Michael Constantine

Michael Constantine (born Gus Efstratiou (or Ευστρατίου); May 22, 1927 – August 31, 2021) was a Greek-American actor. He is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, the stubborn Greek father of Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos), in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding. For his performance, Constantine won a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Musical or Comedy.

Early in his career, Constantine earned acclaim for his television work, especially as the long-suffering high school principal, Seymour Kaufman, on ABC's comedy-drama, Room 222, for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1970; he was again recognized by the Emmy Awards, as well as the Golden Globe Awards, the following year. After the conclusion of Room 222, Constantine portrayed night court magistrate Matthew J. Sirota on the 1976 sitcom Sirota's Court, receiving his second Golden Globe nomination. Constantine reprised his role as Gus Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016).

Early life Michael Constantine was born Gus Efstratiou on May 22, 1927, in Reading, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Andromache (née Fotiadou) and Theocharis Ioannides Efstratiou (a steel worker), both immigrants from Greece.

Career He began his career on the New York stage in the mid-1950s as understudy to Paul Muni in Inherit the Wind. He also appeared in another 1965 Death Valley Days episode "The Great Turkey War". In 1967, he appeared in the first part of "The Judgment", the two-episode conclusion of The Fugitive, starring David Janssen. Constantine played a long-suffering anti-organized-crime agent in Walt Disney's caper film The North Avenue Irregulars (1979), where he appeared alongside Edward Herrmann and Cloris Leachman. He also played an organized crime mobster who worked for Frank Nitti in the television version of The Untouchables. In 1988, he played the estranged father of one of the main characters in Friday the 13th: the Series.

He played Santa Claus in Prancer (1989). In 1993, Constantine appeared in the independent drama Question of Faith, starring Anne Archer and Sam Neill. He played Tadzu Lempke in Stephen King's Thinner (1996). In 2002, he enjoyed an unexpected comeback as the Windex-toting Gus Portokalos in the hit movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a role he reprised on the short-lived television series My Big Fat Greek Life, and a sequel film with the original cast, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which was released on March 25, 2016, which ended up being his final major acting role of any kind. In 2023's My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, his character was revealed to have died before the events of the film.

Personal life On October 5, 1953, Constantine married actor Julianna McCarthy, whom he met while in the cast of Inherit the Wind. They had two children, Thea Eileen and Brendan Neil. The marriage ended in divorce in 1972, the same year that Constantine began his role on Room 222. He married Kathleen Christopher in 1974 and they divorced in 1980. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, which was released two years after his death, was dedicated to his memory alongside Constantine Vardalos (Nia Vardalos' father) and Bruce Gray (who plays Ian Miller's father, Rodney, in the films).

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1959 The Last Mile Ed Warner, Convict 1961 The Hustler John 'Big John' 1963 Island of Love Andy 1964 Quick, Before It Melts Mikhail Drozhensky 1966 Hawaii Mason Beau Geste Rostov 1968 Skidoo 'Leech' In Enemy Country Ladislov 1969 Justine Memlik Pasha If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium Jack Harmon Don't Drink the Water Commissar Krojack The Reivers Mr. Binford 1972 Deadly Harvest Stefan Groza TV movie 1974 Death Cruise Dr. Burke TV movie 1975 The Night That Panicked America Jess Wingate TV movie1976 Voyage of the Damned Luis Clasing Peeper Anglich 1978 Summer of My German Soldier Harry Bergen TV movie The Pirate Yashir TV movie1979 The North Avenue Irregulars Marvin 'Marv' Fogleman Crisis in Mid-Air Frank Piovano TV movie 1983 The Forty Days of Musa Dagh Talaat Pasha 1985 Pray for Death Newman 1987 In the Mood Mr. Wisecarver 1989 Prancer Mr. Stewart 1991 By a Thread Unknown 1993 Question of Faith Unknown My Life Bill Ivanovich Deadfall Frank 1996 The Juror Judge Weitzel Thinner Tadzu Lempke 2002 My Big Fat Greek Wedding Gus Portokalos Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion PictureNominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Hissy Fit 2016 My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 Gus Portokalos

