George Eastman (born Luigi Montefiori; August 16, 1942) is an Italian actor and screenwriter well known for his frequent collaborations with notorious director

Joe D'Amato Aristide Massaccesi (15 December 1936 – 23 January 1999), known professionally as Joe D'Amato, was an Italian film director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter who worked in many genres (westerns, decamerotici, peplum, war films, ...

. He is most famous for his role as the insane, cannibalistic serial killer Klaus Wortmann in the gory 1980 horror film ''

Antropophagus ''Antropophagus'' (also known as ''Anthropophagus: The Beast'', ''The Savage Island'', and ''The Grim Reaper'') is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Joe D'Amato and co-written by D'Amato and George Eastman, who starred in the film as a cann ...

'' (aka ''The Grim Reaper''). He also played a similar role in its 1981 follow-up, '' Absurd''. Both films were directed by D'Amato and written by Eastman.

Career

Eastman was born in 1942 in

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and studied at the

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia The Centro sperimentale di cinematografia (Experimental Film Centre or Italian National film school) was established in 1935 in Italy and aims to promote the art and technique of cinematography and film. The centre is the oldest film school in ...

in Rome and at the Drama School held of

Alessandro Fersen Alessandro Fersen (5 December 1911 – 3 October 2001) was a Polish-born Italian dramatist, actor, theater director, author and drama teacher. Born Aleksander Fajrajzen in Łódź to a Jewish family, Fersen he moved to Genoa with his family in 1 ...

. He took his Americanized alias "George Eastman" when he was cast as a "heavy" in many

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s made in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1972 he played the villain in ''

The Call of the Wild ''The Call of the Wild'' is a short adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Bu ...

'' which starred

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...

and was directed by

Ken Annakin Kenneth Cooper Annakin, Order of the British Empire, OBE (10 August 1914 – 22 April 2009) was an England, English film director. His career spanned half a century, beginning in the early 1940s and ending in 2002, and in the 1960s he was notice ...

. Eastman later became a regular performer in many movies directed by

, for whom he also wrote many screenplays. Their first work together was '' Cormack of the Mounties'' (aka ''Giubbe Rosse'') in 1975. He was a very familiar face in Italian B-cinema in the early 1980s, being generally cast as a villain, thanks to his towering height and his dark and menacing looks. He co-starred in many Italian science fiction films such as ''Bronx Warriors'', ''The New Barbarians'', ''Endgame'', ''Ironmaster'', ''2020 Texas Gladiators'' and ''After the Fall of New York''. His most famous movie is the gory horror film ''

Anthropophagous An anthropophage or ''anthropophagus'' (from el, ανθρωποφάγος , translit=anthrōpophagos, "human-eater", plural el, ανθρωποφάγοι , translit=anthropophagi) was a member of a mythical race of cannibals described first by ...

'', directed by Joe D'Amato in 1980, in which he played the monster. He also starred in D'Amato's ''Erotic Nights of the Living Dead'', ''Porno Holocaust'' and ''Absurd'' (aka ''Anthropophagous 2''). Two of his greatest major villain roles were in ''Rabid Dogs'' (aka ''Kidnapped'', 1974) and ''Blastfighter'' (1984). He appeared in

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

's 1985 biblical film ''

King David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

'' playing

Goliath Goliath ( ) ''Goləyāṯ''; ar, جُليات ''Ǧulyāt'' (Christian term) or (Quranic term). is a character in the Book of Samuel, described as a Philistine giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) a ...

in David's childhood flashback scene. In 1986, he performed as Stefano in the movie '' Regalo di Natale'', directed by

Pupi Avati Giuseppe Avati, better known as Pupi Avati (born 3 November 1938), is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known to horror film fans for his two giallo masterpieces, ''The House with Laughing Windows'' (1976) and '' Zeder ...

. He also wrote and directed the science fiction film ''Metamorphosis''/ ''DNA Formula Lethal'' (produced by Joe D'Amato) in 1990, after which he quit acting to concentrate on his screenwriting. He is now a well regarded author in Italian television and only acts occasionally. (In 2003, he returned to acting in ''

La rivincita di Natale ''La rivincita di Natale'', internationally released as ''Christmas Rematch'', is a 2004 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Pupi Avati. It is the sequel of the 1986 film ''Christmas Present''. Plot In Bologna, Franco, Lele, Stefano and Ugo ...

'', a film directed by Pupi Avati.)

Partial filmography

* '' The Belle Starr Story'' (1968) directed by

Lina Wertmüller Arcangela Felice Assunta Wertmüller von Elgg Spanol von Braueich (14 August 1928 – 9 December 2021), known as Lina Wertmüller (), was an Italian film director and screenwriter. She is best known for her 1970s art film, art house films ''Sev ...

* ''

Chuck Moll ''The Unholy Four'' (Italian language, Italian: ''Ciakmull (L'uomo della vendetta)'', lit. "Ciakmull (The vengeful man)"), also known as ''Chuck Moll'', is a List of Italian films of 1970, 1970 Cinema of Italy, Italian Spaghetti Western. The film ...

'' (1970) * '' The Three Musketeers of the West'' * ''

House of Pleasure for Women ''House of Pleasure for Women'' ( it, Bordella) is a 1976 satirical comedy film written and directed by Pupi Avati and starring Gigi Proietti, Christian De Sica, Gianni Cavina, Al Lettieri and Vincent Gardenia. Plot A brothel for women is op ...

