This New York-born Stuntman Is on a Hollywood Roll

What do Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy, and Jennifer Lawrence have in common?

They’ve all worked with Alex Anagnostidis.

You may not readily know the name of the 50-year-old native New Yorker—via the Bronx, “the last stop on the 6 train,” as he points out—but if you’re currently watching The Penguin starring Colin Farrell on Max, have recently watched Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix, or have seen The Fate of the Furious with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, then you’ve seen the actor/producer/stuntman in action—literally.

In fact, in 2020, Anagnostidis was nominated for a SAG Award for Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture with the cast of Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman.

He’ll next be seen on CBS in Dick Wolf’s FBI: Most Wanted opposite Dylan McDermott.

Behind the scenes, he’s getting ready to produce a film, a thriller called, Karma, with his Los Angeles writing partner.

The entertainment business triple threat took a moment from his busy schedule to share his inspiring journey from the outer boroughs of NYC to the inner circles of Hollywood.

Was show business always your goal?

No. After high school, I went into the construction industry–my family was always in that business–and then I became a contractor.

How did you get into your current line of work?

About 14 years ago, I started performing stunts, filming here in New York before going out to Hollywood.

It was just part-time, as a second gig. I needed secondary insurance because I have an 11-year-old special needs child. That was one of the main reasons.

I sought out a very good friend of mine who was a professional stunt coordinator, and he was able to get me in [to the union].

Why did you–and he–think that job would be a good fit for you?

I’ve always been very athletic. I’ve been an avid scuba diver for 30-plus years; I was in the fighting arts for 20-plus years.

Clearly, you excelled at it, and it became your main livelihood and then some. Talk about how you expanded your role to include acting and creating your own projects via producing.

You have to get creative in this market today with all the streaming, YouTube, all the reality stuff. You have to wear many hats to succeed.

I was doing stunts exclusively for 10 years. Some roles started coming up, though, that involved both stunts and acting. So, I studied with a few acting coaches and started to transition into that as well.

I’ve come to enjoy acting the most. With acting jobs, though, you’re required to audition, while stunt work is through word of mouth. Also, with stunts, [as one ages] you’re not as agile as you were when you were younger. With acting, I enjoy getting into the characters. As for producing, I enjoy the business end and the movie-making as well.

How has working with so many major players affected you?

I have learned a lot from all the various people and all the shows and movies I’ve worked on. I’m a big observer and listener. Colin Farrell, for example, was a big inspiration...working with him; watching him. He’s a master at his craft. But the job is also fun.

It was quite an experience working on The Irishman. Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Martin Scorsese—they’re serious in their craft but also have a good time.

Do you ever feel like: “If they could see me now...”?

I still go back to the Bronx and hear from neighborhood people I grew up with and went to school with. They’ll say, “Hey, I saw you in this movie or on this TV show.” It’s fun. Nice.

Do you have words of wisdom for those on their way up or trying to break into stuntman work?

It’s not an easy profession, it’s one of the hardest out there. My advice is to not give up and always have a backup plan.

Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of three novels, most recently, “The Last Single Woman in New York City.”