Ivan Rassimov and his younger sister, Rada, decided to pursue a career in acting. Ivan studied acting at the University at Trieste. After attending military service in Italy, he then settled in Rome to pursue his acting career.
A series of small roles began his career, one of them being from the legendary director Mario Bava with Planet of Vampires.
With his strong, piercing eyes and striking look, Rassimov was often
cast as villains, from Nazi soldiers, to tough guys, to murder
suspects. Rassimov also occasionally played good guys and saw it as a
novelty item from his bad guy roles. From playing a police detective,
an archaeologist, and even a psychiatrist in Mario Bava's last
theatrical movie,
Shock (1977). He was most often seen as a male stalwart of
the Italian cannibal films in acting alongside Me Me Lai in three of
them, most notably being _Jungle Holocaust (1977)_.
By 1987, Rassimov more or less retired from acting and lived in a villa
north of Rome with his wife and teenage daughter. He worked as the
director of a publishing house for comic books and novels until his
death in 2003.
Appuntamento a Trieste(1989)as Denikov
Body Count(1986)as Deputy Sheriff Ted
The Wild Team(1985)as Marius
Torna(1984)
Joe D'Amato Totally Uncut(1999)as Self
Deodato Holocaust(2019)as Rolf, Bill Cook
Banned Alive! The Rise and Fall of Italian Cannibal Movies(2015)
Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape(2010)as Self
Man from Deep River: Interview with Director Umberto Lenzi(2004)as John Bradley
