If you’re a fan of Italian horror, then you know who Giovanni Lombardo Radice is.  He danced for you in The House On The Edge of the Park.  He came back from the dead and helped to destroy the town of Dunwich in City of the Living Dead.  He went on an eating binge at a movie theater in Cannibal Apocalypse.  He’s appeared in three films directed by Michele Soavi, he recorded one of the greatest DVD commentaries ever for Cannibal Ferox, and he was a contributor to one of the most important books about Italian horror cinema, Eaten Alive.

However, there’s more to Giovanni Lombardo Radice than just a resume of showy roles in bloody movies.  He’s also a director, a writer, and an animal lover.  As anyone who follows him on Facebook knows, he can discuss the intricacies of William Shakespeare with the best of them.  He has appeared in films directed by people like Martin Scorsese and he is one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite actors.

Most importantly, while he has always claimed to be somewhat bewildered by the popularity of some of his films, Giovanni Lombardo Radice is an actor who has always been kind and gracious to his fans.   I’ve met several Italian horror fans who have told me about how excited they were to get a reply to a question from Giovanni or how touched they were to get a gracious message from him.  Myself, I can still remember how excited I was when Giovanni responded to a rather odd dream that I had posted in my online dream journal.  (The dream and his response can be read here and here.)

Recently, Giovanni posted the following on his Facebook page:

MY dog Tommy has hernia and most probably must have surgery. Just what I needed….if you read that someone robbed a bank to cure his dog it will be me.

Anybody who is lucky enough to be friends with Giovanni on Facebook knows how much he loves animals and how much he loves Tommy.  Speaking as someone who spends 8 hours a day looking at cute cat pictures, my heart went out to him.

Earlier today, Giovanni announced (again on Facebook) that Tommy’s operation had been a success!  However, Giovanni is also flat broke.  People tend to assume that a cult film star like Giovanni Lombardo Radice must be rich but that’s rarely the case.  It’s been over 30 years since Giovanni made (and was paid for) the films that most people know him from and films like The House On The Edge of the Park and Cannibal Apocalypse didn’t become cult films until several years after they were first released.  When someone buys a DVD or a Blu-ray of a film like The House On The Edge of the Park, the money goes to the film’s distributor, not to the actors who appeared in the film.  Though Giovanni Lombardo Radice is definitely a star to many of us, he’s also just a working actor who struggles to make ends meet just like everyone else.

So, Giovanni Lombardo Radice is currently asking for help.  He has set up a paypal account connected to his e-mail address, info@giovannilombardoradice.com and he is accepting donations of any amount to help pay for Tommy’s surgery.

As an actor, Giovanni has always been there for his fans.  Hopefully, some of them will now be there for him.

Thank you for reading this and for your consideration.  And, to Tommy and Johnny, I wish both of you all the best this holiday season.  Buona fortuna!

Tommy