My Favorite Greek Actors
List activity
78 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
15 people
- Vasilis Logothetidis was a Greek comedian. He is considered one of the most significant modern Greek actors. One year after graduating from high school in Constantinopole, in 1916, he started to participate as an amateur actor in local shows. In 1918, he moved to Athens where, one year later, he joined the Marika Kotopouli theater company, with which he remained until 1946, with a brief pause in 1935. From 1947, he performed with his own theater company. During his very successful career, he starred in more than 110 Greek comedies and in more than 200 international plays, including Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring, As You Like It by William Shakespeare, Volpone by Ben Jonson and Knock by Jules Romains. Logothetidis was among the first Greek actors to appear in film, mostly as a protagonist. His most memorable appearances include Oi Germanoi xanarhontai... (1948) & The Counterfeit Coin (1955) In 1957, he toured the United States with successful appearances in eight different cities. Logothetidis died in Athens on 20 February 1960, by heart attack.
- Dionyssis Papayannopoulos was born in 1912, in Diakofto, Greece. He studied at the Drama School of the National Theater of Greece, where he made his stage debut in 1938, appearing (as the Knight) in Shakespeare's "King Lear". During the next two decades he collaborated with many prestigious stage groups, excelling in, among others, Shakespeare's "Hamlet" (as the Grave-digger) and Dimitris Psathas' "Fonazei o kleftis" (as Solon Karaleon).
In 1961 he created his own stage group and gave memorable performances in a series of modern Greek comedies, like Gerasimos Stavrou's "Zito i zoi" and Asimakis Gialamas and Costas Pretenderis' "Despinis Diefthindis" (as Mr. Vassiliou - a role he repeated in the 1964 film version, opposite Jenny Karezi). He was also very good in Iakovos Kampanellis' "To megalo mas tsirko" (as Kolokotronis, Venizelos and Karagiozis).
His film work has been prolific, too: he appeared in about 120 films, usually in scene-stealing supporting parts. One of his few starring film roles was as the kind-hearted tavern-keeper in _Kyr-Giorgis ekpedevetai, O (1977)_. He died of a stroke in 1984. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Dimitris Horn was born in 1921, in Athens, Greece. His father was Pantelis Horn, a well-known Greek playwright. He studied at the Drama School of the National Theater of Greece, where he made his stage debut in 1941. He collaborated with the National Theater many times in his career, but also made personal stage groups with famous actors, like Mary Aroni, Alekos Alexandrakis and Ellie Lambeti, who also was his life companion for some years (1953 - 1958). He soon established a reputation as the best actor of his generation, giving solid performances in such classics as Nikolay Gogol's "The Diary of a Madman" (title role), William Shakespeare's "Richard III" (title role), Molière's "Don Juan" (title role), Luigi Pirandello's "Henry IV" (title role) etc. Equally important was his screen work; he starred in only 10 films, but most of them have attained legendary status, like The Counterfeit Coin (1955) and A Girl in Black (1956). He died in 1998, but will always be fondly remembered as the "jeune premier par excellence" of the Greek stage and screen.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Thanasis Vengos was born in 1927 in Neo Faliro, Piraeus, Greece. He made his movie debut in 1952 and played many supporting parts in films of the 1950s, often working as a technician, too. His first really major part was in the anti-war comedy Psila ta heria Hitler (1962); he followed that with a long series of comedies, which made him extremely popular. He created the recognizable persona of the everyday man who keeps running to earn his daily bread. His best roles often have a tragic dimension, as the anti-heroes he played in the commercial and artistic hits Ti ekanes ston polemo Thanasi (1971) and Enas xenoiastos palaviaris (1971).But he was also fine in purely dramatical roles, as in It's a Long Road (1998). He also did some interesting stage work, starring in ancient (Aristophanes' "Peace" and "Acharneis") and modern Greek comedies (Giorgos Lazaridis' "O trellos tou Luna-park").- Actor
- Soundtrack
Katrakis was born in Kissamos, Chania, Crete. He was the youngest of the five children of the merchant Charalambos Katrakis merchant and his wife Irini.
