Taso N. Stavrakis
 |
Taso N. Stavrakis | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 12, 1957 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, stunt performer |
| Years active | 1977 – 2017 |
Taso Nicholas Stavrakis(born July 12, 1957) is an American film and television actor and stunt performer best known for his appearances in theGeorge A. RomerofilmsDawn of the Dead,Knightriders,andDay of the Dead.[1]
Career
[edit]TV and Film
[edit]Recruited by his good friend andCarnegie-Mellon UniversityclassmateTom Savini,Stavrakis assisted with stunts and special makeup effects on several seminal 1980s horror productions, including the originalFriday the 13th,in which he portrayed "The Prowler" (as the unidentified killer was initially referred to inVictor Miller's screenplay). Romero frequently joked that Stavrakis should be included in theGuinness Book of World Recordsfor having appeared as the mostzombiesin hisDeadseries(5 inDawnand 6 inDay).[2]
Offered the opportunity to portray villainJason VoorheesinFriday the 13th Part 2,Stavrakis turned down the role as his friend Savini had declined to create the film's makeup effects. He instead took an opportunity to create special makeup effects forHe Knows You're Alone,an early thriller byArmand Mastroianni(and incidentallyTom Hanks's first feature film), with whom Stavrakis would work again on the 2006 cinematic adaptation ofThe Celestine Prophecy
Stavrakis eventually gravitated almost exclusively toward stunt work, serving asstunt coordinatoronDay of the Deadand the Romero-scriptedCreepshow 2(1987), while his acting work during this period included a brief stint onAs the World Turnsas Stavros, aGreekinterpreter.
His more recent film work includes appearances inMartin Campbell'sThe Mask of Zorro,Gore Verbinski'sPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl(in a "Tortuga Island" sequence which was edited from the first film but utilized in thesequel) andMichael Mann's 2006Miami Viceredux, as well aswranglingduties on pictures such asJackass Number Twoand theSeth Greenroad-trip comedySex Drive.
In 2010, Stavrakis appeared as a featured zombie in the pilot episode of theAMC NetworkseriesThe Walking Dead.As the "living dead" subgenre has increased in popularity over the years, Taso now makes occasional appearances at horror-themed conventions around the world. In 2018, his brotherChristiansculpted and installed a bronze bust of George Romero in theMonroeville Mall,the first public monument to Romero's work and career.
Jousting and stage
[edit] |
A tournament fencer and seasonedequestrian,Stavrakis is a founding member of theHanlon-Lees Action Theater,an American entertainment company which pioneered the art oftheatrical jousting.He also performed for several years with theBig Apple Circusduring the mid-1990s as a variety of characters (including "Captain Coney," aConey Island-inspired superhero), and remains a member of BAC'sClown Careunit, providing entertainment and encouragement to children in hospital.
West Virginia Renaissance Festival
[edit] |
In 2018 Taso fulfilled a lifelong dream by founding the West Virginia Renaissance Festival, the first and only medieval faire in that state. Located in Lewisburg, WV, the festival currently runs for four weekends every June.
Selected filmography
[edit]- Dawn of the Dead(1978)
- Friday the 13th(1980)
- He Knows You're Alone(1980)
- Knightriders(1981)
- Day of the Dead(1985)
- Creepshow 2(1987)
- As the World Turns(1987)
- Bloodsucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh(1991)
- The Mask of Zorro(1998)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl(2003)
- Dawn of the Dead(2004)
- Miami Vice(2006)
- The Celestine Prophecy(2006)
- The Control Group(2017)[3][4]
References
[edit]- ^"Taso N. Stavrakis".IMDb.
- ^Romero, audio commentary track,Dawn of the DeadCAV laserdisc (Elite Entertainment, 1996).
- ^"Poster for Peter Hurd's The Control Group starring Brad Dourif".14 March 2014.
- ^"Writer-Director Peter Hurd Talks About 'The Control Group' In An Interview".May 2017.