budget YouTube animated series "Bad Vlad" in 2000 under the pseudonyms Nick Fury and Honour Lawrence, which he described as one of the most purely fun performances of his career.
