Nico Mastorakis
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Nico Mastorakis ( el, Νίκος Μαστοράκης; born 28 April 1941 in
Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
) is a Greek filmmaker and radio producer. He is probably best known for his 1973 live interview of 17 arrested Greek students, which happened without their consent, in favor of the Greek military junta. The students were later tortured. He might also be known for writing and directing the average (5.1/10.0 IMDB) horror film ''
Island of Death ''Island of Death'' (Greek: ''Τα Παιδιά Του Διαβόλου'', ''Ta pediá tou Diavólou'', ), also known as ''Devils in Mykonos'' and ''A Craving For Lust'', is a 1976 Greek exploitation film directed by Nico Mastorakis. It tells ...
'' in 1975.


Early career

At the age of 18, Mastorakis as a young reporter with the Greek newspaper '' Ethnikos Kirikas'' scored his first international scoop, an exclusive interview with the exiled Princess
Soraya Soraya ( fa, ثریا) is a feminine Persian name. It is derived from the Arabic name for the Pleiades star cluster, ''Thurayya'' ( ar, ثريّة). The name is also popular in Europe due to its association with Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari, th ...
. Later, as an investigative reporter for the daily '' Messimvrini'', adding to multiple award-winning reports, he created the first "automobile page" in Greek press. In his last job as a reporter for the daily ''
Apogevmatini ''Apogevmatini'' ( el, Απογευματινή, italic=yes) was a Greek newspaper published nationally in Athens. The newspaper was founded by Nasos and Sakis Botsis in 1952. It had a semi-liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics ...
'' he posed as a musician for the group of popular singer
Yanni Poulopoulos Yiannis Chryssomallis ( el, Γιάννης Χρυσομάλλης; born November 14, 1954), known professionally as Yanni ( ), is a Greek Americans, Greek-American composer, keyboardist, pianist, and record producer, music producer. Yanni cont ...
and gained access to
Aristotle Onassis Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; el, Αριστοτέλης Ωνάσης, Aristotélis Onásis, ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975), was a Greek-Argentinian shipping magnate who amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and wa ...
’ yacht, the ''Christina'' where Onassis was hosting Jackie and
Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
. He used a Minox camera hidden behind the strings of his guitar to take photos but was discovered by Ted Kennedy's security men and, although managing to fly out of
Skorpios Skorpios or Scorpios ( el, Σκορπιός, ) is a private island in the Ionian Sea off the western coast of Greece and just to the east of the island of Lefkada. The 2011 census reported a population of five inhabitants. Administratively it i ...
with his negatives intact, he was later arrested by the junta's secret police and detained for the night while his negatives were discovered and confiscated. Although his article about that night being heavily censored he broke the news of Onassis and Jackie Kennedy getting married months before the official announcement. Mastorakis’ time on board the Onassis yacht was later described in detail in both ''Ari'' and ''Nemesis'', by Onassis’ biographer Peter Evans, who writes: "Onassis used his pull with the colonels and Mastorakis was picked up in Athens… later Ari showed me a copy of Mastorakis’ original story which had been cut to ribbons by the military censors". He was already a radio personality since the late 1950s, as Mastorakis was considered by many to be the DJ who brought international pop to Greek radio. In all, he hosted and produced more than 22 different radio shows. In the late sixties, he was introduced to
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
and became friendly with
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
