A Farewell to George Eastman
When people talk about the golden age of Italian exploitation cinema, certain names always rise to the top: Lucio Fulci, Joe D’Amato, Umberto Lenzi, Bruno Mattei. But towering over all of them, both figuratively and literally, was the unforgettable George Eastman who I have only recently discovered, we lost on March 20, 2026.
Born Luigi Montefiori, the 6’9” actor, writer and occasional director became one of the most recognisable faces in cult cinema throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Whether he was playing cannibals, psychos, bikers, mercenaries or mutant killers, Eastman brought a uniquely sweaty, unhinged intensity to every gloriously disreputable production he appeared in.
Like many Italian genre stars, Eastman got his start during the spaghetti western boom. His imposing frame instantly made him ideal casting as heavies, outlaws and brutal henchmen, but it wasn’t long before he moved into crime thrillers, horror and post-apocalyptic action films.
Unlike many performers from the era, Eastman was also a talented writer. He contributed stories and screenplays to dozens of cult classics and exploitation oddities. His collaborations with legendary sleaze auteur Joe D’Amato helped define the grimy, violent edge of Italian horror cinema during the late 70s and early 80s.
If there’s one film forever associated with George Eastman, it’s Anthropophagus (1980). Directed by Joe D’Amato and co-written by Eastman himself, a movie that earned instant notoriety thanks to graphic gore effects, extreme violence, stomach-churning cannibal scenes, not to mention the infamous fetus sequence that helped land the film on the UK “Video Nasties” list.
Absurd (1981) cemented his cult legend status and is essentially an Italian exploitation remix of Halloween and The Terminator, another film that became entangled in censorship controversies during the Video Nasties era.
George was also one of the big names attached to the gloriously ridiculous wave of Italian post-apocalyptic movies inspired by Mad Max. 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982), Warriors of the Wasteland (1983), Endgame – Bronx lotta finale (1983) and 2019: After the Fall of New York (1983). He never shied away from extreme material. In fact, some of his films remain among the most controversial exploitation movies ever made. Porno Holocaust (1981), Erotic Nights of the Living Dead (1980) and Terror Express (1981) weren’t for casual viewers, but they helped cement Eastman’s reputation as one of the boldest performers in underground genre cinema.
Mario Bava’s Rabid Dogs (1974) (a.k.a. Cani arrabbiati or Kidnapped) is concrete proof that Eastman had serious acting ability beneath the exploitation madness. Playing one of the criminals in Bava’s brutal hostage thriller, he delivers a tense, believable performance that stands comfortably alongside more respected crime cinema of the era. Rabid Dogs has a fascinating release pattern as the film was incomplete when Bava passed and the recent reconstruction by Arrow Video on blu-ray is a fascinating and recommended pick-up.
Modern horror and genre fans continue discovering George Eastman through these Blu-ray restorations, streaming services and boutique labels like Severin, Arrow Video and Vinegar Syndrome and discover he represented an era when exploitation cinema had no limits and absolutely no interest in good taste. Whether battling through radioactive wastelands or devouring tourists on deserted islands, he brought a larger-than-life presence that few cult actors could match.
George Eastman, I salute you.
