Titos Vandis
Quick Facts
Biography
Titos Vandis (Greek: Τίτος Βανδής; 7 November 1917 – 23 February 2003) was a Greek actor who appeared in more than 100 films and television shows between 1953 and 2000. He left Greece when a dictatorship took power and lived in the United States for 24 years.
Vandis starred in the film Oi paranomoi (1958), which was entered into the 8th Berlin International Film Festival. In 1972, he appeared in the Woody Allen film Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) as an Armenian shepherd who was in love with a sheep. In The Exorcist (1973), he had a small role as the uncle of protagonist Father Damien Karras.
Vandis was a guest-star in 1976 on the NBC situation comedy The Practice, playing Nicolas in the episode "The Nose." On The A-Team, he guest-starred in the episode "Body Slam" (1985) alongside Hulk Hogan.
Vandis appeared in over 250 plays before making his Broadway debut in the Tony-nominated musical On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (1965). He created the role of Themistocles Kriakos, a Greek shipping magnate who believed in reincarnation and planned to leave his fortune to his future self. Boston Globe critic Kevin Kelly wrote that Vandis played the role with "marvellous finesse" and that the character was "rather like Zorba as a businessman with $4 million."
He later joined the cast of Man of La Mancha playing the role of Sancho Panza. Vandis was also in the original Broadway cast of Illya Darling (1967), a Tony-nominated musical based on his film Never On Sunday (1960).
Selected filmography
- To kleidi tis eftyhias (1953) - Nikolas
- Gynaikes dihos antres (1954) - Loukas
- To paidi tou dromou (1957) - Giorgis
- Oi paranomoi (1958) - Kosmas
- Miden pente (1958)
- Agnes psyhes (1959)
- Astero (1959) - Mitros Pithokoukouras
- Never on Sunday (1960) - Jorgo
- To potami (1960)
- Egklima sta paraskinia (1960) - Inspector Bekas
- Pothoi sta stahya (1960) - Giannis Tsakas
- To rantevou tis Kyriakis (1960)
- Poliorkia (1962) - Stelios
- I katara tis mannas (1962) - Vagias
- It Happened in Athens (1962) - Father Loues
- Island of Love (1963) - Father Anaxagoras
- Topkapi (1964) - Harback
- O teleftaios peirasmos (1964) - Dr. Kalomoiris
- I Kypros stis floges (1964)
- Apagogi (1964) - Lieutenant Stergiou
- Ohi, ...kyrie Johnson (1965)
- What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968) - Captain Narcopolis (uncredited)
- Stiletto (1969) - Tonio
- Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972) - Milos
- Genesis II (1973) - Yuloff
- The Exorcist (1973) - Karras's uncle
- Zandy's Bride (1974) - Demas (uncredited)
- Newman's Law (1974) - Grainie
- Harrad Summer (1974) - Mr. Kolasukas
- Black Samson (1974) - Joseph Nappa
- Once Upon a Scoundrel (1974) - Dr. Fernandez
- Smile (1975) - Emile
- Gus (1976) - Papa Petrovic
- Alex & the Gypsy (1976) - Treska
- The Other Side of Midnight (1977) - President of the Council
- A Piece of the Action (1977) - Bruno
- Oh, God! (1977) - Greek Bishop Markos
- The Betsy (1978) - Angelo Luigi Perino
- A Perfect Couple (1979) - Panos Theodopoulos
- O falakros mathitis (1979) - Vesuvius Karatampanos
- National Lampoon's Movie Madness (1982) -Nixos Naxos ("Success Wanters")
- Young Doctors in Love (1982) - Sal Bonafetti
- Prosohi, kindynos! (1983) - Sideris
- Ta hronia tis thyellas (1984) - Priest
- Fletch Lives (1989) - Uncle Kakakis
- To athoo soma (1997)