in particular. On April 17, 1967 he produced the first ever international pop concert in Athens, booking the
Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
for a memorable albeit troubled concert, dominated by police and amidst the riots which regularly occurred in Athens at the time. The military coup came four days later. As a lyricist and record producer, he launched the careers of almost all of the Greek pop groups of the sixties, working mainly with the Forminx and their keyboard player Vangelis Papathanassiou, later known as the film score composer
Vangelis Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou ( el, Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; el, Βαγγέλης, links=no ), was a Greek composer and arranger of ...
. Mastorakis was instrumental in the creation of Greek television in the late 1960s. From early 1966 (before the junta years) and until 1973 while Greece was under the Regime of the Colonels, he produced and hosted numerous entertainment shows in the army-owned YENED TV station. While the station's primary goal was to propagandize for the army his shows were mostly apolitical fare, such as game shows and celebrity interviews, including a Greek version of ''This Is Your Life'', and he was among the most popular TV personalities of the time. He produced local versions of many international formats (''Candid Camera'', ''To Tell The Truth'') and worked for both YENED and ERT, the country's national TV network. In addition to his shows he produced and directed ''Alati kai Piperi'' (''Salt and Pepper''), hosted by noted Greek columnist Freddy Germanos. One of the highlights of that show was when Mastorakis brought John Lennon and Yoko Ono into the military TV's two-camera studio. He wrote, produced and directed dramatic series and variety shows as well as the short-lived breakthrough sci-fi episodic ''Invasion From Another Planet'', the first on Greek TV to be shot on film. However his TV career took some dramatic turns as he was ousted twice by the junta, the unofficial reason being cited "for speaking freely". The first time that his shows were abruptly banned was for his comment to a 6-year-old girl (in a kiddies show) "how can you ever buy a Christmas tree with the cost of life as they are today", a comment which was considered by the military regime as "anti-government propaganda". At the time he was serving in the navy and eventually returned to TV, only to be ousted (by order of dictator
Georgios Papadopoulos Geórgios Papadopoulos (; el, Γεώργιος Παπαδόπουλος ; 5 May 1919 – 27 June 1999) was a Greeks, Greek military officer and political leader who ruled Greece as a military dictator from 1967 to 1973. He joined the Hellenic ...
) because he interviewed a 12-year-old girl who had married and had a baby. Papadopoulos considered the interview as "corruption of ethics for the Greek family". For almost a year, Mastorakis was producing "underground" with the silent consent of YENED's management until his final return. His career as a journalist also had clashes with the junta. After writing a long piece about
Mikis Theodorakis Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis ( el, Μιχαήλ "Μίκης" Θεοδωράκης ; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. He Film score, scored for the films ''Zorba the Greek (film) ...
’ concert in London, for the weekly magazine ''Epikera'', he was arrested and detained at the ESA (Military Police) headquarters for a day. Later on, publisher Georgios Athanassiadis, hired Mastorakis for the daily ''Vradini'' (which had been shut down by the junta and was about to be published again) only to find out from Dimitrios Ioannidis (head of the Military Police and later the dictator who replaced instigating a bloodier junta) that the newspaper's permit had been withdrawn because "Athanassiadis had hired anarchist-communists like Mastorakis".


