Prominent Greek actor, director and politician Kostas Kazakos passed away on Tuesday in Athens at the age of 87.
He had been suffering from a chronic respiratory condition and had been a patient at Evangelismos Hospital in the Greek capital from July this year. His passing on Tuesday was attributed to multi-organ failure.
With great sadness have we learned of the passing of the legendary Kostas Kazakos.
— MANOWAR Official (@MANOWAR) September 13, 2022
An immense loss to his family, his friends and to the world.
It has been an honor and a privilege to know him.
Our deepest sympathies to his family. pic.twitter.com/1uJ8lCocAU
Early life and career
Kazakos was born in 1935 in Pyrgos and at age 18 he moved to Athens with the intention of studying to become a teacher. However, due to his father’s leftist heritage, he was not allowed to.
He attended the Lykourgos Stavrakos School of Cinema and the Karolos Koun Drama School of Art Theater and made his stage debut three years later in 1957.
Throughout his early career, he worked with several theatre companies and booked supporting roles in films before his big break in 1967 when he earned the lead role in the movie “Kontserto gia Polyvola”, starring Tzeni Karezi.
The pair married the following year and welcomed the birth of their son, Konstantinos, who is also an actor. Kosta and Tzeni were together for 24 years prior to her passing in 1992.
In 1997, Kazakos married the actress Jenny Jolia.
In the 2007 Greek legislative election, he was elected to the Greek Parliament as a candidate of the Communist Party of Greece and was re-elected in 2009.
A minute of silence was observed in Parliament in his memory on Tuesday.
‘An exuberant and dynamic personality‘
In a tweet posted early this morning, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described Kazakos as an “exuberant and dynamic personality, who was constantly present in art, as well as in public life as a member of parliament.”
“Art and public life will miss his imposing appearance and his distinctive voice,” he added.
Με θλίψη πληροφορήθηκα τον θάνατο του Κώστα Καζάκου. Μιας πληθωρικής και δυναμικής προσωπικότητας, που υπήρξε διαρκώς παρούσα στην Τέχνη, όπως και στη δημόσια ζωή ως βουλευτής. Και από τις δύο θα λείψουν, τώρα, τόσο η επιβλητική του εμφάνιση, όσο και η χαρακτηριστική φωνή του.
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) September 13, 2022
In a statement, Greece’s Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni said he was a “great actor, director and teacher, totally dedicated to the theatrical art.”
“Together with Tzeni Karezis, they were one of the leading couples of Greek cinema and theatre, starring in some of the biggest film successes and in performances that have remained in the history of the Greek theatre scene,” she said.
“With his theatrical legacy, but also with his intense and lasting political activity, as a member of Parliament and as an active citizen, Kostas Kazakos leaves behind a great legacy. I express my deepest condolences to his family.”
