Nikos Kourkoulos ( el, Νίκος Κούρκουλος; December 5, 1934 in Athens, Greece – January 30, 2007) was a highly respected

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

theatrical and film performer, one of the most talented and recognizable actors in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

of modern times. Kourkoulos is best known to Greek audiences for playing "Angelos Kreouzis" in '' Oratotis miden'', but he also appeared in other movies such as ''To Homa vaftike kokkino'', ''Exodos kindynou'', ''O Astrapogiannos'', ''O Katiforos'' among others.

Life and career

Nikos Kourkoulos grew up in the Athens district of

Zografou Zografou ( el, Ζωγράφου) is a suburb of approximately 71,000 in the eastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. It was named after the Greek politician Ioannis Zografos. To the east of Zografou lies mount Hymettus. The area, being ...

. As young sports and football were his loves. He belonged to

Panathinaikos F.C. Panathinaikos Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Παναθηναϊκός Α.Ο. ), known as Panathinaikos, or by its full name, and the name of its parent sports club, Panathinaikos A.O. or PAO (; ''Panathinaïkós Athlitikós Ómilos'', "All-Athenian ...

roster during his school years. Acting came before him rather accidentally. As he himself had claimed, he decided to become an actor after reading books on theatre. He studied acting at the

National Theatre of Greece The National Theatre of Greece () is based in Athens, Greece. History The first permanent theatre in modern Greece had been the Boukoura Theatre from 1840, but it had difficulty in managing its operation and stood empty for long periods of t ...

's School of Drama, and made his stage debut in a 1958 Athens production of

Alexandre Dumas, fils Alexandre Dumas (; 27 July 1824 – 27 November 1895) was a French author and playwright, best known for the romantic novel ''La Dame aux Camélias'' (''The Lady of the Camellias''), published in 1848, which was adapted into Giuseppe Verdi's 1 ...

' ''

La dame aux camélias LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'', opposite

Ellie Lambeti Ellie Loukou ( el, Έλλη Λούκου; 13 April 1926 – 3 September 1983), known professionally as Ellie Lambeti ( el, Έλλη Λαμπέτη), was a Greek actress. Family Lambeti was born in 1926 in the village of Vilia, Attiki, to Kos ...

and

Dimitris Horn Dimitris Horn () (9 March 1921 – 16 January 1998) was a Greek theatrical and film performer of modern times. Biography Horn was born in Athens in 1921, the son of playwright Pantelis Horn (himself descended from an Austrian father and Greek mot ...

. He was one of the founders of the prestigious musical group, ''Proskinio'' and appeared in the 1967 Broadway musical, ''

Illya Darling ''Illya Darling'' is a musical with a book by Jules Dassin, music by Manos Hadjidakis, and lyrics by Joe Darion, based on Dassin's 1960 film ''Never on Sunday''. Production The show previewed in a tour of Philadelphia, Toronto and Detroit for ni ...

'', with Melina Mercouri, in a role for which he was nominated for a

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 ...

as a best supporting actor. For most of the 1960s/70s, Kourkoulos' success was unparalleled by any other Greek actor, except

Dimitris Papamichael Dimitris Papamichael ( el, Δημήτρης Παπαμιχαήλ ; 1934–2004) was a popular Greek actor and director. In 1965, he married Aliki Vougiouklaki, the so-called "national star" of Greece. The star couple remained married for a decad ...

, but Kourkoulos' choice of material was more challenging than the latter's. He created his personal group in the early 1970s, with a repertory which included, among others,

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

's ''

The Trial ''The Trial'' (german: Der Process, link=no, previously , and ) is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and p ...

'',

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

's '' View from the Bridge'' and

Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with mu ...

''. His last stage appearance was in the title role of

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or c ...

