Sal Piro
Sal Piro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Salvatore Francis Martin Piro June 29, 1950 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | January 22, 2023 (aged 72) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | President of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Fan Club |
Salvatore Francis Martin Piro (June 29, 1950 – January 22, 2023) was an American actor who was the president of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Fan Club, a position he held from 1977 until his death.[1][2][3] Piro's 1990 book Creatures of the Night, about The Rocky Horror Picture Show's cult following, is set to be adapted into a film.
Theatre career
[edit]
Piro was a part of the original Waverly Theatre audience for The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Piro would shout humorous responses to the show's dialogue,[4] from which the unique audience participation elements and much of the film's cult following were born. He was later instrumental in getting the venue moved to the 8th St. Playhouse. The Rocky Horror Picture Show's following has become a worldwide phenomenon.[5]
Piro appeared as himself in the 1980 film Fame as well as in several documentaries, and had a nonspeaking, unnamed cameo as a man using a payphone in Rocky Horror's pseudo-sequel Shock Treatment.[6] He also cameoed as "The Photographer" in the 2016 television remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.[7] As an actor, he performed in both film and television.[7]
Piro wrote two books about the Rocky Horror cult following, Creatures of the Night and Creatures of the Night II.[8] Creatures of the Night is in development to be adapted into a film, with Adam Schroeder, Lou Adler, and Jill Mazursky set to produce. Mark Loughlin is writing the screenplay.[4]
Personal life
[edit]
Salvatore Francis Martin Piro was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1950.[8] He attended Seton Hall University. In the mid-1970s, he was a theology teacher and theater director at Catholic schools in New Jersey.[8] He was gay.[9]
In Cherry Grove, New York, on Fire Island, Piro managed the Ice Palace and Grove Hotel for 23 years and executive produced the Miss Fire Island Pageant, Mr. Fire Island Leather, and the Miss Grove Hotel contest.[8] He also played competitive tournament chess and Scrabble.[10]
Piro died from an aneurysm at his home in Manhattan on January 22, 2023, at the age of 72.[8][11]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Among Records, A Record Holder (Published 1988)". The New York Times. May 11, 1988. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016.
- ↑ Fischler, Marcelle S. (May 28, 2000). "LONG ISLAND JOURNAL; Curtain Up! A New Season For Hedonism (Published 2000)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017.
- ↑ "After 40 Years, 'Rocky Horror' Has Become Mainstream". The Atlantic. September 26, 2015. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023.
- 1 2 Evans, Greg (January 25, 2023). "Sal Piro Dies: Original 'Rocky Horror' Role-Playing Superfan And Subject Of Upcoming Movie Was 71". Deadline. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ "It Was Great When It All Began". The Rocky Horror Picture Show Official Fan Club Site. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
- ↑ "TRHPS Official Fan Site: Shock Treatment: Introduction by Sal Piro". rockyhorror.com.
- 1 2 "Sal Piro filmography". IMDb. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Sandomir, Richard (February 19, 2023). "Sal Piro, 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' Superfan, Dies at 72". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ↑ Jr, Richard Knight (October 6, 2004). "Rocky Revival: Sal Piro". Windy City Times. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ↑ Thurman, Judith (January 19, 2009). "Spreading the Word". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
- ↑ ""Rocky Horror Picture Show" Fan Icon Sal Piro Dies". Rue Morgue. January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
External links
[edit]
- Official Facebook fan page
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show Official Fan Site
- Sal Piro at IMDb
- Sal Piro Scrabble tournament results at cross-tables.com
| Artists | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
- 1950 births
- 2023 deaths
- 20th-century American educators
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American male writers
- 20th-century American non-fiction writers
- American gay actors
- American gay writers
- American male film actors
- American male non-fiction writers
- American male television actors
- American non-fiction writers
- American people of Italian descent
- American Scrabble players
- Deaths from aneurysm
- LGBTQ people from New Jersey
- LGBTQ people from New York (state)
- Male actors from Jersey City, New Jersey
- Rocky Horror
- Writers from Jersey City, New Jersey