'' (1976) * ''Orgasmo Nero'' (1980) directed by Joe D'Amato * ''Hard Sensations'' (1980) directed by Joe D'Amato * ''

Erotic Nights of the Living Dead ''Erotic Nights of the Living Dead'' ( it, Le notti erotiche dei morti viventi) is a 1980 Italian erotic horror film directed and written and directed by Joe D'Amato. It has received mixed to negative reviews. It was filmed in and around Santo Do ...

'' (1980) directed by Joe D'Amato (Eastman also wrote this film) * '' Absurd'' (1981) directed by Joe D'Amato (Eastman also wrote this film) * '' Caligula: The Untold Story'' (1982) * ''

The Bronx Warriors ''1990: The Bronx Warriors'' ( it, 1990: I guerrieri del Bronx) is a 1982 Italian action-science fiction film directed by Enzo G. Castellari. Plot Ann is the 17-year-old heiress to the arms manufacturing giant, The Manhattan Corporation. Unable ...

'' (1982) directed by Enzo G. Castellari * ''

Endgame Endgame, Endgames, End Game, End Games, or similar variations may refer to: Film * ''The End of the Game'' (1919 film) * ''The End of the Game'' (1975 film), short documentary U.S. film * ''Endgame'' (1983 film), 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic f ...

'' (1983) directed by Joe D'Amato (Eastman also wrote this film) * ''

Detective School Dropouts ''Detective School Dropouts'' is a 1986 action comedy film co-starring and written by David Landsberg and Lorin Dreyfuss for The Cannon Group. Plot Donald Wilson tries to make a living in New York City with different jobs. He reads detective novel ...

'' (1986) directed by

Filippo Ottoni Filippo Ottoni (17 May 1938 – 7 May 2023) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and dubbing director. Biography Born in Cellere on 17 May 1938, Ottoni graduated from London Film School and began directing documentaries for the BBC. He be ...

* '' Hands of Steel'' (1986) a.k.a. ''Fists of Steel'', a.k.a. ''Vendetta Dal Futuro'', directed by Sergio Martino * ''

Christmas Present A Christmas gift or Christmas present is a gift given in celebration of Christmas. Christmas gifts are often exchanged on Christmas Eve (December 24), Christmas Day itself (December 25) or on the last day of the twelve-day Christmas season, Twel ...

'' (1986) directed by

* ''

Delirium Delirium (also known as acute confusional state) is an organically caused decline from a previous baseline of mental function that develops over a short period of time, typically hours to days. Delirium is a syndrome encompassing disturbances in ...

''/''Photos of Joy'' (1987) directed by Lamberto Bava * ''

Crystal or Ash, Fire or Wind, as Long as It's Love ''In una notte di chiaro di luna'' (internationally released as ''Crystal or Ash, Fire or Wind, as Long as It's Love'', also known as ''On a Moonlit Night'' and ''As Long as It's Love'') is a 1989 Italian drama film directed by Lina Wertmüller. I ...

'' (1989) directed by

* ''Metamorphosis''/''Regenerator'' (1990) a.k.a. ''DNA Formula Lethal'' (Eastman wrote and directed this film) * ''

Christmas Rematch ''La rivincita di Natale'', internationally released as ''Christmas Rematch'', is a 2004 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Pupi Avati. It is the sequel of the 1986 film ''Christmas Present''. Plot In Bologna, Franco, Lele, Stefano and Ugo, ...

'' (2004) directed by Pupi Avati

Screenplays

* '' Giubbe rosse'' (1974) aka ''Red Coats'', aka ''Cormack of the Mounties'', directed by Joe D'Amato * ''Candido Erotico'' (1978) * ''La Ragazza del Vagone Letto'' (1979) * ''

The Great Alligator River ''The Great Alligator River'', originally ''Il fiume del grande caimano'' and also known as ''Alligators'', ''Caiman'', ''Big Alligator River'' and ''The Big Caimano River'', is a 1979 Italian adventure film directed by Sergio Martino. In the film, ...

'' (1979) directed by Sergio Martino (Eastman got plot credit only) * ''Sesso nero''/ ''Black Sex'' (1980) directed by Joe D'Amato * ''

'' (1980) directed by Joe D'Amato (Eastman also co-starred in this film) * '' Absurd''/''Rosso sangue'' (1981) directed by Joe D'Amato (Eastman co-starred in this film as the monster) * ''Caligula: The Untold Story'' (1982) directed by Joe D'Amato * ''

'' (1983) directed by Joe D'Amato (Eastman co-starred in this film as well) * '' ''Stage Fright'' (1987 film)'' (1987) a.k.a. ''Deliria'', directed by Michele Soavi (Eastman has an uncredited role in this film, playing the masked killer) * ''Metamorphosis''/''Regenerator'' (1990) a.k.a. ''DNA Formula Lethal'' (Eastman directed this film, and had a cameo role in it as well) * ''Il Principe del Deserto'' (TV serial)Palmerini, Luca M.; Mistretta, Gaetano (1996). "Spaghetti Nightmares". Fantasma Books. p. 111.. * ''The Son of Sandokan'' (1998) Made-for-TV movie

References

Footnotes

Sources

* * * * * * * *

External links

*
Nanarland
French B-movie website which reviews several of Eastman's movies {{DEFAULTSORT:Eastman, George 1942 births Italian male film actors Living people Film people from Genoa Male Spaghetti Western actors Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia alumni Italian screenwriters Italian male screenwriters Actors from Genoa