Anthony "Tony" Cardoza (May 26, 1930 – December 7, 2015) was an American actor and film producer. A number of the

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

s that he produced are considered to be among the all-time worst, and were immortalized through ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...

''.

Early years

Cardoza was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

Military service

Before becoming involved in the film industry, Cardoza was a Staff Sgt. in the U.S. Army 3rd infantry division, being a Sgt. Gunner on the 105 mm Howitzer in the Korean War. He was awarded two Bronze Battle Stars, the Good Conduct Medal, Korean War Medal, Sharp Shooters medal, Presidents Medal, The Syngman Rhee Presidential Medal, The Asian War Medal, and others. Just prior to his Honorable Discharge, he was assigned to escort duty (escorting deceased soldiers to their loved ones).

Manufacturing career

After his discharge from the Army, Cardoza worked for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford, Connecticut, as a Heliarc

welder In a broad sense, a welder is anyone, amateur or professional, who uses welding equipment, perhaps especially one who uses such equipment fairly often. In a narrower sense, a welder is a tradesperson who specializes in fusing materials together ...

on J-57 Jet engines, a trade he continued making a living from for a number of years into his show business career. However, in 1963, a doctor advised him to stop welding because of

chalazion A chalazion (; plural chalazia or chalazions) or meibomian cyst is a cyst in the eyelid usually due to a blocked meibomian gland, typically in the middle of the eyelid, red, and not painful. They tend to come on gradually over a few weeks. A ...

forming under his eyelids.

Film career

Cardoza worked on over a dozen films, but is perhaps best known for his three collaborations with

Coleman Francis Coleman Chambers Francis (January 24, 1919 – January 15, 1973) was an American actor, writer, producer and director. He was best known for his film trilogy consisting of ''The Beast of Yucca Flats'' (1961), ''The Skydivers'' (1963) and ''R ...

in the 1960s: ''

The Beast of Yucca Flats ''The Beast of Yucca Flats'' (released to television as ''Atomic Monster: The Beast of Yucca Flats'') is a 1961 B-movie horror film written and directed by Coleman Francis. It was produced by Anthony Cardoza, Roland Morin and Jim Oliphant. The ...

'', ''

The Skydivers ''The Skydivers'' is a 1963 American crime film produced by Anthony Cardoza, and written and directed by Coleman Francis. It stars actress Kevin Casey, Eric Tomlin, Cardoza and Marcia Knight, with a performance by influential guitarist Jimmy B ...

'', and ''

Red Zone Cuba ''Red Zone Cuba'', also known as ''Night Train to Mundo Fine'', is a 1966 American neo-noir art drama film directed by Coleman Francis, who also wrote and co-produced the film, and played the starring role. It follows the meandering adventures of ...

''. Cardoza's work would be remembered in the 1990s television series ''

'', as four of his five films would be lampooned – his three collaborations with Coleman Francis, and ''

The Hellcats ''The Hellcats'', also known as ''Biker Babes'', is a 1968 outlaw biker film starring Ross Hagen and directed by Robert F. Slatzer. It was featured on the television series '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' as the 9th episode of season two. Plo ...

''.

Personal life

Cardoza was married to Joy Wilkerson, "an experienced auto racing driver. They had a daughter, Kim.

Death

Cardoza died December 7, 2015, as a result of complications from a stroke.

Selected filmography

* '' Final Curtain'' * ''

Night of the Ghouls ''Night of the Ghouls'' is a horror film written and directed by Ed Wood. The film was shot between April and May 1958. Cast member Paul Marco recalled that the film had a preview screening in 1959 at the Vista Theatre in Hollywood, after which ...

'' * ''

'' * ''Bigfoot'' * ''Outlaw Riders'' * ''Smokey and the Hotwire Gang'' * ''Inside Out Upside Down'' * ''Crime of Crimes'' * ''

Raw Force ''Raw Force'' (also known as ''Kung Fu Cannibals'') is a 1982 Filipino-American martial arts action-horror film written and directed by Edward D. Murphy and starring Cameron Mitchell. Plot The Burbank Karate club travel to a forbidden isl ...

'' * ''Heated Vengeance'' * ''Misfit Patrol''

Television

* '' The Joy Wilkerson TV Talk Variety Show'' – 46 episodes writer/producer/director (1974–1975)

References

External links

*
B-Monster: Profile: Anthony Cardoza's Tor of the Desert, by Tom Weaver

1930 births 2015 deaths American male film actors Male actors from Hartford, Connecticut Film producers from Connecticut {{US-film-producer-stub