Perry Pirkanen

Perry Pirkanen is an American^[1] actor. He is best known for starring in the 1980 Italian cannibal film Cannibal Holocaust. Pirkanen, then a student at New York City's Actors Studio, was hired by director Ruggero Deodato who was looking for unknown actors to play the film's four protagonists. In the film, he was in an infamous scene where he butchered a large turtle. He is even seen holding the turtle's head next to his mouth. However, after filming the scene, he cried and had an emotional breakdown off camera.

So realistic was the film that shortly after it was released, its director Ruggero Deodato was indicted for the actors' murder. In the film, he was seen getting his penis cut off, getting decapitated, and his body being eaten by the natives next to his head. The actors had signed contracts to stay out of the media for a year in order to fuel rumours that the film was a snuff movie. The court was only convinced that they were alive when the contracts were cancelled and the actors appeared on a television show as proof.^[2]^[3]

Filmography[]

Cannibal Holocaust (1980) - Jack Anders
City of the Living Dead (1980) - The Blonde Gravedigger
Cannibal Ferox (1981) - Paul (uncredited)
Cruel Jaws (1995) - (Unconfirmed) (Uncredited)

References[]

^ Gabriel Yorke interview - part 2
^ Ruggero Deodato (interview), In the Jungle: The Making of Cannibal Holocaust, Alan Young Pictures, Italy, 2003.
^ Ruggero Deodato, interview with Sage Stallone and Bob Murawski, Cult-Con 2000, Cannibal Holocaust DVD Commentary, Tarrytown, New York, 2000.