Wrestlemaniac’s Irwin Keyes

Irwin Keyes: Wrestlemaniac ‘s Reigning Grind House Father! By Brian Kirst

In many a genre fan’s book, character actor Irwin Keyes is a legend. From his first appearances in films like The Warriors and Friday the 13th (as the busboy in Robbi Morgan’s diner scene) to Grind House epics like Chained Heat and The Exterminator ("I was eaten alive by hundreds of rats in the film!") to current gruesome fare like House of 1000 Corpses ("We shot all the Spaulding stuff over a 2 week sandstorm in the desert") and the just released, balls out enjoyable Wrestlemaniac ("We got lucky"), Keyes has had quite the amazing career. It’s no wonder that his initial influences include "Laurel and Hardy, Bogie, the Three Stooges, John Wayne- I am a fan of the movies".

Thankfully, in the return, the movie makers themselves have long been fans of Keyes’ unique blend of menace and dramatic humor. This is something the surprisingly soulful Keyes is truly grateful for. In fact, he seems almost unable to contain his enthusiasm over his venerated co-stars ("The wonderful Elizabeth Taylor!!") or life in general ("The secret to success in life is to never say no!").

Of course when asked what one of his favorite parts of filming Wrestlemaniac was and he’ll admit that, while keeping totally in character, he especially enjoyed watching the posterior charms of his young female co-stars.

Honesty, humor and a resume to make any horror hound’s tail jump, Irwin Keyes is definitely living the life! Do him a favor and watch Wrestlemaniac (a film he is justifiably proud of) as soon as possible, then pay him a visit at www.irwinkeyes.com and let him know what you think.