Television

Brenner (1 episode, 1959) Target: The Corruptors! (1 episode), 1961 The Untouchables (5 episodes, 1961–1963) The Lloyd Bridges Show (2 episodes, 1962–1963) The Eleventh Hour as Dr. Jamison in episode "And God Created Vanity" (1963) The Dakotas as Marshak in "Trouble at French Creek" (1963) Channing (1 episode, 1963) as Nick in "No Wild Games for Sophie" (1963) Gunsmoke (2 episodes, 1963–1968) The Twilight Zone (1 episode, 1964) as Sheriff Koch in "I Am the Night Color Me Black" Slattery's People (1964) one episode as Hungerford in "Remember The Dark Sins of Youth?" Perry Mason (2 episodes, 1964–1965) The Outer Limits (episode 46 "Counterweight", 1964) My Favorite Martian (TV series) (2 episodes, 1965–1966) Profiles in Courage (2 episodes, 1964) The Virginian (1 episode, 1965) Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea – The Indestructible Man (1 episode 1965) The Fugitive (3 episodes, 1965–1967) (Ernie Svoboda, Ben Wyckoff, Arthur Art Howe) I Spy (2 episodes, 1966) 12 O'Clock High (1 episode, 1966) The Road West in episode "To Light a Candle" (series, 1966) The Dick Van Dyke Show (1 episode, 1966) The Jean Arthur Show (2 episodes as Carnella, 1966) Hogan's Heroes (1 episode, 1966) as Heinrich -episode- "It Takes a Thief...Sometimes" Hey Landlord (series, 1966–1967) Combat! (as Jacques Patron, episode "Entombed", 1967) Dundee and the Culhane (1 episode, 1967 series) The Invaders (1 episode, 1968) The Flying Nun (as Juan, episode "Sister Lucky", 1968) Mission: Impossible (1 episode, 1969) (Nikor Janos) Room 222 Series – Seymour Kaufman (1969–1974) Bonanza (as a new settler whose greedy neighbor refuses him piped water for irrigation) The Odd Couple (series, 1970–1975) Mary Tyler Moore (1 episode, 1971) Night Gallery (1970–1973) 1 episode "The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes". The Streets of San Francisco – Al Davies – in episode "A Wrongful Death" (series, 1973) Kojak (1 episode, 1974) The Krofft Supershow: Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (4 episodes, 1976) as The Sorcerer Sirota's Court (13 episodes, 1976–1977 series) 79 Park Avenue (miniseries, 1977) Roots: The Next Generations (miniseries, 1979) Quincy, M.E. (4 episodes) (1979 Season 4 Episodes 14 & 15 "Walk Softly Through the Night" Parts 1 and 2; Dr Arthur Clotti – 1981 Season 6, episode 14 "Seldom Silent, Never Heard"; 1983 Season 8 Episode 3 "Give Me Your Weak") Fantasy Island (1 episode, 1980) Benson 1982 season 4 episodes 1 & 2 as Marvin Musker The Love Boat (2 episodes, 1983) Amanda's (1 episode, 1983) Mama's Family (1 episode, 1983) The Fall Guy (1 episode, 1983) Remington Steele (3 episodes, 1984–1986) Simon & Simon (3 episodes, 1984–1988) Highway to Heaven (1 episode, 1985) Airwolf (1 episode, 1985) MacGyver (2 episodes, 1985–1987) – Inspector Jan Messic Murder, She Wrote (2 episodes, 1985–1988) Magnum, P.I. (1 episode, 1986) Friday the 13th: The Series ("Pipe Dream" 1988) Probe ("Plan 10 From Outer Space", 1988) Law & Order (2 episodes, 1992–1994) Cosby (1 episode, 1997) My Big Fat Greek Life (7 episodes, 2003) Cold Case (1 episode, 2007)

Awards and nominations