Entertainment News from Athens, Tributes to Greek Artists

‎Fragosyriani‎ ‎ is a song by ‎ ‎Markos Vamvakaris‎ ‎ that was written and recorded by him in 1935. It is one of the most important and well-known songs of the composer. The song has been recorded and re-performed by many well-known Greek & foreign artists. The most famous, probably, adaptation is considered to be that of ‎ ‎Grigoris Bithikotsis‎ ‎, in 1960,‎ ‎ which made it better known. ‎Lis...

Dinos Dimopoulos  22 August 1921 – 28 February 2003 was a Greek actor, film director , screenwriter and theatre director . He directed 47 films between 1953 and 1993. His 1959 film Astero was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival . His 1960 film Madalena was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival . He wrote also some theatrical plays . He has won the best director award...

Filopimin Finos 1908 – January 26, 1977 was a pioneer Greek film producer of 186 films and the founder of Finos Film , whose first film was in 1939. He built the first sound recording device in Greece, and shot the first colour film with stereo sound . ‎ During the second world ‎ ‎war‎ ‎ he filmed important documentaries from the ‎ ‎Front of Albania‎ ‎ and ‎ ‎German-occupied‎ Athens. He is conside...

‎ ‎Kostas Doukas‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ was born in Smyrna in   1895‎ ‎ he was a ‎ ‎Greek‎ ‎ ‎ ‎actor‎ ‎.‎ His real name was Konstantinos Aslanidis. He studied at the Commercial School and worked at the ‎ ‎Bank of Athens‎ ‎. He left his job there to become an actor. He took part in films by ‎ ‎Kostas Hatzichristou‎ ‎, such as ‎ ‎Tis Kakomoiras‎ ‎ (The codcat).‎ ‎Apart from his acting career on stage and scre...

Jenny Karezi , was a Greek film and stage actress, and her real name was Evgenia Karpouzi  she was born in Athens, Greece 12 January 1934 and passed away on the 27 July 1992 from cancer. Her stage debut was in the Marika Kotopouli theatre in the French comedy, La belle Heléne , with Melina Mercouri and Vasilis Diamantopoulos . In 1955, Karezi made her cinema debut in the Alekos Sakellarios '...

Tasso Kavaddia was born on January 10, 1921 in Patras. She studied piano in Athens, writing and decoration in Paris, scenario and clothing with Giannis Tsarouchis, and acting at the Drama School & Art School with Karolos Koun. From 1954 until 1967, Kavaddia worked as a radio journalist and radio executive. From 1955 until 1969, she was a newspaper reporter. She had also worked as a translator....

Kostas Hatzichristos 25 December 1921 - 3 October 2001, was an actor and director, who initially studied at the Sergeants Major Military School of Syros , but found his way on to the theatrical stage after the German invasion.   To avoid being caught one night by the  Nazis, he decide to hide amongst the actors of a theatrical play. He made up his on words, the crowd laughed and tha...

‎Rosa Eskenazi‎ ‎ ‎ ‎(1897‎ ‎ – ‎ ‎December 2,‎ ‎ ‎ ‎1980)‎ ‎was a ‎ ‎Greek‎ ‎ Jewish dancer and singer of ‎ ‎rebetiko‎ ‎, ‎ ‎traditional Greek music , ‎Kanto and Turkish folk music, born in Constantinople. Her recordings and performances in music centers lasted from the late 1920s to the 1970s.‎ She was the first female artist to sign a recording contract based on royalties. Listen to the podcast...

‎Giorgos Fountas‎ ‎ (June 3 - 1924 - November 28, 2010) was one of ‎ ‎the‎ ‎ most important Greek ‎ ‎actor‎ ‎ in cinema, theater and television. His career spanned five decades, appearing in more than fifty films he is known among other things for his role in the Golden Globe winning film ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎Stella‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ (1955) by ‎ ‎Michael Cacoyannis.‎ ‎‎‎ He participated in many other distinguished films o...

Marika Kotopouli 3 May 1887 – 11 September 1954 was an important Greek stage actress of the first half of the 20th century. She  excelled most as a tragedian in the works of foreign and Greek classical writers. She starred, however, in many different theatrical genres, including comedy and farce. She appeared on stage as an infant on tour with her parents, her first role was in an inspection,...

Giannis Gionakis -September 18, 1922 – August 25, 2002 was a stage and film actor. He began studying Medicine but was won over by the theatre . Gionakis performed in hundreds of big screen films mostly comedies and many theatrical musicals, he was a brilliant mimic and an excellent self taught dancer.  He was proposed to make a career in Paris by fellow comedian and friend Louis De Funes due...

Sperantza Vrana was a Greek actress, singer and author. She was born as Elpida Homatianou in Messolongi on 6 February, either in 1926 or 1932. Sperantza was a passionate woman and due to her character and charm was labeled as sex symbol during the 1950's.   She had a rich career and appeared in many on stage plays and over 18 big screen movies. She wrote several books with the most famou...

