Andreas Voutsinas ( el, Ανδρέας Βουτσινάς; 22 August 1930 – 8 June 2010) was a Sudanese-

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 ...

actor and theater director. In the English-speaking world, he was best known for his roles in three

Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...

films, '' The Producers'' (1967), ''

The Twelve Chairs ''The Twelve Chairs'' ( rus, Двенадцать стульев, Dvenadtsat stulyev) is a classic satirical novel by the Odesan Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov, published in 1928. Its plot follows characters attempting to obtain jewelry hidden ...

'' (1970) and ''

History of the World, Part I ''History of the World, Part I'' is a 1981 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks. Brooks also stars in the film, playing five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomás de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, an ...

'' (1981).

Life and career

Voutsinas was born on 22 August 1932 in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

, since there was a sizeable community of Greek settlers in Sudan at the time. His parents hailed from the Ionian Island of

Kefalonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia ( el, Κεφαλονιά), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallenia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It ...

. They set up a pasta factory in the Anglo-Egyptian colony, "reputedly supplying spaghetti to Italian forces" during the

Fascist Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...

invasion of

Abyssinia The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historica ...

. After the collapse of the business during

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Voutsinas moved with his mother to Athens. Voutsinas studied acting and costume design at the

Old Vic School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. I ...

and drama and song at the

Webber Douglas Academy Webber may refer to: *Webber, Kansas, a US city *Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA *Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA *Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA *Webber (surname) Webber (/ˈwɛbər/) i ...

in London, and, in 1957, joined the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founde ...

. Voutsinas directed more than 130 performances of classical and contemporary repertoire in London, Paris, New York, Canada and Greece. He worked as an actor and director on Broadway and acted in films 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 ...

and

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed or produced the films ''Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Besson is associated with the ' ...

. Voutsinas, a life member of The Actors Studio since 1957, spent many years working in

summer stock In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock th ...

theater and as an assistant to Studio co-founder

Elia Kazan Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...

, before he met

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Jane Fonda, various accolades including two ...

, with whom he got involved and whom he cast in the leading part in ''

The Fun Couple ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', his Broadway directorial debut in 1963. Voutsinas later followed Fonda to Hollywood where he coached her in a number of movies. He then started working as a coach for many others, including

Faye Dunaway Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a BAFTA Award. In 2011, the government of France mad ...

and

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

. Following Fonda to Paris to coach her in

Roger Vadim Roger Vadim Plemiannikov (; 26 January 1928 – 11 February 2000) was a French screenwriter, film director and producer, as well as an author, artist and occasional actor. His best-known works are visually lavish films with erotic qualities, suc ...

's '' Barbarella'', he decided to found Le Theatre Des Cinquante, an acting workshop based on the principles of Lee Strasberg. Many famous French actors and actresses started attending his classes, and at the same time he successfully began directing plays for the French theater. In 1968, Voutsinas became the original

Carmen Ghia The following are fictional characters from the 1967 film '' The Producers'', the Broadway musical based on it, and the 2005 film adaptation of the musical. Max Bialystock Max Bialystock is described as selfish, arrogant, fiery, impatient, sa ...

after befriending Mel Brooks's wife,

Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two ...

. She recommended him to Brooks and said Voutsinas would be perfect for the part.Eberson, Sharon
"Mel Brooks Still Bubbles With Comedy at 83"
''The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''. 2012-03-29. "... his name was Andreas Voutsinas. He was very smart, he was at the Actors Studio, he was a big friend of Anne Bancroft and that's how I got to know him. I knew right away he was Carmen Ghia, he was so incredibly amusing and delicious." Voutsinas had a role in another Brooks feature, ''

'', playing the role of "Bernaise" in the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

scenes. It was not until the early 1980s that he eventually moved to his ancestral Greece, where he continued his career directing a wide range of repertoire from

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

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 ...

, mainly for the State Theater of Northern Greece in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

. His productions were also staged during summer in the

Athens Festival Athens – Epidaurus Festival is an annual arts festival that takes place in Athens and Epidaurus, from May to October. It is one of the most famous festivals in Greece. The festival includes musical, theatrical and other cultural events. History ...

Herodion Herodion is a popular mispronunciation of ''Herodeion'', the Greek name of Herodium, a hill, palace-fortress, and town named after King Herod the Great. Heodion is also an ancient Greek given name that may refer to * Herodion of Antioch (died AD ...

, as well as in the Epidaurus Festival. He continued working between the two countries while he appeared in many French and Greek films, including ''

Le Grand Bleu ''The Big Blue'' (released in some countries under the French title ''Le Grand Bleu'') is a 1988 film in the French ''Cinéma du look'' visual style, made by French director Luc Besson. It is a heavily fictionalized and dramatized story of the ...

