Ferry Torrez

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Ferry Polderman[1] (1968 – 28 April 2023), known by his stage name Ferry Torrez, was a Dutch circus performer. Born to Frank Torrez, he lived in Amsterdam-Oost[2] and grew up around circus performers and animals.[3] In 1980, his father bought Circus Hoepla and renamed it Circus Franklin.[1]

As a circus performer, Torrez began his career with Karah Khavak, a performer with reptiles. Torrez performed throughout Europe,[4] including in the first gay circus in the Netherlands, in 2010. He performed primarily with crocodiles, which he stored in an enclosure next door to his house.[3] He also owned macaws, iguanas, monitor lizards, snakes, scorpions, and tarantulas.[2][3] Throughout his career, he toured across the Netherlands, as well as touring in the Ivory Coast.[1] He had multiple scars on his head due to inserting it in the mouths of his crocodiles.[3] In his later life, he performed educational shows.[2]

Torrez was a notable figure in LGBTQ culture in Amsterdam, namely in its leather subculture, and worked as a bouncer for Spijkerbar—Amsterdam's first gay bar—during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands.[2][3] He also made regular appearances on television.[3]

In 2016, Torrez was arrested for possessing narcotics and ill-gotten money in his alligator sanctuary, which they guarded. According to his lawyer, he had them on behalf of another person, whom he did not question.[3][5]

Torrez died on 28 April 2023, aged 54, of cancer. His animals were sent to sanctuaries across Europe in the months leading to his death. He was cremated on 8 May.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c admin (9 May 2023). "Afscheid van Ferry Torrez". Circusweb.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Amsterdam 'Crocodile King' and gay circus icon dies from cancer at age 54 | NL Times". NL Times. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Wiegman, Marcel (4 May 2023). "'Crocodile King' Ferry Torrez (1968-2023) Went Through the Fire For His Animals and Friends". Het Parool. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  4. ^ admin (28 April 2023). "Ferry Torrez overleden op 54-jarige leeftijd". Circusweb.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  5. ^ "P. didn't know his crocodiles were guarding criminal money". Het Parool. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2025.