Michael constantine biography

American actor (–)

Not to be confused with Michel Constantin.

Michael Constantine (born Gus Efstratiou (Ευστρατίου); May 22, – August 31, ) was a Greek-American actor. He is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, the stubborn Greek father of Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos), in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding ().^[1] For his performance, Constantine won a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Musical or Comedy.

Early in his career, Constantine earned acclaim for his television work, especially as the long-suffering high school principal, Seymour Kaufman, on ABC's comedy-drama, Room , for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in ; he was again recognized by the Emmy Awards, as well as the Golden Globe Awards, the following year. After the conclusion of Room , Constantine portrayed night court magistrate Matthew J. Sirota on the sitcom Sirota's Court, receiving his second Golden Globe nomination. Constantine reprised his role as Gus Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 ().^[2]

Early life

Constantine was born Gus Efstratiou in Reading, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Andromache (née Fotiadou) and Theocharis Ioannides Efstratiou (a steel worker), both immigrants from Greece.^[3]

Career

He began his career on the New York stage in the mids as understudy to Paul Muni in Inherit the Wind.^[3]

He studied acting with such prominent mentors as Howard Da Silva and played character roles on and off Broadway in his mid-twenties, supplementing his income as a night watchman and shooting-gallery barker. In , he appeared in his first film, The Last Mile (). He had a small but memorable supporting role in The Hustler (). In and , Constantine appeared on Perry Mason, first as wannabe private eye Dillard in "The Case of the Blonde Bonanza", and then as Pappy Ryan in "The Case of the Runaway Racer". In , Constantine was cast as the historical John Chisum in the episode "Paid in Full", on the syndicated televisionanthology seriesDeath Valley Days.^[4] He also appeared in another Death Valley Days episode "The Great Turkey War".^[5] In , he appeared in the first part of "The Judgment", the two-episode conclusion of The Fugitive, starring David Janssen. Constantine played a long-suffering anti-organized-crime agent in Walt Disney's caper film The North Avenue Irregulars (), where he appeared alongside Edward Herrmann and Cloris Leachman. He also played an organized crime mobster who worked for Frank Nitti in the television version of The Untouchables. In , he played the estranged father of one of the main characters in Friday the 13th: the Series.

He played Santa Claus in Prancer (). In , Constantine appeared in the independent drama Question of Faith, starring Anne Archer and Sam Neill. He played Tadzu Lempke in Stephen King's Thinner (). In , he enjoyed an unexpected comeback as the Windex-toting Gus Portokalos in the hit movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a role he reprised on the short-lived television series My Big Fat Greek Life, and a sequel film with the original cast, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which was released on March 25, , which ended up being his final major acting role of any kind.^[6]

Personal life

On October 5, , Constantine married actress Julianna McCarthy, whom he met while in the cast of Inherit the Wind. They had two children, Thea Eileen and Brendan Neil. The marriage ended in divorce in , the same year that Constantine began his role on Room . He married Kathleen Christopher in and they divorced in ^[3]

Death

Constantine died at his home in Reading, Pennsylvania, on August 31, , at age 94, from natural causes.^[7][8]My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, which was released two years after his death, was dedicated to his memory alongside Constantine Vardalos (Nia Vardalos' father) and Bruce Gray (who plays Ian Miller's father, Rodney, in the films).^[9]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links