Thanasis Veggos
5/29/1927
Biography
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.
Thanasis Veggos
Appeared In:
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The Ogre of Athens
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Help! Vengos Visible Agent '000'
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The Flight of the Swan
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With Heart & Soul
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Holidays in Vietnam
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The Policeman of the 16th Precinct
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Το Δίδυμο της Συμφοράς
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Crazy of all Greece
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It's a Long Road
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Dictator calls Thanasis
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Thou-Vou Bald Agent, Operation: Havoc
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Διαμάντω
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Madalena
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A Girl in Black
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Marriage Adventures
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Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
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The Wise Guy
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Papadopoulou family
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Mimikos and Mary
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Jack of All Trades, Master of None
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The Magic City
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Thanasis in the land of the cuff
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What Did You Do in the War, Thanassi?
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Thanasis, Juliet and the sausages
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I'll Make You Queen
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Mousitsa
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Δουλειές του ποδαριού
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The King of Gaffes
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Poverty can be bearable while living well
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Οι Δοσατζήδες
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Min eidate ton Panai?
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The Uncle from Canada
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Runaway Bride
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Hooray for Madness
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Holidays in Aegina
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The Girl Has Got an Uncle
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Τύφλα Νάχη ο Μάρλον Μπράντο
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Out Poverty and Good Heart
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Ο Καταφερτζής
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He's a Mad Mad Veggos
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Ο Παπατρέχας
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The Big Cannon
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Experts on the Football Field
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Το Κλωτσοσκούφι
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Oi 900 tis Marinas
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Carefree... Nut
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Which Way to the Septic Tank?
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The Man Who Ran a Lot
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With Many Children
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School for Chauffeur Ladies
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Maria Pentagiotissa
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Hands Up, Hitler
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O Ippolytos kai to violi tou
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An Unbelievable Sucker
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Eftyhos... trellathika!
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Crazy, Nuts and Vengos
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Vengos the Crazy Kamikaze
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The jar
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Lisa and the Other Woman
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The Madman
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Χαρούμενοι αλήτες
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Μια Του Κλέφτη...
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Doctor Z-Vengos
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Who Is Margarita?
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Come on People
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The Poor Demons
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Astronauts
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Τα ντερβισόπαιδα
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Το Εισπρακτοράκι
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Thanasis, Take Your Gun
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One Vengos for All Jobs
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Thanasi tightened your belt even more
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Who Thanasis!
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Μήτρος και Μητρούσης στην Αθήνα
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The Wicked World of Thanasis
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Ulysses' Gaze
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Restless youth
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The Bald Student
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Γαμπρός για Κλάματα
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Liar Wanted
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The Twins
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Love Games
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Quiet Days in August
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The Charlatan
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The Fairy Tale Girl
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A Water Mrs. Baggelio
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Three Ladies and me
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Deputy police officer named Thanasis
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Sharp as a Needle
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The Proud
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Thanasis and the Cursed Serpent
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Just for One Night
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A mistake in love
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The Tomboy
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A Man for Εverything
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The Enigma
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Thanasis the Optimist
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Erotic Stories
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Bed for five
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Sunday's Date
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The mother's curse
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The Dawn of Triumph
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Lost dreams
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Karagiozis, the Wronged One of Life
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Θανάσης ο Βομβιστής
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Champion
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Blossoming Almond Tree
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For You My Love
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Never on Sunday
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Blind Angel
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Πόθοι στα Στάχυα
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Οι χαραμοφάηδες
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Thanasis in the country of Will
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The lucky pants
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Μυρτιά
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The Wooden Shoe, the Gun and the Bow Tie