Sotiris Moustakas () (17 September 1940 – 4 June 2007) was a

Greek Cypriot Greek Cypriots (, ) are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2023 census, 719,252 respondents recorded their ethnicity as Greek, forming almost 99% of the 737,196 Cypri ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

born in Kato Platres,

Limassol Limassol, also known as Lemesos, is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the Limassol district. Limassol is the second-largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population of 195,139 and a district population o ...

. His acting career lasted for over four decades, with 1960s–80s as his most successful years. He was described as an "Actor without a Label" cause of his variety of playing in theatrical plays (many different genres),

films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...

television movies A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrestr ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

, videotape/videocassette movies and many more with great reviews and success in all of them. He became internationally famous with his role "Mimithos" in 1964

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

-winning film ''

Zorba the Greek ''Zorba the Greek'' (, , Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas) is a novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1946. It is the tale of a young Greek intellectual who ventures to escape his bookish life with the aid of the boisterous and m ...

''. After that he became a national star in Cyprus and Greece, being part of the

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...

of the Cypriot and Greek Cinema (1950s–1970s). His last cinema performance was in 2007

Goya Award The Goya Awards () are Spain's main national annual film awards. They are presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain. The first ceremony was held in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Ar ...

-winning film ''

El Greco Doménikos Theotokópoulos (, ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco (; "The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. ...

'', where he played "

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

". He gave his voice in the Greek dub of 2007 Disney film ''

Meet the Robinsons ''Meet the Robinsons'' is a 2007 American animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the 1990 children's book ''A Day with Wilbur Robinson'' by William Jo ...

'', as his last role. He mainly played comedy roles throughout his career. Moustakas was regarded as one of the greatest Cypriot and Greek comedian actors in history.

Early life

He was born in Kato Platres of

Limassol District The Limassol District, or simply Limassol or Lemesos, is one of the six districts of Cyprus. , it had a population of 262,238, 75,7% of which was urban The district's capital city is Limassol. Part of the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri an ...

, in

British Cyprus British Cyprus (Modern Greek, Greek: Βρετανική Κύπρος; Turkish language, Turkish: ''Britanya Kıbrısı'') was the island of Cyprus under the dominion of the British Empire, administered sequentially from 1878 to 1914 as a British ...

. He was the youngest of seven siblings.

Career

One of the most significant comic actors of Greece and Cyprus, Moustakas graduated from the National Theater of Greece and was known for his portrayal of offbeat, neurotic yet likable characters. In many of his movies he portrayed multiple roles. He appeared primarily in modern films and plays, although he also performed several roles in classical works. Moustakas' international film debut came in 1964 in the Oscar-winning ''

'' starring

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...

, in which he played Mimithos, the village idiot. For that film Moustakas lost his

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actor only for two more minutes of filming. As Moustakas said, they had filmed many more minutes of playing, but they didn't put all the scenes on the film's final cut. Although his recent work was mainly in the theatre, he also had a role in the 2007 film ''

''.

Political activities

Although not widely advertised, Moustakas in his youth was involved in the Greek Cypriot national liberation struggle of

EOKA The Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA ; ) was a Greek Cypriot nationalist guerrilla organization that fought a campaign for the end of Cyprus#Cyprus under the British Empire, British rule in Cyprus, and for enosis, eventual union with K ...

against

British colonialism The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establish ...

, acting as a messenger, and writing political graffiti. During that period, he was arrested by the British and spent 7 months in jail.

Death

Moustakas felt unwell during rehearsals for an upcoming

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

play, and was transferred to the General State Hospital of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. He was taken to the intensive care unit, where he died in the early morning hours of 4 June 2007. He had been suffering from cancer for some years. At his funeral, his coffin was draped with a Greek flag.

Personal life

He was married to the Greek

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Maria Bonellou, with whom he has a daughter, Alexia. His wife, Maria, died on August 30, 2007, due to Alzheimer, at the age of 66, about 3 months after the death of Sotiris.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1964) (a.k.a. ''Alexis Zorbas'', USA) .... Mimithos * ''To Prosopo tis imeras'' (1965) * ''Beethoven kai bouzouki'' (1965) .... Orfeas * ''Une balle au coeur'' (1966) (a.k.a. ''A Bullet Through the Heart'', (International: English title), a.k.a. ''Devil at My Heels'' (USA), a.k.a. Mia sfaira stin kardia (Greece)) * ''Na zi kaneis i na mi zi?'' (1966) .... Solomon * ''Fos... Nero... Tilefono, Oikopeda me doseis'' (1966) .... Krikor * ''Fifis, o aktypitos'' (1966) .... Michalios Yatayanakis * ''Kalos ilthe to dollario'' (1967) .... Henry * ''

Martha Martha (Aramaic language, Aramaic: מָרְתָא‎) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is descr ...

