
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.
127 acting credits · 8 directing credits
Acting · 127

About Winds and Waters
2000

Ulysses' Gaze
1995

Never on Sunday
1960

Papatrechas
1966

The Flight of the Swan
2011

Police Officer Thanasis Papathanasis
1990

I'll Make You Queen
1964

The Policeman of the 16th Precinct
1959

Help! Vengos Visible Agent '000'
1967

Madalena
1960

Eftyhos... trellathika!
1961

The Ogre of Athens
1956

Jack of All Trades, Master of None
1963

Έχω ένα μυστικό...
2008

Paraskinio
1976

The Underdog
1960

Mousitsa
1959

The Bald Student
1979

Mimikos and Mary
1958

Έρωτας όπως έρημος
2003

Erotic Stories
1959
Βεγγαλικά
1988

Thou-Vou Bald Agent, Operation: Havoc
1969

Lisa and the Other Woman
1961

A Girl in Black
1956

Out Poverty and Good Heart
1964

The Poor Demons
1964

Which Way to the Septic Tank?
1978

The King of Gaffes
1962

Runaway Bride
1962

Who Thanasis!
1969
Η Θεσσαλονίκη Της Νοσταλγίας Μας
2009

The Big Cannon
1981

The Tomboy
1959

Love Games
1960

Vengos the Crazy Kamikaze
1980

Desires in the Straw
1960

The mother's curse
1961

Thieves Rejoice Only Once
1960

It's a Long Road
1998

The Wise Guy
1962

Three Ladies and me
1960

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
1958

A mistake in love
1961

The Man Who Ran a Lot
1973

An All-Weather Man
2004

With Many Children
1964

A Water Mrs. Baggelio
1959

An Unbelievable Sucker
1969

School for Chauffeur Ladies
1964

Lost dreams
1961

Thanasis in the land of the cuff
1976

The Wicked World of Thanasis
1979

Of Fortune The Written
1957

The Magic City
1955

The lucky pants
1963

Thanasis, Take Your Gun
1972

Astronauts
1962

Thanasis and the Cursed Serpent
1982

Carefree... Nut
1971

The Jar
1962

Marriage Adventures
1959

Odd Jobs
1962

Liar Wanted
1961

The Girl Has Got an Uncle
1957

Oi 900 tis Marinas
1961

The Enigma
1998

The Hustler
1964

For You My Love
1960

Sharp as a Needle
1961

Crazy, Nuts and Vengos
1967

Holidays in Aegina
1958

Who Is Margarita?
1961

Holidays in Vietnam
1971

The Proud
1962

With Heart & Soul
2009

Mitros and Mitrousis in Athens
1960

Hooray for Madness
1962

Karagiozis, the Wronged One of Life
1959

Poverty can be bearable while living well
1958

Min eidate ton Panai?
1962

Thanasi tightened your belt even more
1980

The Papadopoulou Family
1960

He's a Mad Mad Veggos
1965

Groom for Crying
1962

Sunday's Date
1960

Wandering Jews
1959

The Dervish Boys
1960

The Madman
1963

Blind Nache Marlon Brando
1963

Come on People
1967

The Uncle from Canada
1959

Happy Bums
1958

To didymo tis symforas
1989

Crazy of all Greece
1983

The Wastrels
1961

O Ippolytos kai to violi tou
1963

Dictator calls Thanasis
1973

One Vengos for All Jobs
1970

What Did You Do in the War, Thanassi?
1971

Just for One Night
1958

Blossoming Almond Tree
1959

The Charlatan
1973

The Wooden Shoe, the Gun and the Bow Tie
1957

Experts on the Football Field
1956

The Twins
1964

The Dawn of Triumph
1960

A Madhouse Named "Hellas"
1988

The Fairy Tale Girl
1956
Restless youth
1963

Diamanto
1961

Thanasis, Juliet and the sausages
1970

Champion
1989

Thanasis, o vomvistis
1990

Quiet Days in August
1991

Maria Pentagiotissa
1957

Χίλια Χρόνια Πριν - Βυζάντιο: Η Γιορτή των Καλενδών
1976

Bed for Five
1989

Doctor Z-Vengos
1968

The Bus Conductor
1958

Hands Up, Hitler
1962

Thanasis the Optimist
1989
Steps
1996

Μυρτιά
1961

Blind Angel
1960

Thanasis in the country of Will
1988

Καταδικασμένη και από το παιδί της
1955