Thanasis Veggos Explained

Thanasis Veggos
Native Name:Θανάσης Βέγγος
Birth Date:29 May 1927
Birth Place:Neo Faliro, Piraeus, Greece
Death Place:Athens, Greece
Years Active:1955–2011
Nationality:Greek
Children:2
Awards:Commander of the Order of the Phoenix

Thanasis Veggos (alternatively spelt Thanassis and/or Vengos; Greek: Θανάσης Βέγγος, Thanássis Véngos; 29 May 19273 May 2011) was a Greek actor and director born in Neo Faliro, Piraeus.[1] [2] [3] He performed in around 130 films, predominantly comedies in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s,[1] 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 Greek, Modern (1453-);: Καλέ μου άνθρωπε ("My good man").[3] [4] [5]

Background

Veggos was the only son of a power station employee, who had fought with the Greek Resistance in World War II. Vassilis Veggos played an important part in the defense of the Piraeus power station when the Germans attempted to destroy it before departing in 1944, but precisely because of this was dismissed from his job in the post-war purge of leftists.[6] His real surname was "Βέγκος" and, as he had said, he wrote it with ''γγ'' because it looked better in the eyes. Veggos himself was a member of EPON, the youth branch of the left-wing resistance movement EAM, and so served his compulsory military service as an inmate on the notorious prison island Makronisos from 1948 to 1950. On Makronisos he met film director Nikos Koundouros who was also exiled there.[7] [8]

Career

Veggos' first appearance in a film was in Windfall in Athens, produced by Michael Cacoyannis, which premiered in Athens as Kiriakatiko Xsipnima on 11 January 1954.[9] [10] Nikos Koundouros gave him a role in Magiki polis in 1954.[11] His first major role was in Psila ta heria Hitler ("Hands Up, Hitler"), 1962.[11] 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[12] 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 theatre.[13] In 2000, he survived a car accident involving a collision with a train.[11] He later participated in advertisements promoting road safety.[11]

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, and many others,[14] also with surrealist humor, most of them by his own company Θ-Β Comedies (Θ-Β Tainies Geliou)[15] [16] [17] [18] which he founded in 1964.

In 2008, Veggos was appointed Commander of the Order of the Phoenix by the President of Greece, Karolos Papoulias.[1]

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.[19]

Personal life

Thanasis Veggos was married to Asimina and they had two sons. He will always be remembered in more than 120 films and documentaries that he has 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.[20]

Honors and awards

Filmography

Early movies

Leading roles

Television series

Veggos also played roles in televisual series in the 1990s and 2000s; these were mainly roles of an elder wise person, who gives his advice to the younger ones.

