Biography

Thanasis Vengos

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Thanasis Vengos was born in 1927 in Neo Faliro, Piraeus, Greece. He made his movie debut in 1952 and played many supporting parts in films of the 1950s, often working as a technician, too. His first really major part was in the anti-war comedy Psila ta heria Hitler (1962); he followed that with a long series of comedies, which made him extremely popular. He created the recognizable persona of the everyday man who keeps running to earn his daily bread. His best roles often have a tragic dimension, as the anti-heroes he played in the commercial and artistic hits Ti ekanes ston polemo Thanasi (1971) and Enas xenoiastos palaviaris (1971).But he was also fine in purely dramatical roles, as in It's a Long Road (1998). He also did some interesting stage work, starring in ancient (Aristophanes' "Peace" and "Acharneis") and modern Greek comedies (Giorgos Lazaridis' "O trellos tou Luna-park").
- IMDb mini biography by: Thanassis Agathos<thanaga@hol.gr

From 1948 to 1950 he was exiled in the island of Makronisos due to his political beliefs. On Makronisos he met director Nikos Koundouros who was also exiled there. Nikos Koundouros later gave him his debut movie role in The Magic City (1954).
He always did his scenes without using a stunt even for the most dangerous ones.
He served his compulsory military service on Makronisos from 1948 to 1950 because his parents supported the communist party.On Makronisos he met film director Nikos Koundouros who was exiled there.
On 9 June 2000 he had a car accident while crossing the train lines. A train crashed on his car and he and his wife went to hospital with a few injuries. He then filmed a TV-spot warning the drivers not to cross the train lines without looking first
In 2008 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the Phoenix by the President of Greece, Karolos Papoulias.

I work instinctively, I have no talent, just this face. Here is imprinted all the misery, all the adversity, all the pain of the insignificant Greek.
I don't have the time to hate those who hate me. I'm way too busy loving those who love me.
I feel sorry for the people who, while they once entered my heart, they were later humiliated in my eyes.
Dream like a kid, live like crazy, love like a human, it's a small world and we're just passing through.

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