'' (1988) and ''

Safe Sex Safe sex is sexual activity using methods or contraceptive devices (such as condoms) to reduce the risk of transmitting or acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. "Safe sex" is also sometimes referred to as safer ...

'' (1999). Andreas Voutsinas taught acting at the State Theatre of Northern Greece from 2002 to 2009. After a stroke he founded his own drama school in Thessaloniki, Superior Drama School Andreas Voutsinas.

Death

Voutsinas died of a respiratory tract infection on 8 June 2010 at age 79, after several days of hospitalization in

Henry Dunant Henry Dunant (born Jean-Henri Dunant; 8 May 182830 October 1910), also known as Henri Dunant, was a Swiss humanitarian, businessman, and social activist. He was the visionary, promoter, and co-founder of the Red Cross. In 1901, he received the ...

Hospital in

Athens 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 a ...

Filmography

Movies

*'' The Producers'' (1967) - Carmen Ghia *''

Histoires extraordinaires ''Spirits of the Dead'' (french: Histoires extraordinaires, lit=Extraordinary Tales, it, Tre passi nel delirio, lit=Three Steps to Delirium), also known as ''Tales of Mystery and Imagination'', is a 1968 horror anthology film comprising three ...

'' (1968) - A Courtier (segment "Metzengerstein") (uncredited) *'' Fräulein Doktor'' (1969) *''

'' (1970) - Nikolai Sestrin *'' Un peu, beaucoup, passionnément...'' (1971) - M. Keller *''

Boulevard du Rhum ''Boulevard du Rhum'' also known as ''Rum Runners'' is a 1971 French-Italian-Spanish adventure film directed by Robert Enrico and produced by Alain Poiré. It is based on Jacques Pecheral's novel of the same name. It stars Brigitte Bardot and Lin ...

'' (1971) - Alvarez *'' Bel ordure'' (1973) - Poussin, le pianiste *''

Lily, aime-moi ''Lily, aime-moi'' is a 1975 French comedy film directed by Maurice Dugowson. It was entered into the 25th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Jean-Michel Folon - François * Patrick Dewaere - Gaston, dit Johnny Cash * Rufus - Claude * ...

'' (1975) - Le barbu de chez Flo / Bearded man at Flo's *'' Monsieur Balboss'' (1975) - Le diplomate *''

A Dream of Passion ''A Dream of Passion'' ( el, Κραυγή Γυναικών, translit. Kravgi gynaikon, lit. "Cry of Women") is a 1978 Greek drama film directed by Jules Dassin. The story follows Melina Mercouri as Maya, an actor playing Medea, who seeks ...

'' (1978) - Kostas *'' Les Charlots contre Dracula'' (1980) - Le comte Dracula *''

'' (1981) - Bearnaise (The French Revolution) *''

Les Voleurs de la nuit ''Thieves After Dark'' (french: Les voleurs de la nuit) is a 1984 French drama film directed by Samuel Fuller starring Véronique Jannot and Bobby Di Cicco. It was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast *Véronique Jannot ...

'' (1984) - Jose *'' Les Nouveaux tricheurs'' (1987) - Romanoff *''

Le Grand bleu ''The Big Blue'' (released in some countries under the French title ''Le Grand Bleu'') is a 1988 film in the French ''Cinéma du look'' visual style, made by French director Luc Besson. It is a heavily fictionalized and dramatized story of the ...

'' (1988) - Priest *'' La Petite apocalypse'' (1993) - Realisateur americain *'' Gynaikes dilitirio'' (1993) - Andreas *''

'' (1999) - Casting Director *''Parta ola'' (2003) *''Mi fevgeis...'' (2004) - Voutsinas (final film role)

TV

*'' The Defenders'' (1963) - Raul Martinez *'' Le Pain noir'' (1974) - Le colporteur *'' Solitudes'' (1977) - Casimir *'' Sam et Sally'' (1978) - Le présentateur *'' Madame Sourdis'' (1979, TV Movie) - Vladimir *'' Prova nifikou'' (1995, TV Series) - Orestis Yalinis

Stage director

*'' Le Bonheur à Romorantin'' (1984 TV show) *''

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, ''El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...

'' (1978 TV show)

Art director

*'' Mademoiselle Julie'' (1984 TV show)

References

External links

Superior Drama School of Andreas Voutsinas
* *
Andreas Voutsinas
at the Internet Off-Broadway Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Voutsinas, Andreas 1930 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Greek male actors People from Khartoum Greek male film actors Greek male television actors Greek theatre directors Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Greek acting coaches Respiratory disease deaths in Greece Infectious disease deaths in Greece Deaths from respiratory tract infection Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Male actors from Athens