// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho did Tony Lanza take to the dance? His lanza-date.
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ferdinairdo Antonio Lanza July 7, 1920 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | January 20, 2005 (aged 84)[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Tony Lanza Lario Lanza Felipe Manozian Black Devil The Strangler Masked Strangler Masked Spider The Gorilla King Kong, The Gorilla Man Young Sandor |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 250 lb (110 kg) |
| Trained by | Emile Maupas |
| Debut | 1950 |
| Retired | 1973 |
Ferdinairdo Antonio Lanza (July 7, 1920 – January 20, 2005) was a Canadian professional wrestler, photographer and actor who was best known to fans in Quebec and Canada as Tony Lanza. Sports journalist Greg Oliver called Lanza "probably Canada's greatest [pro] wrestling photographer".[3]
Professional wrestling career
[edit]A student of Emile Maupas, Lanza made his wrestling debut in 1950 in Montreal. He also worked in Toronto, Ottawa and the United States with various masked gimmicks. In 1961, he was one of several Montreal wrestling stars to be featured in Wrestling (French: La lutte), a National Film Board of Canada documentary.[4] Lanza trained Dominic DeNucci. He also trained Yvon Robert Jr. in the late-1960s. He retired from wrestling in 1973.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Lanza died on January 20, 2005 at 84 from a fall in his bathroom.[6]
References
[edit]General
- Oliver, Greg (2003). "Roll Call: Tony Lanza". The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians. ECW Press. p. 157. ISBN 1-55022-531-6.
- Nevada, Vance (2022). (Un)Controlled Chaos: Canada's Remarkable Professional Wrestling Legacy. FriesenPress. ISBN 9781039154797.
Specific
- ↑ Saalbach, Axel. "Tony Lanza". WrestlingData.com. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
- ↑ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Tony Lanza « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".
- ↑ Oliver, Greg (2003). "The families: Cormier". the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame – The Canadians. ECW Press. ISBN 1-55022-531-6.
Tony Lanza — Montreal's Tony Lanza is probably Canada's greatest wrestling photographer and we are thrilled to have his participation in this book.
- ↑ "La lutte". National Film Board of Canada. 1961. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Pat Laprade; Bertrand Hébert (2013). Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs: The Untold Story of How Montreal Shaped the World of Wrestling. ECW Press. pp. 34, 42. ISBN 978-1-77090-296-1.
- ↑ Oliver, Greg (26 January 2005). "Tony Lanza Dead at 84". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Retrieved 2005-01-26.
Further reading
[edit]General
- Cameron, Dave (April 1, 2005). "We Lose Outstanding Wrestling and Body Building Photographer Tony Lanza". Fight Times.