Australia says goodbye to Nikos Xanthopoulos

In the last days of his life, Nikos Xanthopoulos was hospitalized with serious problems.

The much loved actor was known as The People's Child, as most of his roles in the films he starred in were those of the young man living with financial and social problems, striving for justice. At the same time, these films also highlighted his velvety and special singing voice. Indeed, his many tours abroad, and of course in Australia, were for the purpose of singing and musical performances.

Nikos Xanthopoulos was well aware of the typology of refugees, as he was born in a refugee neighborhood, in Nea Ionia, in 1934. In his youth, he played in AEK matches, but early on he decided to pursue acting, while his dreams included studies in the Faculty of Philosophy.

Finally, he studied at the National Theatre, and appeared in 1957 in the Theater of Katerina with the play "Virginia". This was followed by Orestes in Sophocles' Electra, directed by Rodiris, and the Song of the Dead Brother by Mikis Theodorakis, by Thiasos Katrakis. He appeared in various types of theatre, including musical theatre.

In 1970 he created his own troupe and started touring in Greece.

His first role in the cinema, The Tax Collector in 1958, while he started as an official protagonist with the film by Tegopoulos and Clack Films in 1963 and "Wounded Hearts". In this role, however, he was a villain, and not the classic Child of the People that we met later. The role of the popular child was played in 1964 and since then he stayed forever, with the movie "I loved and hurt". The last film in which he appeared was that of Zerbulakos in 1995: With Orpheus in August.

One can learn more about his life from him, through his personal book - autobiography, from 2005: "What I Remember and What I Loved".

He did not make many appearances on television. It started in 1973 with "Agrimia" and then with the serial of Errikos Thalassinos "The diary of a porter". His last television appearance was in 1994 with "Razor's Cut".

photo http://www.eurokinissi.gr/ 

Other productions in which he appeared: "The Minor of a Heart", "Love that knew no borders", "The Heart of the Father", "Love on the Edge".

He sang well-known songs, many of them written especially for the films, by Apostolos Kaldara mainly and Eftychia Papagiannopoulou, but also by Akis Panou, Christos Nikolopoulos, Stavros Xarhakos and others. He has created 9 music records and 55 singles, counting around 300 songs. 

Nikos Xanthopoulos toured where there are Greeks abroad: USA, Europe, and of course Australia, setting record attendances at his shows, as Greeks always loved to see him play, but also to hear him sing.

 

source https://neoskosmos.com/en/ - photo https://www.alfavita.gr/