At the age of 18, Ganios was 'forced' into the film-industry. His uncle Pete forced him to quit his power-lifting session at the 'Sheridan Square Gym' early, so that he could audition for a role in a movie directed by Philip Kaufman. As a result, Ganios made his debut appearance as tough-guy 'Perry' in The Wanderers. His performance in 'The Wanderers' drew attention and led to other roles. Ganios starred in the 1982 cult teen-sex comedy 'Porky's' and its sequels. He appeared in the 1990 film Die Hard 2 as Baker, a member of the terrorists. He also played a former football player turned mountain man in the John Belushi film Continental Divide.