' '' Philoktitis'' (1991) at the restored ancient theater of Epidaurus in southern Greece. In 1995, he was named as Artistic Director of the

, an institution he managed to turn into a profitable organization without compromising on artistic integrity. His film career was successful: he starred in many films from the late 1950s until the early 1980s. His most commercial films have been melodramas with a social background, like ''Oratotis miden'' (Ορατότης Μηδέν) (1970). He was awarded twice at the Thessaloniki Film Festival with the Best Actor Prize for his performance in ''Adistaktoi'' (Αδίστακτοι 1965) and ''Astrapogiannos'' (Αστραπόγιαννος 1970). For five (5) years (1975–1980) he was President of the Society of Greek Theatre Actor-Managers. Nikos Kourkoulos died at the Errikos Dynan Hospital, Athens, on 30 January 2007, after a long battle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

, aged 72. He was survived by his companion of twenty years, Marianna Latsi (daughter of Greek shipping billionaire

Yiannis Latsis Yiannis Latsis (1910–2003), also known as John Spyridon Latsis, was a Greek shipping multi-billionaire tycoon notable for his great wealth, influential friends, and charitable activities. The year of his death (2003), ''Forbes'' magazine rank ...

), and four children: Errieta and Philip from his relationship with Marianna Latsis, and Melita and Alkis from his legal marriage.

Theatrical Performances

Nikos Kourkoulos headed companies and his own theatre in Athens and Thessaloniki, and played leading roles in: *

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

, 1959 *

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and '' The Skin of Our Teeth'' — ...

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 thro ...

, 1960 *

Jean Giraudoux Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II. His wo ...

, Ondine, 1962 *R & A Goetz,

The Heiress ''The Heiress'' is a 1949 American romantic drama film directed and produced by William Wyler, from a screenplay written by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, adapted from their 1947 stage play of the same title, which was itself adapted from Henry Jame ...

, 1962 * Samuel A. Taylor,

Sabrina Fair ''Sabrina Fair'' (subtitled "''A Woman of the World''") is a romantic comedy written by Samuel A. Taylor and produced by the Playwrights' Company. It ran on Broadway for a total of 318 performances, opening at the National Theatre on November ...

, 1963 *

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

, 1964 *

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...

, Clothing The Naked, 1964 *

Frank Wedekind Benjamin Franklin Wedekind (July 24, 1864 – March 9, 1918) was a German playwright. His work, which often criticizes bourgeois attitudes (particularly towards sex), is considered to anticipate expressionism and was influential in the de ...

, Lulu, 1965 *Never on a Sunday (

), 1967, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

(directed by

Jules Dassin Julius "Jules" Dassin (December 18, 1911 – March 31, 2008) was an American film and theatre director, producer, writer and actor. A subject of the Hollywood blacklist in the McCarthy era, he subsequently moved to France, and later Greece, whe ...

, with Melina Mercouri, in a production nominated for a

) *Franz Kafka, The Castle, 1964, and

, 1971 *Euripides,

Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; grc-gre, Ὀρέστης ) was the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, and the brother of Electra. He is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays and of various myths connected with his madness an ...

, 1971 * Sławomir Mrożek, Tango, 1972 *

Bertholt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

, 1975 (as Macheath, with Melina Mercouri as Jenny), directed by Jules Dassin * Anton Chekhov,

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' ( rus, Ча́йка, r=Cháyka, links=no) is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramatises th ...

, 1976 * Harold Pinter,

The Homecoming ''The Homecoming'' is a two-act play written in 1964 by Harold Pinter and first published in 1965. Its premières in London (1965) and New York (1967) were both directed by Sir Peter Hall. The original Broadway production won the 1967 Tony A ...

, 1977 *

Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ''Antigone'', an a ...

Ring Round the Moon ''Ring Round the Moon'' is a 1950 adaptation by the English dramatist Christopher Fry of Jean Anouilh's '' Invitation to the Castle'' (1947). Peter Brook commissioned Fry to adapt the play and the first production of ''Ring Round the Moon'' was ...

, 1978 *

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

The Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to: Neil Simon play and its adaptations * ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon ** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play *** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televisi ...

, 1980, directed by Andreas Voutsinas *

Oedipus the King ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...

, 1982 *

Ugo Betti Ugo Betti (4 February 1892 in Camerino – 9 June 1953 in Rome) was an Italian judge, better known as an author, who is considered by many the greatest Italian playwright next to Pirandello. Biography Betti studied law in Parma at the time when ...

