Andreas Mikroutsikos ( Greek: Ανδρέας Μικρούτσικος; born 1952 in Patras) is a Greek composer, lyricist, singer and TV presenter.

Music career

His top hits were ''Hameno Nisi'' (Lost Island), ''To Koutsouraki'' (Little Log), ''Kiklopaki'' (Little Cyclops) and ''Oso Girizei i Gi'' (As Long As The Earth Turns Around). In 1991 Greece participated in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pri ...

with his song ''Anixi'' sung by Sophia Vossou ( Greek: Σοφία Βόσσου), finishing in 13th place. An album with the same title was released the same year.

TV career

During the 1990s, Mikroutsikos presented the famous TV

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

'' To Megalo Pazari'' (The Great Bazaar - Greek version of ''

Let's Make a Deal ''Let's Make a Deal'' (also known as ''LMAD'') is an American television musical comedy variety-game show that originated in the United States in 1963 and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The program was created an ...

''). By moving from Mega Channel to

ANT1 Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a television network airing in Greece. The alternate spelling is wordplay in Greek; ''ena'' (ένα) is the Greek number ''1'' (one), thus ''ANT1'' is pronounced the same as ''Antenna'' (Αντέννα). It laun ...

he was the first to introduce reality shows to the Greek public. His shows have been criticised by many, despite good TV ratings. Mikroutsikos presented the first and second series of the famous

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

'' Big Brother'' on the ANT1 channel. He also presented ANT1's music academy ''

Fame Story Fame Story was a Greek reality TV show that was a licensed version of Endemol's Star Academy on the ANT1 network. It has been one of the most successful Greek TV shows of recent years. The contestants gave a weekly performance in a 2½–3 ho ...

''. Mikroutsikos moved to

Alpha TV Alpha TV is a Greek free-to-air channel, being one of the biggest stations in Greece. The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on information. The studios are located in Kifissia and Pallini. Alpha TV is owned by Alph ...

where he presented the reality show ''Apo Kardias'' (By My Heart). The show was banned by the Greek authorities after an episode in which a woman accused her husband of forcing her to agree to bestiality, specifically sexual acts with their dog. Mikroutsikos defended himself by saying that all the things presented through his popular show were pieces of the puzzle of our life and by closing our eyes we just ignore the problem. Mikroutsikos was nicknamed "realitaras" (reality trump).

Personal life

Mikroutsikos has been married three times, with

Maria Dimitriadi Maria Dimitriadi ( el, Μαρία Δημητριάδη) (11 April 1950 – 6 January 2009), was a Greek singer. She was one of the most renowned performers of the songs of Mikis Theodorakis and Thanos Mikroutsikos. Dimitiradi primarily connected w ...

, trainer Foteini Georganta and TV presenter Dimitra Roubessi. He also had a long-term relationship with singer Sophia Vossou. Mikroutsikos has a son, Stergios, from his first marriage with Maria Dimitriadi. Mikroutsikos, the son of a mathematician, has a degree in

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

himself. As a youngster, he was a member of the

Revolutionary Communist Movement of Greece The Revolutionary Communist Movement of Greece or EKKE (Greek: Επαναστατικό Κομμουνιστικό Κίνημα Ελλάδας, ΕΚΚΕ) is a communist political party in Greece. Alliances In 1999, EKKE joined the Radical Left Fr ...

Filmography

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mikroutsikos, Andreas Greek songwriters Greek television personalities Greek television presenters Living people 1952 births People from Patras