Thanasis Veggos

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.

Ulysses' Gaze

7.4

Never on Sunday

6.8

The Ogre of Athens

7.0

It's a Long Road

7.4

The Policeman of the 16th Precinct

7.7

Thou-Vou Bald Agent, Operation: Havoc

7.0

Madalena

6.1

A Girl in Black

6.3

Help! Vengos Visible Agent '000'

7.8

Jack of All Trades, Master of None

7.1

With Heart & Soul

6.7

School for Chauffeur Ladies

6.6

Hands Up, Hitler

6.2

What Did You Do in the War, Thanassi?

6.8

Ο Παπατρέχας

7.9

The Magic City

6.3

Which Way to the Septic Tank?

5.7

Liar Wanted

7.6

I'll Make You Queen

7.3

Τύφλα Νάχη ο Μάρλον Μπράντο

6.7

Το Κλωτσοσκούφι

5.6

Mousitsa

4.1

Runaway Bride

6.1

Who Is Margarita?

5.9

Thanasis, Take Your Gun

7.1

One Vengos for All Jobs

5.4

The Flight of the Swan

7.6

Eftyhos... trellathika!

5.6

Crazy, Nuts and Vengos

5.2

Who Thanasis!

6.1

Min eidate ton Panai?

6.7

Hooray for Madness

4.6

He's a Mad Mad Veggos

6.3

Vengos the Crazy Kamikaze

5.4

Lisa and the Other Woman

5.6

The Twins

5.1

The King of Gaffes

5.5

Οι Δοσατζήδες

6.7

Holidays in Aegina

4.5

Out Poverty and Good Heart

5.2

Maria Pentagiotissa

3.0

The jar

6.0

The Madman

6.8

Doctor Z-Vengos

6.2

Love Games

4.3

The Wise Guy

7.0

Papadopoulou family

5.4

Mimikos and Mary

5.0

Thanasis, Juliet and the sausages

5.2

With Many Children

6.6

Μήτρος και Μητρούσης στην Αθήνα

4.2

Γαμπρός για Κλάματα

5.0

Quiet Days in August

5.0

Three Ladies and me

5.8

Sharp as a Needle

4.2

Erotic Stories

5.0

Holidays in Vietnam

5.2

Poverty can be bearable while living well

7.8

The Uncle from Canada

3.5

The Girl Has Got an Uncle

5.2

Ο Καταφερτζής

6.5

The Big Cannon

5.5

Carefree... Nut

4.5

The Man Who Ran a Lot

5.0

O Ippolytos kai to violi tou

4.8

An Unbelievable Sucker

5.8

Come on People

5.0

Thanasi tightened your belt even more

5.5

The Bald Student

4.8

Thanasis and the Cursed Serpent

5.0

Lost dreams

6.2

Οι χαραμοφάηδες

4.5

Το Δίδυμο της Συμφοράς

3.7

Crazy of all Greece

4.3

Dictator calls Thanasis

4.0

Marriage Adventures

5.7

Δουλειές του ποδαριού

6.3

The Poor Demons

6.3

The Wicked World of Thanasis

5.0

Just for One Night

4.0

The Tomboy

4.3

Blossoming Almond Tree

4.0

Διαμάντω

5.5

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

6.0

Oi 900 tis Marinas

5.0

Μια Του Κλέφτη...

4.0

Astronauts

5.0

Τα ντερβισόπαιδα

4.0

A Water Mrs. Baggelio

7.0

A Madhouse Named "Hellas"

7.5

A mistake in love

5.5

The mother's curse

6.5

The Dawn of Triumph

6.0

Blind Angel

4.5

Thanasis in the country of Will

3.0

Έχω ένα μυστικό...

2.0

Peri Anemon kai Ydaton

6.0

Thanasis in the land of the cuff

6.0

Experts on the Football Field

2.0

Χαρούμενοι αλήτες

6.0

The Fairy Tale Girl

2.0

Thanasis the Optimist

4.0

Bed for five

4.0

Karagiozis, the Wronged One of Life

5.0

Champion

4.0

The lucky pants

5.0

Η Θεσσαλονίκη Της Νοσταλγίας Μας

5.0

Έρωτας όπως έρημος

8.0

Το Εισπρακτοράκι

0.0

Restless youth

0.0

The Charlatan

0.0

The Proud

0.0

A Man for Εverything

0.0

The Enigma

0.0

Sunday's Date

0.0

Θανάσης ο Βομβιστής

0.0

For You My Love

0.0

Πόθοι στα Στάχυα

0.0

Μυρτιά

0.0

The Wooden Shoe, the Gun and the Bow Tie

0.0

Paraskinio

0.0

Βεγγαλικά

0.0

Αστυνόμος Θανάσης Παπαθανάσης

0.0