Our great comedian Stavros Paravas was born on April 15, 1935 to parents from Asia Minor and was the youngest of his five siblings. He grew up in a refugee settlement, on Alexandras Avenue. His childhood was difficult, but full of love, carefreeness and dreams, as he said. Paravas studied acting secretly, his parents only discovered that he had become an actor in year three, he appeared in various...

Aleka (Alexandra) Katseli , nee Mazaraki (Athens, October 19, 1917 - September 11, 1994), was a great Greek actress and qualified dance artist. She appeared for the first time at the Art Theatre in 1942, during the Occupation. After the liberation, and  a series of successes, she was hired in 1945 at the National Theatre of Greece, from the stage of which she made her first appearance as Port...

Chronis Exarchakos was a Greek actor born in 1932 in Ermoupolis, Syros. He first appeared in the theater in the play The Villa, with the Rigopoulos - Analytis troupe. A year later he makes his debut in the cinema, with the film of Odysseus Kosteletos Divorce ala Greek. He appeared in 20 films and 60 musical theatrical plays. Just like his roles so in real life, he generously spread laughter. His f...

Manos Katrakis - August 14, 1908 – September 2, 1984 was a Greek actor in theatre and film. Katrakis was a restless and creative spirit, distinguished for his talent, deep – characteristic voice, simplicity, generosity and sensitivity. He first appeared on a theatrical stage in Athens in 1927. The director Kostas Leloudas was thrilled by his potential and a year later he played in the first Greek...

Pantelis Zervos (December 23, 1908 – January 22, 1982) was a Greek actor in theatre and film. A characteristic figure of the "golden age" of Greek cinema (50s, 60s and early 70s) usually played the character of the gendarmerie, the father, the mayor-commune or the mentor of the protagonists, where he presented himself as traditional and strict, but always fair and good. His most important theatric...

Apostolos Avdis or Avdelopoulos  Apostolos was born in Patras in 1903. He studied Theology for a while at the University of Athens and immediately afterwards he enrolled in the School of Cadets. He abandoned everything and went out to the theater in 1929, studying at the Drama School of the Athens Conservatory. He performed in many theatrical plays and was considered an A rated actor.  H...

Sapfo Notara born Sapfo Chandanou 1907 – June 11, 1985) was a Greek actress , known for supporting capabilities in acting. In Greek films, she acted in comedies as an aunt or a housewife. Notara had a radio programme called I Kiria Kiriaki . One of her last theatre appearances was in the play   Pornography (1981)where she collaborated with by Manos Hatzidakis. Listen to the podcast and find o...

Kostas Voutsas born Konstantinos Savvopoulos 31 December 1931 – 26 February 2020, was a Greek actor, director, and writer. Voutsas was born in Vyronas , Athens in 1931 to a refugee family from Epivates , and moved to Thessaloniki in 1932. He studied drama at the Drama School of the Macedonian Conservatory of Thessaloniki and made his stage and screen debut in 1953. He was a major actor in Finos Fi...

Tzimis Panousis 12 February 1954 – 13 January 2018 was a Greek musician, stand-up comedian and occasional film and theater actor born in Athens. His fans often refer to him as “Tzimakos” (little Jim).   He made his first appearance in the mid-1970s, performing in various pubs , with his band "Mousikes Taxiarhies" (Musical Brigades). Panousis had several run-ins with the Greek authorities. His...

Thanasis Veggos: 29 May 1926- 3 May 2011, was a Greek actor and director.  He performed in more than 130 films, predominantly comedies, starring in more than 50 of them.  He is considered one of the best Greek comedy actors of all time, his famous catchphrase "My good man" and "Run like Veggos" has been adopted into common usage in the Greek language since nobody has run more or faster t...

Ellie Loukou 13 April 1926 – 3 September 1983, known professionally as Ellie Lambeti was a Greek actress. She studied theatre at Marika Kotopouli 's drama school. She worked with Karolos Koun Art Theatre. She worked and fell in love with Dimitris Horn . Her love affair lasted for many years, and they are one of the most loved theatre couples in Greece even now, that both have died.  She was a...

Nikos Rizos 30 September 1924, in Peta – 20 April 1999, in Athens ) was a Greek comedy actor. He starred in around 300 comedy films and appeared in many television series. His nickname  was the gentle "Giant", or "Shorty"  due to his short stature, yet his confidence, talent and personality made up for his height. He studied law but theatre and the big screen won his heart and became his...

Thanasis Veggos -  29 May 1926 – 3 May 2011 was a Greek actor and director born in Neo Faliro , Piraeus . He performed in around 130 films, predominantly comedies in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, starring in more than 50 among them. He is considered one of the best Greek comedy actors of all time. His famous comedic catchphrase was "Καλέ μου άνθρωπε" ("My good man"). The phrase "τρέχει σα...