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