Nikos Galanos, a cherished and iconic figure from the classic era of Greek cinema, who gracefully transitioned into popular television roles until recently, has sadly passed away at the age of 80 after a courageous year-long battle with cancer.
He had the fortune to experience the tail end of Greek cinema’s golden age, making his debut on the silver screen in 1970 alongside the renowned Aliki Vougiouklaki in “A Funny Girl.” The duo reunited two years later in the film “Aliki Diktator.”
Throughout his career, he worked with many esteemed actors, including Nikos Kourkoulos in “Zero Visibility” and “Straphogianno,” Betty Livanu in “The Sin of Beauty,” and Rena Vlahopoulou in “Rena is Off-Side,” among others.
The charming, dark-haired young man, with his expressive eyes and warm smile, possessed all the attributes of a leading man: striking looks, determination, and talent. These qualities propelled him through a remarkable career spanning over fifty years.
In addition to his film work, he was also fortunate to begin his career in prominent theater companies, collaborating with notable actors and directors. In the early 1970s, he made his theatrical debut alongside Jenny Karezi and Kostas Kazakos in “The Lady Doesn’t Care,” followed by “A Story from Irkutsk” the following year. He later worked with the Vougiouklaki–Papamichail troupe in the play “Bones and Clubs” during the 1972-1973 artistic season. A decade later, more seasoned in his craft, he took the stage at the National Theatre as Kurt in “Play Strindberg.”
Much of his work, however, was on television, aligning with the rise of TV in Greece, which was enthusiastically embraced by the public.
His television debut came in 1974 with “The Just,” a police-judicial drama featuring Thanos Leivadi. This was followed by “Journey,” which premiered in 1976 on YENED and comprised 12 distinct stories with the same central character. Over the subsequent decades, he appeared in numerous TV series across both public and private networks, including “Love and Revolution,” “The Battle of the Storks,” “The Guardians of Achaia,” “Marina Avgeri,” “The Net,” “Immortal Love Stories,” and many others.
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