Sir Elias George Kulukundis OBE (20 April 1932 – 17 February 2021) was a member of a

Greek shipping Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and has been a key element of Greek economic activity since ancient times. Today, shipping is the country's most important industry wo ...

family whose professional career spanned shipping and the theatre. He was married to British actress

Susan Hampshire Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, (born 12 May 1937) is an English actress known for her many television and film roles. A three-time Emmy Award winner, she won for '' The Forsyte Saga'' in 1970, ''The First Churchills'' in 1969, and for ''Vani ...

Early life

Elias George Kulukundis was born on 20 April 1932 at 26 Warbeck Street in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the son of a Greek shipping family who had made their home in London. His parents moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

when he was eight. Kulukundis was not an active sportsman and took the role of statistician, keeping score. He attended

Salisbury School Salisbury School is an all-boys, private college-preparatory boarding school founded in 1901 and located in Salisbury, Connecticut. Its school newspaper is ''The Cupola''. Its mascot is the Crimson Knight. The school's motto is '' Esse quam vid ...

until 1950, and was an Emeritus Trustee of the school. He changed his name by deed poll to Eddie Kulukundis on 23 September 1993.

Career

Shipping

The Kulukundis and Mavroleon families had formed the shipping company London & Overseas Freighters (LOF) in 1948. Kulukundis entered the shipping industry by working on

tramp steamer A boat or ship engaged in the tramp trade is one which does not have a fixed schedule, itinerary nor published ports of call, and trades on the spot market as opposed to freight liners. A steamship engaged in the tramp trade is sometimes called ...

s in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

. After the death of his uncle John Kulukundis in September 1978, Kulukundis joined the LOF board. The company suffered mounting losses, and after it had sold all but two of its ships and all shoreside assets, he resigned on 11 December 1985. He rejoined the board of the much-reduced company in 1988 following the death of company president Manuel Kulukundis, and also the death of his nephew, Minas Kulukundis, in the

Lockerbie air disaster Pan Am Flight 103 was a regularly scheduled Pan Am transatlantic flight from Frankfurt to Detroit via a stopover in London and another in New York City. The transatlantic leg of the route was operated by ''Clipper Maid of the Seas'', a Boeing ...

while flying to attend the funeral of his uncle and godfather Captain Nicholas Kulukundis. On 1 November 1997, LOF was sold to Frontline Freighters AB of Sweden and Kulukundis resigned from the board. He continued to hold positions with family company Company Rethymnis and Kulukundis Ltd, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1998.

Theatre

A theatre impresario, Kulukundis started producing plays while resident in the United States. He co-produced the 1976

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning play ''

Travesties ''Travesties'' is a 1974 play by Tom Stoppard. The play centres on the figure of Henry Carr, an elderly man who reminisces about Zürich in 1917 during the First World War, and his interactions with James Joyce when he was writing '' Ulysses'' ...

'' by

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

. Kulukundis later formed Knightsbridge Productions, with theatre artist/educator Jack Lynn. In 1993, Kulukundis was part of a consortium which took over the struggling

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...

on St Martin's Lane. The consortium became the

Ambassador Theatre Group The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) is a major international theatre organisation headquartered in the United Kingdom, with offices in Woking (head office), London, New York, Sydney, Mannheim and Cologne. ATG's key operations comprise three in ...

, of which Kulukundis was Life President and a major share holder."About Us"
''ATG Tickets''. Retrieved 21 November 2012.

Athletics

In November 1998, Kulukundis came second in the contest to become the first elected president of

UK Athletics UK Athletics (UKA) is the governing body for the sport of athletics in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for overseeing the governance of athletics events in the UK as well as athletes, their development, and athletics officials. The orga ...

to former Olympic champion

David Hemery David Peter Hemery, (born 18 July 1944) is a British former track and field athlete, best known as the winner of the 400 metres hurdles at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Early life Hemery was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, but ...

. Kulukundis served as chairman of the London Coaching Foundation, the Midland Coaching Foundation and Athletes Youth Performance; vice-president of

; chairman of the British Athletic Field Event Charitable Trust; and as chairman and patron of the Belgrave Harriers athletics club.