'' (1967) .... Hector (uncredited) * ''O Modistros'' (1967) .... Stefanos * ''O Kosmos trellathike...'' (1967) .... Pythagoras * ''O Hazobabas'' (1967) .... Doctor * ''Kolonaki: Diagogi miden'' (1967) .... Pavlos Aspromallis * ''I Kori tis Pentagiotissas'' (1967) * ''Gia tin kardia tis oraias Elenis'' (1967) (a.k.a. ''Theotrella neiata... xemoramena geramata''), (Greece: reissue title)) * ''Erotes sti Lesvo'' (1967) (a.k.a. ''O Thanatos ehase to paihnidi'', (Greece)) * ''Adiki katara'' (1967) * ''Athina, i klopi tis odou Stadiou'' (1968) (a.k.a. ''Nude as a Trap'') .... Sotos * ''Tha ta kapso, ta lefta mou'' (1968) .... Kleon Karapanos * ''Ta Psihoula tou kosmou'' (1968) * ''O Tsahpinis'' (1968) .... Kosmas * ''O Petheropliktos'' (1968) .... Lavredis * ''Oi Mnistires tis Pinelopis'' (1968) .... Filippos * ''O Boufos'' (1968) .... Dinos Zafiriou * ''Pethaino kathe ximeroma'' (1969) * ''I Oraia tou kourea'' (1969) .... Thomas * ''Xypna koroido'' (1969) .... Faidonas Tramountanas * ''H omorfh kai o tzanabetis'' (1969) * ''Fovatai o Yannis to therio'' (1969) (a.k.a. ''Tha pao stin zougla me ton Tarzan'') .... Anastasis * ''Ena asteio koritsi'' (1970) .... Antonio * ''To Paidi tis mamas'' (1970) .... Fotis * ''O Ahaireftos'' (1970) .... Miltos Kourkoutoulis * ''I Tyhi mou trelathike'' (1970) .... Liakos * ''Anastenazoun oi penies'' (1970) .... Manolios * ''Arhipseftaros'' (1971) .... Paminos * ''Thymios enantion Tsitsou'' (1971) (a.k.a. ''Dyo sainia, Ta'' (Greece: TV title) ... a.k.a. Thymios enantion olon (Greece: TV title) .... Timolis * ''Oi Andres xeroun n' agapoun'' (1971) (a.k.a. ''To timima tis agapis'', (Greece: video box title) * ''

Gia mia choufta Touristries ''Gia mia choufta Touristries'' ( ''For A Handful of Women Tourists'') is a 1971 Greek comedy film directed by Errikos Thalassinos and starring Alekos Alexandrakis, Kaiti Papanika and Katerina Gioulaki. Cast * Alekos Alexandrakis ..... ''M ...

'' (1971) .... Police Officer * ''Enas nomotagis politis'' (1974) .... Grigoris Monahogios * ''Gynaikes sta opla'' (1979) .... President * ''O Parthenokynigos'' (1980) .... Iraklis * ''Kathenas me tin trella tou...'' (1980) .... Sotiris * ''Gefsi apo Ellada!'' (1980) .... Hungry Man * ''To Megalo routhouni'' (1981) .... Alexandros / Thiseas Doxapatris * ''I 'Nona (1981) (a.k.a. ''Nona enantion mafiozou'', (Greece: video title)) .... Thiseas Doxapatris / Nona * ''Pater Gomenios'' (1982) .... Menios * ''O Kamikazi tsantakias'' (1982) .... Poseidonas * ''Ego... kai to pouli mou'' (1982) (a.k.a. ''Knock out ston erota'', (Greece: TV title) .... Kokos * ''To Psonio'' (1983) .... Sotiris Haritos * ''To Paizo kai poly andras'' (1983) .... Zinon Petridis * ''Kai aftos to violi tou'' (a.k.a. An itan to violi pouli) (1984)... Lefteris Paganikskis * ''Mitsos, o rezilis'' (1984) (a.k.a. ''O Glykopseftis'', (Greece: TV title)) .... Mitsos * ''Ta Touvla'' (1985) .... Sotos Stournos * ''O Roz gatos'' (1986) .... Archimidis Mantouvalos / Efterpi * ''O Dynasteias'' (1986) .... Bebis Karinkopoulos / Dionisakis 'Tarzan' Karinkopoulos / Odysseas * ''Merikes ton protimoun... ilektroniko'' (1986) .... Telis / Paraskevas * ''O Petheropliktos'' (1987) .... Iakovos * ''Sexy batsos kai skliros'' (1987) .... Sotiris Sotiriou / Antonis Kourouflexis * ''O Tsitsiolinos'' (1987) .... Lefteris Spanomarias * ''Kourio o Periklis'' (1987) .... Periklis * ''Erastis gia 11 nihtes'' (1988) .... Angelos Klapsopoulos * ''Varis glykos kai meraklis'' (1988) .... Aristeidis * ''Enas trelos tha mas sossei'' (1988) .... Timolaos * ''Andrea prohora'' (1988) * ''Diariktis me to zori'' (1988) .... Michalis Papadimitrakopoulos * ''Tolmi kai afassia'' (1988) .... Aristeidis Antoniou * ''Mhn to paizeis ypourge!'' (1988) * ''Peinasmenos kai jenleman'' (1989) .... Sotiris * ''O Jogadoros'' (1989) .... Nektarios Bataktsis * ''Mia treli treli nychta'' (1989) .... Sokratis Leonardos * ''Kapetan Fortounas'' (1989) .... Manolis * ''O Alepous'' (1990) .... Alepous * ''Kavafis'' (1996) * ''Mila mou kai mantarinia'' (1999) * ''Oi Aparadektoi'' (1 episode) - Epitheorisi (????) TV Episode * ''Petsi kai kokali'' (2000, TV Movie) * ''Me ti ginaika tou filou mou'' (2000) * ''armege lagous kai koureve helones'' (2000) * ''Ti vraki tha paradossis mori?'' (2001, TV Movie) * ''Ta Haidemena paidia'' (2001, TV Series) .... Nikiforos A * ''O haros vgike pagania'' (2003) * ''Emeis xasan autoi masan'' (2003) * ''Kai fagane autoi kala kai emeis heirotera'' (2005) * ''

'' (2007) .... Titian (final film role)

Awards

External links

Sotiris Moustakas passes away

Sotiris Moustakas: "Fought in EOKA" - Excerpts from his famous interview where he describes his life during the EOKA national liberation struggle

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moustakas, Sotiris 1940 births 2007 deaths Greek male film actors Cypriot people of the EOKA Greek male television actors Greek male comedians Greek people of Cypriot descent Deaths from cancer in Greece 20th-century Greek comedians People from Limassol District