Gus Trikonis (born Kostas Tritchonis; November 21, 1937) is an American actor, dancer, and director.

Career

Trikonis began his career as an actor and dancer, notably appearing in the hugely successful 1961 film ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'' as Indio, one of the "Sharks", as well as dancing with

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer and entrepreneur. Her acting career spanned almost 70 years. Reynolds performed on stage and television and in films into her 80s. She was nom ...

and Grover Dale to the frantic "He's My Friend" in 1964's '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown''. Although originally unbilled, on December 3, 1968, Trikonis got his second biggest exposure in front of any audience (the first being in the aforementioned ''West Side Story'', seen at US theatres by about 61 million moviegoers) as one of two main (out of five) male dancers who do

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

's choreography as he sings a Gospel medley as part of a widely watched NBC-TV Special entitled "Elvis". As a director, Trikonis handled several projects from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, mostly low-budget "

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that seeks commercial success by capitalizing on current trends, niche genres, or sensational content. Exploitation films often feature themes such as suggestive or explicit sex, sensational violence, drug use, nudi ...

s". He made several films for

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

New World Pictures New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment, New World Communications Group, Inc., and New World International) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia com ...

; Corman called Trikonis one of the best young directors he had ever worked with. His films included '' The Student Body''. From the 1980s to the mid-1990s Trikonis mostly directed television series. He directed episodes of television series including ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz ...

'', ''

Quantum Leap Quantum leap or ''variation'', may refer to: In general * Quantum leap (physics), also known as quantum jump, a transition between quantum states ** Atomic electron transition, a key example of the physics phenomenon * Paradigm shift, a sudden ch ...

'', ''

Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

'', ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'' and '' Wiseguy''.Gus Trikonis Biography
Film Reference

Personal life

Trikonis was married to actress

Goldie Hawn Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, producer, dancer, and singer. She achieved stardom and acclaim for playing lighthearted comedic roles in film and television. In a career spanning six decades, she has received ...

from 1969 to 1976; he was her first husband and they have the same birthday (in different years). He was later married to

costume designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costum ...

Barbara Andrews from 1978 till her death in 2012 and they had one child together: a son Nicolas, born in 1981. His sister Gina also appeared in ''West Side Story'' as Graziella, Riff's girlfriend,''The Great American Playwrights on the Screen: A Critical Guide to Film ...'', page 321 later becoming a costumer and costume/wardrobe supervisor.

Filmography

Actor Director (selection) * '' Five the Hard Way / The Sidehackers'' (1969) * '' Supercock'' (1975) * '' The Swinging Barmaids'' (1975) * '' The Student Body'' (1976) * '' Nashville Girl'' (1976) * '' Moonshine County Express'' (1977) * '' The Evil'' (1978) * '' She's Dressed to Kill'' (1979) (TV movie) * '' Touched by Love'' (1980) * '' Elvis and the Beauty Queen'' (1981) TV movie) * ''

Take This Job and Shove It "Take This Job and Shove It" is a 1977 country music song written by David Allan Coe and popularized by Johnny Paycheck, about the bitterness of a man who has worked long and hard with no apparent reward. The song was first recorded by Paycheck o ...

'' (1981) * '' Dance of the Dwarfs'' (1983) * '' Malice in Wonderland'' (1985)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trikonis, Gus 1937 births Living people Male actors from New York City American male film actors American male television actors Film producers from New York (state) American male screenwriters American television directors Writers from Manhattan Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state)