RIP George Eastman

 

George Eastman died in Italy on May 20th. Born Luigi Montefiori; August 16, 1942, in Genoa he was an Italian actor and screenwriter recognized for his prolific work in B-movies, including spaghetti westerns, horror, and exploitation genres, often portraying towering villains and larger-than-life characters during the 1970s and 1980s. He initially trained as an advertising illustrator, providing artwork for agencies in his hometown before relocating to Rome in 1966 to pursue opportunities in film. Standing at approximately 6 feet 7 inches tall with a distinctive full beard, Eastman's physical stature made him a natural fit for imposing roles, such as the Minotaur in Federico Fellini's “Satyricon” (1969) and the cannibalistic antagonist in Joe D'Amato's “Anthropophagus” (1980). Eastman's screen debut came in the late 1960s amid the boom in Italian genre cinema, where he adopted his stage name—inspired by the American inventor and Kodak founder—to appeal to international audiences. Over his acting career, he appeared in more than 80 films. Eastman appeared in and wrote 20 Spaghetti westerns: Django Shoots First as Jeff Kluster/Custer), “My Name is Pecos” as a Kline/Clain henchman both in 1966, “Django Kills Silently” as Bill/Django, “Django, the Last Killer” as Ramón/Chico, “Poker With Pistols” as Lucas, “Viva Django!” 1967 as Lucas all in 1967, “Belle Starr” as Larry Blake/Blackie, “Hate Your Neighbor” as Gary Stevens all in 1968, “Boot Hill – 1969 as Baby Doll, “The Unholy Four” as Hondo) and writer both in 1970, “The Ballad of Ben and Charlie” as Charlie Logan and writer, “Bastard, Go and Kill” as Chaco, “Vendetta at Dawn” Doctor George Benton/Sabata all in 1971 “The Call of the Wild” as Black Burton in 1972, ) “The Three Musketeers of the West” as Mac Athos/Mercathos in 1973, “Keoma” as a writer and “Red Coat” as a writer both in 1975, “The New Land as a  writer for 197?  TV series that was never made, “The Tiger from the River Kwai” a Sheriff Sam in 1975 and “2020 Texas Gladiators” as director and writer in 1982.