Gino Piserchio
| Gino Piserchio | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Eugene Piserchio September 5, 1944 Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died |
March 22, 1989 (aged 44) New York City, New York, U.S. |
Cause of death | AIDS-related complications |
| Education | Livingston High School |
| Alma mater |
Mannes College The New School for Music Columbia University |
| Occupation | Actor, composer, musician |
| Spouse(s) | Gillian Spreckels Fuller (m. 1972; div. 1975) |
Eugene "Gino" Piserchio (September 5, 1944 – March 22, 1989) was an American actor, composer and musician. Piserchio was noted for being an accomplished musician. He was one of the first musicians to master the Moog synthesizer.
Early life and career
Piserchio was born in Orange, New Jersey, to Joe (1907-1955) and Jennie Piserchio (1909-1975). In the early 1950s, the Piserchio family moved from their Central Avenue home in Orange to Northfield Avenue in Livingston, New Jersey. It was there that Piserchio completed his grammar and high school educations. He graduated with the Livingston High School class of 1962. Subsequent to his high school graduation, Piserchio graduated from the Mannes College The New School for Music in New York City and did graduate work at Columbia University.
In 1965, Piserchio co-starred with Warhol Superstar Edie Sedgwick in the underground film Beauty No. 2, directed by Andy Warhol.[1] Two years later, he composed and performed the original music for what would become Sedgwick's final film Ciao! Manhattan, which was released a year after her November 1971 death.[2][3]
In 1970 Piserchio presented three evenings of electronic music in the Moog synthesizer at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. In about 1971 he participated with his future wife, Gillian Spreckels Fuller, in producing an experimental 16-mm color movie, The Tacky Woman, in which she appeared as did Holly Woodlawn who starred.[4]
Bell Labs, circa 1971, selected Piserchio to score a movie about molecular dynamics.
Personal life
On February 7, 1972, Piserchio married Gillian Spreckels Fuller, daughter of Andrew Powie Fuller (1916-1994) and Geraldine Anne Spreckels (1919-1998). She is the great-granddaughter of John D. Spreckels, the California industrialist and financier who amassed a sugar fortune, was graduated from The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and attended Wheaton College in Norton. The Piserchio wedding was held at the Paragon Restaurant at Aspen, Colorado, where the Rev. Thomas Benton, the Church of Truth, presided.[4] The marriage ended in divorce three years later.[5]
Death
Piserchio died at age 44 of AIDS-related complications on March 22, 1989, in New York City.[6]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Space | ||
| 1965 | Beauty No. 2 | ||
| 1968 | A Lovely Way to Die | Michel | Alternative title: A Lovely Away to Go |
| 1972 | Ciao! Manhattan | Composer |
References
- ↑ Scherman, Tony; Dalton, David (2010). Pop: The Genius of Andy Warhol. HarperCollins. p. 257. ISBN 0-060-93663-0.
- ↑ Journal of the Audio Engineering Society (Audio Engineering Society) 19: 52. 1971.
- ↑ Niemi, Robert James (2013). Inspired by True Events: An Illustrated Guide to More Than 500 History-Based Films, Second Edition (2 ed.). ABC-CLIO. pp. 372–373. ISBN 1-610-69198-9.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Knickerbocker, Suzy (February 12, 1975). "Suzy Knickerbocker". The Montreal Gazette. p. 10.
- ↑ "Gillian Fuller Married Here". The New York Times. November 12, 1975.
- ↑ Peck, Dale (March 2012). "Same-as-that". harpers.org.