Theatrical performances and troupes

Performances

Troupes

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Popular actor Thanassis Veggos dies at 84. dead. Kathimerini newspaper. 2011-05-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20110507013105/http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_03/05/2011_389352. 2011-05-07.
  2. Web site: Γιατί μπήκε στο νοσοκομείο ο Θανάσης Βέγγος, βιογραφικό. live. Why Thanasis Veggos enters in hospital (his biography). fimes.gr. el. 2010-12-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20190123164051/https://www.fimes.gr/2010/12/thanashs-veggos/. 2019-01-23.
  3. Web site: Αντίο καλέ μας άνθρωπε. dead. el. Goodbye our good man. enet.gr. Eleftherotypia. 2011-05-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20180415190318/http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.article&id=272075. 2018-04-15.
  4. Web site: Θανάσης Βέγγος. live. Finos Film. 2021-12-01. el. https://web.archive.org/web/20211209014552/http://finosfilm.com/movies/artistView/400. 2021-12-09.
  5. Web site: Με αγάπησαν 4 εκατομμύρια άνθρωποι και με μίσησαν τρεις: Ο Θανάσης Βέγγος μέσα από δύο σπάνιες συνεντεύξεις του. live. They have loved me 4 million people and they have hated me three: Thanasis Veggos through two rare interviews with him. el. LiFO. 2017-06-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20210529102311/https://www.lifo.gr/arxeio/me-agapisan-4-ekatommyria-anthropoi-kai-me-misisan-treis-o-thanasis-beggos-mesa-apo-dyo. 2021-05-29.
  6. Web site: Θανάσης Βέγγος: Μαχητής της ζωής ‒ εργάτης της Τέχνης. live. el. Thanasis Veggos: Fighter of life and art worker. Rizospastis. 2011-04-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20211209000101/https://www.rizospastis.gr/story.do?id=6226411. 2021-12-09.
  7. Web site: Θανάσης Βέγγος: Δεν έχω χρόνο να μισώ αυτούς που με μισούν, γιατί είμαι απασχολημένος αγαπώντας αυτούς που με αγαπούν. live. Thanasis Veggos: I do not have time to hate those who are hate me, because I am busy loving those are love me . Max Mag. 2020-03-01. Ελένη. Λαζαρίδου. https://web.archive.org/web/20210225042352/https://www.maxmag.gr/afieromata/veggos/. 2021-02-25.
  8. Web site: Ο Ν. Κούνδουρος για τη φιλία του με το Θ. Βέγγο. dead. Film director Nikos Koundouros about his friendship with Thanasis Veggos. el. Star. 2011-05-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20110811110958/http://www.star.gr/ellada_kosmos/90180/. 2011-08-11.
  9. Web site: Κυριακάτικο Ξύπνημα. el. live . Windfall in Athens. cine.gr. https://web.archive.org/web/20170802232520/https://www.cine.gr/film.asp?id=600537. 2017-08-02.
  10. Web site: Windfall in Athens (1956). IMDb.
  11. Web site: Great Greek actor Thanasis Veggos passes away. live. Greek Reporter. 2011-05-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20210716070722/https://greekreporter.com/2011/05/03/great-greek-actor-thanasis-veggos-passes/. 2021-07-16.
  12. Web site: Thanasis Vengos: Awards at Thessaloniki Film Festival. live. IMDb. https://web.archive.org/web/20211220010158/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0893099/awards?ref_=nm_awd. 2021-12-20.
  13. Web site: Αντίο, καλέ μου άνθρωπε: Έφυγε ο Θανάσης Βέγγος. dead. el. Goodbye our good man: Thanasis Veggos passes away. zoomnews.gr. 2011-05-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20110721170253/http://www.zoomnews.gr/έφυγε-ο-θανάσης-βέγγος/. 2011-07-21.
  14. Web site: Thanasis Vengos (Veggos) films starring. live. letterboxd.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20211231032415/https://letterboxd.com/actor/thanasis-vengos-2/. 2021-12-31.
  15. Web site: Θανάσης Βέγγος, Πτώχευσε και έχασε το σπίτι του, επειδή τον 'έπνιξαν' οι δανειστές και η εφορία, Ποιος τον έσωσε από την καταστροφή. live. Thanasis Veggos went bankrupt and lost his house, because lenders and the tax authorities had drawned him, who save him from the disaster. el. mixanitouxronou.gr. 2021-12-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20211209015620/https://www.mixanitouxronou.gr/thanasis-vengos-o-kalos-anthropos-pou-ptochefse-ke-echase-to-spiti-tou-epidi-ton-epnixan-i-danistes-ke-i-eforia/. 2021-12-09.
  16. Η Μηχανή του Χρόνου – Θανάσης Βέγγος – Α΄ Μέρος. live. Greece's state broadcaster ERT's documentary program Mixani tou Chronou – Thanasis Veggos – Part A. video 44min:42sec. el. Christos. Vasilopoulos. Athens. ERT. Mηχανή του Χρόνου. 2017-09-14. YouTube. https://web.archive.org/web/20211209154016/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JO5FK-0fZ0. 2021-12-09.
  17. Η Μηχανή του Χρόνου – Θανάσης Βέγγος – B΄ Μέρος. live. Greece's state broadcaster ERT's documentary program Mixani tou Chronou – Thanasis Veggos – Part B. video 50min:20sec. el. ERT. Mηχανή του Χρόνου. 2017-09-19. YouTube. Christos. Vasilopoulos. Αθήνα. https://web.archive.org/web/20211209154949/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5TuA0PAdWQ. 2021-12-09.
  18. Web site: Thanasis Vengos. live. cinehook.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20220102040316/https://cinehook.com/actor/43417. 2022-01-02.
  19. Web site: Στην Αμοργό τελικά η τελευταία κατοικία του Θανάση Βέγγου. gossip-tv.gr . live. In Amorgos island finally Thanasis Veggos was interred. 2011-05-09. el. https://web.archive.org/web/20110513021914/http://www.gossip-tv.gr/story/102332/sten-amorgo-telika-e-teleutaia-katoikia-tou-thanase-beggou. 2011-05-13.
  20. Web site: Τα νυχτερινά σχολεία της ζωής. dead. The night schools of the life. choicetv.gr. 2011-04-13. el. https://web.archive.org/web/20110415025810/http://www.choicetv.gr/archives/11649. 2011-04-15.
  21. Web site: The Calm Days of August (1991) awards. live. IMDb. https://web.archive.org/web/20211228235256/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102131/awards. 2021-12-28.
  22. Web site: Thanassis Veggos dies at 84. dead . Athens News. 2011-05-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20120321004310/http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/3/40992 . 2012-03-21.

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