Philanthropy

Kulukundis gave more than £2 million to British athletes over 25 years. It was estimated that Kulukundis supported about 60 to 70 athletes. The philanthropy started when he returned to the UK, after a chance meeting with

. Through Harry Wilson, Steve Ovett's coach, Kulukundis received the names of several athletes who needed help. Every deal was recorded by his secretary because, theoretically, each one was only a loan. Among the athletes Kulukundis has supported were: *

Nick Buckfield Nicholas ("Nick") Jean Buckfield (born 5 June 1973) is an English former pole vaulter. Athletics career During his youth he was a talented footballer, turning down a youth training contract with Aldershot F.C. at the age of 16. He was educated ...

Linford Christie Linford Cicero Christie (born 2 April 1960) is a Jamaican-born British former sprinter. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World ...

Sally Gunnell Sally Jane Janet Gunnell (born 29 July 1966) is a British former track and field athlete, active between 1984 and 1997, who won the 1992 Olympic gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles. During a golden 24-month period between 1992 and 1994, Gunn ...

Denise Lewis Denise Lewis (born 27 August 1972) is a British sports presenter and former track and field athlete, who specialised in the heptathlon. She won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was twice Commonwealth Games champion, ...

* Steve Ovett *

Fatima Whitbread Fatima Whitbread (' Vedad; 3 March 1961) is a British retired javelin thrower. She broke the world record with a throw of in the qualifying round of the 1986 European Athletics Championships in Stuttgart, and became the first British athle ...

Janine Whitlock Janine Whitlock (born 11 August 1973) is an English pole vaulter. Athletics career She represented England in the pole vault event, at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Two years later she represented Great Britain at the 2 ...

Du'aine Ladejo Du'aine Ladejo (born 14 February 1971, in Paddington, London, England) is an English-born Athletics (sport), athlete and television personality. In his sports career, he was best known for winning the 400 metres sprint gold medal at the 1994 Eur ...

Roger Black Roger Anthony Black MBE (born 31 March 1966) is a retired English athlete who competed internationally for Great Britain and England. During his athletics career, he won individual silver medals in the 400 metres sprint at both the Olympic Ga ...

– "'When I was out of action for two years and earning nothing, it was Eddie who helped me with my mortgage." *

Dwain Chambers Dwain Anthony Chambers (born 5 April 1978) is a British track sprinter. He has won international medals at World and European levels and is one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of athletics. His primary event is the 100 me ...

– who had to move out of home, so Kulukundis funded his flat * David Jenkins – the disgraced 400m runner returned the $800 lent to him in 1978, when Kulukundis visited Indianapolis in 1998 for the US trials *

Dean Macey Dean Macey (born 12 December 1977) is an English athlete from Canvey Island. He is best known for competing in the decathlon, which he did from 1995 to 2008, winning the Commonwealth Games decathlon, two World Championship medals, as well as twi ...

– Kulukundis provided Macey with an inexhaustible supply of free motor transport; Macey returned what remained of the car a few months later. On one occasion, the timelag between provision and destruction was no more than an afternoon. After three crashes, Macey gave up and Kulukundis funded his warm winter training instead. * Eugene Gilkes "It was Eddie's support that made it possible for me to continue through the trials and tribulations of injury for long enough to hobble to a Commonwealth Decathlon medal. And so many of the good things in life that have happened since have been as a direct result of this achievement. I will always be grateful" *

Mo Farah Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born Hussein Abdi Kahin; 23 March 1983) is a British long-distance runner. His ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World titles) make him the most successful male track distance runner ever ...

- Kulukundis paid the legal costs of Farah's naturalisation as a British citizen to ensure he could pursue his international career. * Brendan Reilly - "Eddie opened my eyes to more than sport. Through his generosity and kindness I experienced theatre, travel and developed lifelong friendships".

Personal life

Kulukundis married the English actress

in 1981. The couple lived on the outskirts of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, England. Active on stage and screen until her early seventies, Hampshire gave up most acting opportunities after 2009 to care for her husband, who had developed

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

and

type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urinatio ...

. Kulukundis died at his home on 17 February 2021, aged 88.

Honours

Kulukundis was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Sport in the

1988 Birthday Honours Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supple ...

, and knighted for charitable services to Sport and to the Arts in the

1993 Birthday Honours The 1993 Queen's Birthday honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's ...

.United Kingdom:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kulukundis, Eddie 1932 births 2021 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople British businesspeople in shipping Businesspeople from London English people of Greek descent English philanthropists English theatre managers and producers Knights Bachelor Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Westminster Sports patrons