George Eastman

George Eastman (pseudonym of Luigi Montefiori; 16 August 1942 – 19 May 2026) was an Italian actor and screenwriter, known for his frequent collaborations with director Joe D'Amato. He was best known for his role as the insane, cannibalistic serial killer Klaus Wortmann in the gory 1980 horror film Antropophagus (aka The Grim Reaper). Eastman also played a similar role in its 1981 follow-up, Absurd. Both films were directed by D'Amato and written by Eastman.

Life and career Eastman was born in Genoa on 16 August 1942. He studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome and at the Drama School held of Alessandro Fersen. He took his Americanized alias "George Eastman" when he was cast as a "heavy" in many Spaghetti Westerns made in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1972, he played the villain in The Call of the Wild which starred Charlton Heston and was directed by Ken Annakin.

He later became a regular performer in many movies directed by Joe D'Amato, for whom he also wrote many screenplays. Their first work together was Cormack of the Mounties (aka Giubbe rosse) in 1975.

Eastman was a very familiar face in Italian B-cinema in the early 1980s, being generally cast as a villain, thanks to his towering 6'9" 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, 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's 1985 biblical film King David playing Goliath in David's childhood flashback scene. In 1986, he performed as Stefano in the movie Regalo di Natale, directed by Pupi Avati. He also wrote and directed the science fiction film Metamorphosis/ DNA Formula Letale (produced by Joe D'Amato) in 1990, after which he quit acting to concentrate on his screenwriting. In 2003, he returned to acting in Christmas Rematch, a film directed by Pupi Avati.

Eastman died in Rome on 19 May 2026, at the age of 83.

Partial filmography

The Belle Starr Story (1968) directed by Lina Wertmüller Chuck Moll (1970) The Three Musketeers of the West House of Pleasure for Women (1976) Orgasmo Nero (1980) directed by Joe D'Amato Hard Sensations (1980) directed by Joe D'Amato Erotic Nights of the Living Dead (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) directed by Joe D'Amato The Bronx Warriors (1982) directed by Enzo G. Castellari Endgame (1983) directed by Joe D'Amato (Eastman also wrote this film) Detective School Dropouts (1986) directed by Filippo Ottoni Hands of Steel (1986) a.k.a. Fists of Steel, a.k.a. Vendetta Dal Futuro, directed by Sergio Martino Christmas Present (1986) directed by Pupi Avati Delirium/Photos of Joy (1987) directed by Lamberto Bava Crystal or Ash, Fire or Wind, as Long as It's Love (1989) directed by Lina Wertmüller Metamorphosis (1990) a.k.a. DNA Formula Letale (Eastman wrote and directed this film) Christmas Rematch (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 (1979), directed by Sergio Martino (Eastman got plot credit only) Sesso nero/ Black Sex (1980), directed by Joe D'Amato Erotic Nights of the Living Dead (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 Endgame (1983), directed by Joe D'Amato (Eastman co-starred in this film as well) Stage Fright (1987), a.k.a. Deliria, directed by Michele Soavi (Eastman has an uncredited role in this film, playing the masked killer) Metamorphosis (1990), a.k.a. DNA Formula Letale (Eastman directed this film, and had a cameo role in it as well ) Il Principe del Deserto (TV serial) The Son of Sandokan (1998), made-for-TV movie