Person Details

Birthday:

Aliases: Thanasis Vengos , Thanassis Veggos , Thanassis Vengos , Thanasis Vegos , Θανασης Βεγγος , Θανάσης Βέγγος

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Piraeus, Greece

Homepage: http://www.veggos.gr/

Movie Involvements: 42

TV Involvements: 3


Most Famous Work

Biography

Thanasis Veggos (29 May 1926 – 3 May 2011) was a Greek actor and director born in Neo Faliro, Piraeus. He performed in around 130 films, predominantly comedies in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, starring in more than 50 among them. He is considered one of the best Greek comedy actors of all time. His famous comedic catchphrase was "Καλέ µου άνθρωπε" ("My good man"). Veggos' first appearance in a film was in Windfall in Athens, produced by Mihalis Kakogiannis, which premiered in Athens as Kiriakatiko Xsipnima on 11 January 1954. Nikos Koundouros gave him a role in Magiki polis in 1955. His first major role was in Psila ta heria Hitler ("Hands Up, Hitler"), 1962 and continued many more films. For his acting in What did you do in the war, Thanasi? (1971), the public of Thessaloniki °apotheosized° him and the movie won three awards at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. He often played everyman characters struggling to get by, but he has also played anti-heroes, he has acted in pure dramas, and on stage in the comedies of Aristophanes. His characters were often self-named "Thanasis". He often worked with directors Panos Glykofridis and Giorgos Lazaridis. In 1995, Theo Angelopoulos cast Veggos and American actor Harvey Keitel in "Ulysses Gaze". In 1997, in the role of Dikaiopoli he appeared in a live performance at the ancient Epidaurus theater. In 2000, he survived a car accident involving a collision with a train. He later participated in advertisements promoting road safety. A documentary of his life, whose title translates as A Man for All Seasons, was made in 2004. He always did his own stunts including the most dangerous ones, like hanging from a rope tied to a balcony fifty feet above a pavement without anything to break his fall, walking through a glass door, or falling down a stone staircase head first. During the "Golden Sixties" of the Greek film industry he made his most popular comedy films such as the sequel of Secret Agent 000, Papatrehas, Enas trellos Vengos and many others, also with surrealist humor, most of them by his own company Θ-Β Comedies (Θ-Β Tainies Geliou) which founded in 1964. In 2008, Veggos was appointed Commander of the Order of the Phoenix by the President of Greece, Karolos Papoulias. On 3 May 2011, he died at 7:10 a.m. He had been hospitalized at the Red Cross hospital, in Athens, since 18 December 2010. He is survived by his wife Asimina and two sons. He will always be remembered in the more than 120 films and more recent documentaries that he starred in. The phrase "τρέχει σαν το Βέγγο" (English translation: "runs like Veggos") has been adopted into common usage in the Greek language since nobody has run more or faster than Veggos in his many slapstick comedies.

Most Famous Work

Ulysses' Gaze
Average
7

Ulysses' Gaze

(1995) Taxi Driver
Έχω ένα μυστικό...
Average
2

Έχω ένα μυστικό...

(2008) Κυρ-Κυριάκος
Blind Angel
Average
5

Blind Angel

(1960) Kotsos
Madalena
Average
6

Madalena

(1960) Policeman
With Heart & Soul
Average
7

With Heart & Soul

(2009) a Father
Just for One Night
Average
4

Just for One Night

(1958) Sirios's assistant
The Dawn of Triumph
Average
6

The Dawn of Triumph

(1960) Περιπτεράς
The Magic City
Average
6

The Magic City

(1955) Thanasis

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
2011 N/A
2009 a Father
N/A
2008 Κυρ-Κυριάκος
2004 Self
2003 N/A
2000 Λύσσανδρος
1998 Linos
Antonis
1995 Taxi Driver
1991 N/A
1990 N/A
Thanasis
1989 Thanasis
N/A
Thanasis Rodinos / Mother
N/A
Thanasis Manaris / Sakis
1988 N/A
Thanasis Pitas
1983 Thanasis Koukouras
1982 Thanasis
1981 Thanasis Apaloheris
1980 Thanasis Trampas
Thanasis Maganas
1979 Thanasis Mpesagiampesas
Thanasis Chatziathanasopoulos
1978 Thanasis Papathanasis
1976 Thanasis
Thanasis Vengos
1973 Thanasis / Athanasia / Lefteris
Thanasis Delithanasis
Thanasis Zevedaios
1972 Thanasis
1971 Thanasis
Thanasis Karathanasis
Thanasis Hatzifapas
1970 Thanasis Karathanasis
Thanasis Hatzikarathanasis
1969 Thou-Vou
Thanasis Hatzipapageorgakopoulokonstadinogiannopoulos
Thanasis Trikorfos
1968 Thanasis
1967 Agathoklis
Thou Vou (Athanasios Bobas)
Thanasis
1966 Polydoros Lagos
1965 Thanasis
1964 Kanellos Karabatsas
Thanasis Koutras
Antonis Tsilivikis
Polykarpos Kolovos
Babis
Frixos
Thanasis Soukouroglou / Stamatis Soukouroglou / Boulis Hatzifrydis
1963 Stefanos Avgerinos
Thanasis Birbilis
N/A
Thanasis Foukaras
Ιππόλυτος
Errikos Delaportas
1962 Harilaos
Panagis Papapanagopoulos
Panagis
Thanasis
Mitros
Frixos
Thrasyvoulos
Romeos
Andreas
Loukas
Priest
1961 Petros Valdis
Manolis
Thymios
Vrasidas
Giannos
Vangelis
Partsaklis
Karderinas
Grigoris Ladias
Detective Van Gray
N/A
N/A
1960 hotel owner
Περιπτεράς
N/A
Policeman
receptionist
Salesman
Manetas
Car Workshoper
Thanasis
Janitor
Kotsos
Spyros
Polydoros
Mitros
1959 Thomas Kalafatis
Foivos
Thomas
N/A
Vangelis
Ice Seller
N/A
waiter
N/A
Doctor
1958 Dr. Giannis Papadopoulos
Waiter
Harilaos
Thodoros' assistant
husband
N/A
Sirios's assistant
1957 Papalaris
Taxi Driver
Hanos (uncredited)
1956 Policeman
Sailor
Spathis
N/A
1955 Thanasis
Year Character Movie/Tv

Directing

Production

Writing

Year Role Movie/Tv
1981 Writer
Year Role Movie/Tv

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