Greek Cypriot actor Sotiris Moustakas dies

Veteran Greek Cypriot stage and film actor Sotiris Moustakas has died at the age of 67, early hours of Monday, at the General State Hospital in Athens, after battling with cancer.

Moustakas, primarily a comedian whose acting career spanned more than four decades, collapsed while rehearsing a production at a local theater, and died early Monday after being transferred to the Athens hospital. Moustakas was rehearsing with Thymios Karakatsanis “Plouto”, an Aristophanes ancient comedy, to be staged during their forthcoming tour around Greece.

Moustakas appeared in 76 films and numerous stage plays, and was a popular television actor. Born in Limassol, Cyprus, in 1940, Moustakas graduated from the National Theater of Greece and was known for his portrayal of offbeat, neurotic yet likable characters. He appeared primarily in modern films and plays, although he also performed several roles in classical works. Moustakas was shortly to participate in a national tour of a play by the ancient comic Aristophanes, known for his biting social satire.

Moustakas’ international film debut came in 1964 in the Oscar-winning movie Zorba the Greek starring Anthony Quinn, in which he played Mimithos, the village idiot. Although his recent work was mainly in the theater, he also had a role in the 2007 film El Greco. Moustakas last film role was in Yiannis Smaragdes’ El Greco, a movie about the life and art of the Cretan painter, Dominikos Theotokopoulos. The film, which is set for release October 18, 2007, is said to be one of the most expensive Greek films ever made.

Moustakas is survived by his actress wife Maria Bonelou and one daughter. The funeral will take place at the Chalandri cemetery next Wednesday at 4 in the afternoon.

Tributes to the actor were paid both by the Greek President Karolos Papoulias and the Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. Moustakas was “one of the most significant comic actors who has emerged from Greece and Cyprus,” said Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis in his tribute to the late actor.

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