Junta controversy

In the aftermath of the 1973 Athens Polytechnic uprising, the regime made use of Mastorakis' popularityNikos Mastorakis
Museum of Broadcast communications: "Nikos Mastorakis was the TV personality
sine qua non ''Sine qua non'' (, ) or ''condicio sine qua non'' (plural: ''condiciones sine quibus non'') is an indispensable and essential action, condition, or ingredient. It was originally a Latin legal term for " conditionwithout which it could not be" ...
of the dictatorship years"
to repair its public image. An interview was set up and broadcast, during which he interviewed, in prison, a number of students who had been arrested during the events. Mastorakis claimed that he had guarantees from Minister of Press Spyridon Zournatzis that the interview would not be censored and that the students would not be prosecuted for speaking freely. After the fall of the regime in 1974, the students were released from prison and stated that they had been beaten and threatened with legal and extra-legal punishment unless they cooperated in the interview. Nico Mastorakis himself claimed that he had been coerced into making the show, but his popularity had evaporated, and the new management of the Greek TV stations wanted nothing to do with him.


Later career

Unable to work in public television after the junta, Mastorakis turned to commercials and features and eventually left the country in 1975 to pursue his career as a B-movie-maker overseas. He had already made two low budget movies, one of which later became a cult classic (''
Island of Death ''Island of Death'' (Greek: ''Τα Παιδιά Του Διαβόλου'', ''Ta pediá tou Diavólou'', ), also known as ''Devils in Mykonos'' and ''A Craving For Lust'', is a 1976 Greek exploitation film directed by Nico Mastorakis. It tells ...
'') and while living in London he wrote the screenplay for ''
The Greek Tycoon ''The Greek Tycoon'' is a 1978 American biographical romantic drama film, of the ''roman à clef'' type, directed by J. Lee Thompson. The screenplay by Morton S. Fine is based on a story by Fine, Nico Mastorakis, and Win Wells, who loosely ba ...
'' (1978), a
roman à clef ''Roman à clef'' (, anglicised as ), French for ''novel with a key'', is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship ...
based on his encounters with Aristotle Onassis. The movie, financed by
Allan Klein Allen Klein (December 18, 1931 July 4, 2009) was an American businessman whose aggressive negotiation tactics affected industry standards for compensating recording artists. He founded ABKCO Music & Records Incorporated. Klein increased profits ...
, starred
Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...
and
Jacqueline Bisset Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset ( ; born 13 September 1944) is a British actress. She began her film career in 1965 and first came to prominence in 1968 with roles in '' The Detective'', ''Bullitt'', and ''The Sweet Ride'', for which she rec ...
and was distributed by
Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...
. Mastorakis landed a two-year contract with
Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
but he turned independent with ''
Blood Tide ''Blood Tide'' is a 1982 British horror film directed by Richard Jefferies (screenwriter), Richard Jefferies, and starring James Earl Jones, José Ferrer, Lila Kedrova, Mary Louise Weller, Martin Kove, and Deborah Shelton. Its plot follows a y ...
'' (1982) which he wrote and produced. He has since written, produced and directed 17 features, mainly low budget but with awards attached (''
Blind Date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...
'', ''
Nightmare at Noon ''Nightmare at Noon'', also titled ''Death Street USA'', is a 1988 American action horror film written and directed by Nico Mastorakis, and starring Wings Hauser, Bo Hopkins, George Kennedy, and Brion James. The film was shot on-location in Moab a ...
'', ''
Grandmother's House Grandfather's House, also known as the Paul Curtis House, is a historic house in Medford, Massachusetts. It is claimed to be the original house named in the American poem "Over the River and through the Wood" by Lydia Maria Child. (Although ma ...
'') and distribution by major studios and mainstream TV networks. He wrote two published novels (''Fire Below Zero'' and ''Keepers of the Secret'') with Barnaby Conrad and was instrumental in the careers of
Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, Oscars and four Grammy Awards, Grammys, and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmys and a Tony Awar ...
(his first music score for ''
Terminal Exposure ''Terminal Exposure'' is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Nico Mastorakis. It involves two amateur beach photographers who accidentally capture a murder on film. Searching for the only clue, a gorgeous woman with a small rose tattoo, they a ...
''),
Kirstie Alley Kirstie Louise Alley (January 12, 1951 – December 5, 2022) was an American actress. Her breakout role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1997 ...
,
Valeria Golino Valeria Golino (born 22 October 1965) is an Italian actress and film director. She is best known to English-language audiences for her roles in ''Rain Man'', ''Big Top Pee-wee'' and the two ''Hot Shots!'' films, particularly the olive-in-the-bell ...
and award-winning composer
Vangelis Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou ( el, Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; el, Βαγγέλης, links=no ), was a Greek composer and arranger of ...
, with whom Mastorakis wrote a bundle of Greek pop top hits in the sixties. He then later started production company/distributor Omega Entertainment, in which, by November 1987, had sold off all rights to the 9 major films in 14 major territories and most of the small ones to distributor RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video, excluding North American rights to pics such as ''
Glitch A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among ...
'', ''
Nightmare at Noon ''Nightmare at Noon'', also titled ''Death Street USA'', is a 1988 American action horror film written and directed by Nico Mastorakis, and starring Wings Hauser, Bo Hopkins, George Kennedy, and Brion James. The film was shot on-location in Moab a ...
'', '' Bloodstone'' and '' Under the Gun'', and his titles he is going to produce and sometimes direct cost $5 million that his titles are going to be like hot cakes. He returned to Greece in late 1989 to launch
Antenna TV Antenna TV is an American digital television network owned by Nexstar Media Group. The network's programming consists of classic television series, primarily sitcoms, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Antenna TV's programming and advertising operati ...
which he managed for three years. He left in 1993 to create a new independent TV network, Star Channel. Since then, he hosted the relatively successful "Arga" (Late), a late night talk show, and revamped the beauty pageant telecasts. He also wrote and directed sitcoms including ''Goodnight, Mom'' and ''Divorced With Children'', and the politically incorrect satirical show ''Not the ANT1 News''. In 1995, he launched his own classic rock radio station (Radio Gold) which he recently sold to Pegassus Publishing Group. His latest film ("Mykonos, the Soul of an Island") won five awards from prestigious U.S. and international festivals (currently on Amazon Prime.)