In 1919 the family moved to Athens, where Manos, who had almost no acting experience, first appeared in theatrical scene. He made his debut aged just 18 years, with the group "Young" at work "To love." His brio and capacity enthralled the director Kostas Leloudas, so a year later, in 1928, he played the leading role in the silent film The Banner of 1821 (1929) (i.e. "The banner of 1821").
Among his remarkable film performances are included the ones of the title role in Marinos Kontaras (1948) by Giorgos Tzavellas, in A Neighborhood Named 'The Dream' (1961) by Alekos Alexandrakis, in Electra (1962) by Michael Cacoyannis, and in Enas delikanis (1963) by Manolis Scouloudis. Awarded at the International Festival of San Francisco, for for his interpretation as Creon in Antigone (1961) by Giorgos Tzavellas, and in the Thessaloniki Film Festival for his performance in A Neighborhood Named 'The Dream' (1961)." He also participated in hundreds of events where the readings of Greek poetry and literature with his unique voice, remained classics.
He died shortly after completing the filming of Voyage to Cythera (1984) of the great director Theodoros Angelopoulos.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Born in 1913 (or 1915, according to some sources), in Alexandria, Egypt, but raised in Marseille, France. His family moved in Athens in 1935. He studied acting at the Drama School of Giannoulis Sarantidis and made his stage debut in a 1944 Athens production of Leo Lenz's "Lady I Love You." In 1946, he became a stage sensation starring opposite Marika Kotopouli in Carlo Goldoni's "A Servant of Two Masters" (as Truffaldino). He never left the stage for the next fifty years, appearing with great success in ancient (Aristophanes' "Thesmophoriazouses") and modern Greek comedies (Dimitris Psathas' "Thanasakis o politevomnenos", Alekos Sakellarios' and Hristos Giannakopoulos' "O filos mou o Lefterakis"), musicals ("Irma la Douce", "Some like It Hot") etc. He also became one of the all-time greats of the Greek cinema, starring in about 90 films. He died of lung infection in 2001.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Vasilis Avlonitis was born in 1904 in Athens, Greece. He was an actor, known for Itan oloi tous... koroida! (1964), O Pseftothodoros (1963) and Diplopennies (1966). He died on 10 March 1970 in Athens, Greece.- Actor
- Director
Alekos Alexandrakis was born in 1928, in Athens, Greece. He studied at the Drama School of the Greek National Theater and made his stage debut in a 1949 Athens production of Daphne Du Maurier's "Autumn Tide". He soon became one of the best actors of his generation, appearing in Euripides' "Hippolytus" (title role), Ivan Turgenev's "A Month in the Country" (as Mikhail Alexandrovitz Rakitin), Sophocles' "Electra" (as Orestis), Neil Simon's "Plaza Suite" (as Jessie, Sam and Roy) and many other plays. He made his screen debut in 1949 and appeared in more than 60 films, proving himself equally adequate in comedy and drama. He also directed two interesting neorealist films in the early 1960's, Thriamvos (1962) and A Neighborhood Named 'The Dream' (1961).- Orestis Makris was a Greek actor and tenor. Makris graduated from the Athens Conservatoire and first entered the scene as a tenor in the troupe of Rozalia Nika in 1925. He later joined the Papaioannou troupe, before moving to more comedic roles. Makris excelled in the portrayal of folk characters, especially the stock role of the "drunkard". Makris also participated in about forty movies, mostly as an over-strict father. He is considered one of the most significant modern Greek actors. He was decorated with the Order of the Phoenix. He died on 29 January 1975 in Athens and is buried at the First Cemetery in a family grave.
