Exactly 15 years ago, on June 4, 2007, Sotiris Moustakas, at the age of 66, died of a respiratory infection, while he had been stricken with cancer.
It had all the characteristics of a great comedian, who could combine them harmoniously with the drama. The range of characters that he could play was huge, as well as his innate talent for improvisation, while even in small rolls he managed to steal the viewer’s gaze, the glamor of the protagonist, to be the magnet for the success of a film.
Sotiris Moustakas was another huge talentwho was wronged by greek cinema, as it was not used properly. He started impressively by touching even the Oscar, for the crazy village in “Zorba” by Kakogiannis, he entered the old commercial cinema with some characteristic supporting roles, he was established as a protagonist in the decline of the old Greek cinema, he became the king of videotape, together with Stathis Psaltis and closed his circle prematurely, with the decent biographical drama “El Greco” impersonating Titian.
Exactly 15 years ago, on June 4, 2007, Sotiris Moustakas, aged 66, died of a respiratory infection while suffering from cancer. On the occasion of the loss of the beloved actor, we will remember his youth in Cyprus, his first steps in theater and cinema, but also his passion for gambling, which cost him his artistic career.
Fighter
Sotiris Moustakas was born in the village of Kato Platres, outside Limassol, on September 17, 1940 and was the youngest of his seven brothers. While still a high school student, he took an active part in the EOKA Liberation Struggle from 1955 to 1959, while he was arrested by the British and imprisoned for seven months. As soon as he was released from prison, he finished school and in 1958 he left for Athens to study acting, despite his father’s objections.
The meeting with Nikos Stavridis
The idea to become an actor came to him in 1954 when he went to see a play by Nikos Stavridis in Limassol. After the end of the show, Moustakas approached Stavridis, imitated him and distracted him, while the popular actor advised him to go to Athens and that he would help him if needed. When he arrived in Athens, he got a job as a waiter and at the urging of Stavridis he took an exam at the Drama School of the National Theater. Then he met his beloved Maria Bonelou, whom he married in 1973 and with whom he had a daughter, the actress and soprano Alexia Moustaka.
Crawling on the board
As a student, he “crawled” for the first time on the theatrical stage in 1961 in a small role in the play “Dawn” by Dimitris Bogris and a year later made his first professional appearance with the troupe of Kostas Rigopoulos and Kakia Analytis in the play ” A door, five hundred drachmas “. Next year he will collaborate with the troupes of Maro Kontou-Giorgos Pantzas and Lambros Konstantaras-Maros Kontou, while in the mid-60s he played “Ornithes” by Aristophanes, directed by Karolos Koun, while his performance in “Unreasonable” by Moliere.
For two minutes outside the Oscars
However, he had already started his first appearances in the cinema and in an impressive way. His brief appearance in the famous “Zorba” in the role of the crazy village, will bring him a candidate for the Oscar for a supporting role, but he will be cut off from the nomination due to his limited time of appearance, as according to the criteria of the Academy he had to play two more minutes! Moustakas, who loved Charlie Chaplin like all great comedians, could continue in Hollywood after his success in Kakogiannis’s film, as he was invited by Fox to play alongside Michael Kane, but he refused to play in the theatrical performance “An Italian in the Beehive”!
From the chariot rolls
His career in Greek cinema for the next five years will be limited mainly to supporting roles, some of which, although the films were mediocre, were lovable. Spartanizing the good Armenian in “Light, Water, Telephone σεις Plots with Installments”, the swindler in “Boufos”, the hungry violin student in “Beethoven and Bouzouki”, the diplomat in “Kolonaki Conduct Zero” and many more character roles , will offer plenty of laughter. Until in 1974 will come the remarkable leading role in the dramatic comedy “The Law-abiding Citizen” written by Costas Mourselas and directed by Errikos Thalassinos. At the same time, he continued to do important work in the theater, while in 1976 he formed his own troupe, uploading for example the works “The Cage with the Crazy”, “Violinist on the Roof”, “The Good Soldier Sveik”.
King of the video
In the 80’s and 90’s he will star in dozens of videos and in some cheap film productions of the type “Father Gomenios”, “The Pink Cat” and “The Tsitsiolinas”. Productions on the verge of the uncharacteristic, which did not suit Moustakas’s talent, but secured a lot of income in record time, as the shooting lasted a maximum of ten days. Moustakas also needed the money as he had to service his large debts out of his passion for gambling.
Incurable gambler
Gambling and especially his passion for the casino is a whole chapter in the life of Sotiris Moustakas. Like other well-known colleagues, he got involved in gambling, from which he lost almost all the money he made from the cinema and theater. His addiction took him to extremes, while his life was even endangered when he borrowed money from moneylenders, who frequented outside the Parnitha casino, and when he could not return it, they kidnapped him, threatening to “disappear” him. Finally, the theatrical producer Alexandros Parisis, a friend and collaborator of Moustakas, as he revealed, gave the money, to be returned to him in a car trunk!
In 2007 he was happy to play the role of Titian in the interesting film of Giannis Smaragdis “El Greco”, while a little earlier he was honored with the Karolos Koun Award for his overall contribution to the Greek review.
And at the top … casino
Sotiris Moustakas, as those who knew him said, was an adorable man, sweet and noble. His death will cost everyone, but it will also be decisive for his beloved wife and actress Maria Bonelou, who will die a few months after the man of her life.
Sotiris Moustakas was wronged by Greek cinema, but he also wronged his talent, mainly by his participation in a variety of films and videocassettes he played after 1980. However, his love for acting and theater was a given. As he aptly put it, “acting is like a deceptive and unexplored mountain. You climb with difficulty, you reach the top and you see that there is another peak, and then another. “When you say I arrived, you lost the game.” Especially when the mountain also has a casino …