Filmography

*''
Island of Death ''Island of Death'' (Greek: ''Τα Παιδιά Του Διαβόλου'', ''Ta pediá tou Diavólou'', ), also known as ''Devils in Mykonos'' and ''A Craving For Lust'', is a 1976 Greek exploitation film directed by Nico Mastorakis. It tells ...
'' (1975) *''Death Has Blue Eyes'' (1976) *''
The Greek Tycoon ''The Greek Tycoon'' is a 1978 American biographical romantic drama film, of the ''roman à clef'' type, directed by J. Lee Thompson. The screenplay by Morton S. Fine is based on a story by Fine, Nico Mastorakis, and Win Wells, who loosely ba ...
'' (1978) *''
Blood Tide ''Blood Tide'' is a 1982 British horror film directed by Richard Jefferies (screenwriter), Richard Jefferies, and starring James Earl Jones, José Ferrer, Lila Kedrova, Mary Louise Weller, Martin Kove, and Deborah Shelton. Its plot follows a y ...
'' (1982) *''
Blind Date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...
'' (1984) *'' The Next One'' (1984) *''Sky High'' (1985) *'' The Zero Boys'' (1986) *'' The Wind'' (1986) *''
Terminal Exposure ''Terminal Exposure'' is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Nico Mastorakis. It involves two amateur beach photographers who accidentally capture a murder on film. Searching for the only clue, a gorgeous woman with a small rose tattoo, they a ...
'' (1987) *''
Glitch A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among ...
'' (1988) *''
Nightmare at Noon ''Nightmare at Noon'', also titled ''Death Street USA'', is a 1988 American action horror film written and directed by Nico Mastorakis, and starring Wings Hauser, Bo Hopkins, George Kennedy, and Brion James. The film was shot on-location in Moab a ...
'' (1988) *'' Bloodstone'' (1988) *''
Grandmother's House Grandfather's House, also known as the Paul Curtis House, is a historic house in Medford, Massachusetts. It is claimed to be the original house named in the American poem "Over the River and through the Wood" by Lydia Maria Child. (Although ma ...
'' (1988) *''Darkroom'' (1989) *''
Ninja Academy ''Ninja Academy'' is a 1989 Nico Mastorakis' comedy film starring Will Egan, Gerald Okamura, Kelly Randall, Michael David, Robert Factor, and Jeff Robinson. It is a low-budget B-movie similar to the'' Police Academy (film series), Police Academ ...
'' (1989) *'' Hired to Kill'' (1990) *''
In the Cold of the Night ''In the Cold of the Night'' is a 1990 American erotic thriller film produced and directed by Nico Mastorakis, and written by Mastorakis and Fred C. Perry. It stars Jeff Lester, Adrianne Sachs, Marc Singer, Brian Thompson, Shannon Tweed, John ...
'' (1990) *''
The Naked Truth The Naked Truth may refer to: Literature * ''The Naked Truth'' (novel), a 1993 fictional memoir by Leslie Nielsen * ''The Naked Truth'' (book), a 2007 commentary on film ratings Film * ''The Naked Truth'' (1914 film), a silent Italian film * ...
'' (1992) *''
.com for Murder ''.com for Murder'' is a 2001 science fiction horror film written by Nico Mastorakis and Phill Marr and directed by Mastorakis, starring Nastassja Kinski, Nicollette Sheridan, Roger Daltrey, and Huey Lewis. After being screened at various fi ...
'' (2001)


References


External links

*
Interview with HorrorYearbook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mastorakis, Nico 1941 births Living people Greek film directors Greek film producers Greek radio producers Greek television presenters Action film directors Horror film directors Film people from Athens