- Aimilios Veakis was born on 13 December 1884 in Piraeus, Greece. He was an actor, known for Astero (1929), The Voice of the Heart (1943) and Maria Pentagiotissa (1927). He died on 29 June 1951 in Athens, Greece.
- Giorgos Pappas was born in 1903 in Athens, Greece. He was an actor, known for Forgotten Faces (1946), The Man on the Train (1958) and The Other (1952). He died in 1958 in Athens, Greece.
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Alexis Minotis was born on 8 August 1898 in Canea, Greece. He was an actor and director, known for The Chase (1946), Land of the Pharaohs (1955) and Notorious (1946). He was married to Katina Paxinou. He died on 11 November 1990 in Athens, Greece.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Labros Konstadaras (13 March 1913 - 28 June 1985) was one of the greatest actors of Greek theatre and cinema, excellent both in comedy and drama, with ancestry from Istanbul. He was the brother of actress Mitsi Konstadaras and father of former New Democracy MP Dimitris Konstadaras who gave him two grandchildren, Pavlina in 1974 and Labros in 1979. He was born in Kolonaki Athens and died at "Asklepieion" hospital of Voula Athens. Earlier (1978 and 1983) he had suffered two strokes.
In 1930 he joined, after his family's insistence and without his own will, the non-commissioned Navy School in Corfu, from where he eventually escaped by swimming. He was spared the Court-martial after his family's actions. In 1934 he went to Paris to study goldsmith, in order to take on the family jewelry shop in downtown Athens. He abandoned his studies and did various jobs, until he was discovered by the French Director Louis Zoybe when he played a bit part in a theatrical performance. He studied actor at the theatre "Atene" and in the summer of 1938, he returned to Greece, starting his career.
He served the Greek theatre for 40 years, acting in 191 plays and people still enjoy him through his films (more than 75, mostly comedies). He excelled in roles of the mature, rich and womanizer or "father" of several well-known stars of the era in movies such as "My Daughter, the Socialist", "Some Weary Lads", "A Matter of Earnestness", "Alice in the Navy".
He married in first wedlock actress Julie Georgopoulou in 1945 and in the second Filio Kekatou in 1971. He spent his last years in Varkiza Athens. He is buried in the first cemetery of Athens.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Mimis Fotopoulos was the son of Nikolaos Fotopoulos and Anna Papadopoulos. He was born in Zatouna of Gortynia on April 20, 1913. Zatouna is a small village, 4 km away from Dimitsana, at 1,050 meters altitude. His father died when Mimis was young. The young Fotopoulos preferred to study at the Faculty of Philosophy in Athens, but, in the second year, he left it to study theater at the Drama School of the Royal Theater, which was later renamed the National Theater, as we know it today. He took part in the Greek Resistance and married Margarita Tsala, from whom he had two daughters, Anna and Maria. He participated in various troupes until he made his own troupe. He played in travelling troupes, toured abroad, participated in many Greek films, mainly of the old Greek cinema, wrote plays and books, directed in the theater. He wrote the plays "A Girl at the Window" (1966) and "Pelopidas the Good Citizen" (1976). He published three books: "25 years of theater" (1958), "The river of my life", published by Kastaniotis, 1965, autobiographical, and "El Daba-Homer of the English", published by Modern Times, 1965. Finally, the poetry collections: "Bouloukia" (1940), "Semitonia" (1960), "Sklira trioleta" (1961), "The Death of the days" (1976), "Ballads of love and death" (1984) His wife had been exiled to Gyaros during the junta, when he was left alone with his two daughters. At that time he decided to make paintings with collage of stamps. This was another artistic activity, not so well known by Mimis Fotopoulos. He died on October 29, 1986, of a sudden heart attack.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Nikos Stavridis was born in 1910 in Samos, Greece. He was an actor, known for Stay Cool, Napoleon! (1968), 7 Days of Lying (1963) and O gabros mou, o dikigoros! (1962). He died on 12 December 1987 in Samos, Greece.