, Reciprocation, 1983, directed by Minos Volanakis *

, A View from the Bridge, 1986 *

Dale Wasserman Dale Wasserman (November 2, 1914 – December 21, 2008) was an American playwright, perhaps best known for his book for Man of La Mancha. Early life Dale Wasserman was born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, the child of Russian immigrants Samuel ...

, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 1987 *Sophocles, Philoctetes, 1991

Filmography

* To Telefteo psemma 1957, ''A Matter of Dignity'' * Barbayannis, o kanatas 1957, ''Barbayiannis, the potter'' * Erotikes istories 1959, ''Erotic stories'' *

Bouboulina Laskarina Bouboulina ( el, Λασκαρίνα Μπουμπουλίνα; 1771 – 22 May 1825) was a Greek naval commander, heroine of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, and considered the first woman to attain the rank of admiral. She was b ...

1959 * Amaryllis, to koritsi tis agapis 1959, ''Amaryllis, the girl of love'' * I Kyria dimarhos 1960, ''Lady mayor'' * Kalimera Athina 1960, ''Goodmorning Athens'' * To Hamini 1960, ''The Guttersnipe'' * Dyo hiliades naftes kai ena koritsi 1960, ''Two thousands sailors and one girl'' * Mana mou, ton agapisa 1961, ''Mother, I loved him'' * O Katiforos 1961, ''The Slip'' * Gia sena tin agapi mou 1961, ''For you my love'' * To Taxidi 1962, ''The travel'' * Orgi 1962, ''Fury'' * Syntrimmia tis zois 1963, ''Debris of life'' * Lola tis Troubas 1964, ''Lola of Trouba'' * Enas megalos erotas 1964, ''One big love'' * Dipsa gia zoi 1963, ''Thirst for life'' * Amfivolies 1964, ''Doubts'' *

Games of Desire Games of Desire (Ger. ''Die Lady'') is a German-French drama film released in 1964 and featuring Swedish star Ingrid Thulin in the lead role. Plot Nadine Anderson, an elegant well-to-do woman, leads a luxurious but boring life, the wife of the Sw ...

1964 * To Homa vaftike kokkino 1965, ''Blood on the Land'' * Adistaktoi 1965, ''Unhesitating'' * Koinonia, ora miden 1966, ''Society, time zero'' * Katigoro tous anthropous 1966, ''I Blame the people'' * Epitafios gia ehthrous kaí filous 1966, ''Epitaph for enemies and for friends'' * Kataskopoi sto Saroniko 1968, ''Agents on Saronic (Gulf)'' *

Gymnoi sto dromo ''Gymnoi sto dromo'' or ''Gimni sto dromo'' ( el, Γυμνοί στο δρόμο, italic=yes, ''Naked in the street'') is a 1969 Greek drama film directed and written by Giannis Dalianidis Giannis Dalianidis ( el, Γιάννης Δαλιανί ...

1968, ''Nudes on the street'' * Roma come Chicago 1968 * Oratotis miden 1970, ''Visibility Zero'' * O Astrapogiannos 1970 * Katahrisis exousias 1971, ''Αbuse of Power'' * Me fovo kai me pathos 1972, ''With fear and with passion'' * O Ehthros tou laou 1972, ''The Enemy of people'' *

Thema syneidiseos ''A Matter of Conscience'' ( el, Θέμα συνειδήσεως) is a 1973 Greek film produced by Finos Films, directed by Petros Lykas and starring Nikos Kourkoulos and Betty Arvaniti. Cast *Nikos Kourkoulos ..... Geralis *Betty Arvaniti ... ...

1973, ''Issue of conscience'' * I Diki ton dikaston 1974, ''The Trial of judgemen'' * Ena gelasto apogevma 1979, ''One happy afternoon'' * Exodos kindynou 1980, ''Exit of danger'' * To Fragma 1982, ''The Dam'' * To 13o Kivotio 1992, ''The 13th Kit (TV Series)''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kourkoulos, Nikos 1934 births 2007 deaths Greek male stage actors Greek male film actors Greek male television actors Male actors from Athens Deaths from cancer in Greece