Alekos Alexandrakis
Actor
Biography
Alekos Alexandrakis (27 November 1928 – 8 November 2005) was a Greek actor, who distinguished herself on the big and small screen and established herself early on in roles of zen premieres. With the neorealist film The dream neighborhood (1961) was awarded at Thessaloniki Film Festival.
Early years
Son of a lawyer from Mani, Alekos Alexandrakis attended the Berzan school and grew up in a house full of books. His favourite sport was fencing and at the age of 15 he became a member of the national team. A year later he entered the Cadet School, wanting to become a naval officer. He also wished to study film directing in the USA. A performance by Karolos Koun starring Ellie Lambetti changed his life. At the same time, his friend and actor Nikos Kazis, a student at the Drama School of the National Theatre, encourages him to attend classes at the School. He decided to take an exam at the Royal Theatre and passed first.
Dimitris Horn was so sure of Alexandrakis’ talent that he had bet on his success. At that time, Katerina Andreadi was looking for a zen premier for the play Autumn Tide. The young actor visited her with flowers at her home, together with Anna Synodinou, and got the role.
Career
He took his first steps in the theatre on 9 July 1949 and left a good impression on critics and audiences, with Emilio Churmouzio writing in Kathimerini: “Present Arms! At last a lover in the Greek theatre”. He also made an impression on Filopimena Finos,, who suggested him to play in the cinema. The same year he made his debut on the big screen with the film Two Worlds, directed by Gregory Gregoriou. Countless others followed and everyone agreed that he was a great actor and the greatest charmer of the time.
Apart from his role as a Troupe leader, which began in 1956 and lasted for at least 35 years, Alekos Alexandrakis directed plays and films, such as Triumph (1960) with Aristides Karydis-Fuchs and the neorealist film The dream neighborhood (1961), which won an award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, but its screening was initially banned by the censorship of the time, only for a censored version of the film to be released long afterwards. He worked with glamorous leading actresses such as Melina Mercouri, Aliki Vougiouklaki, Jenny Karezi, Maro Kontou, Mary Chronopoulou and Zoe Laskari.
In total, he has starred in more than 75 films, some of them are: Vaptistikos, Stella, The Island of the Brave, Rendezvous in Corfu, Miss Director, Tears for Electra, Beautiful Days, The Countess of Corfu, The Mary of Silence, The Man with the Carnation and The Children of the Swallow.
In the theatre he played important roles in performances, including: Strange intermezzo, Journey of the day through the night, They were all of them my children, Madame Butterfly, The woman in black, Four rooms with garden, Crime and punishment, The big years and The seagull. At 1994 he staged with Mimi Denisi the Uncle Vanya and two years later he returned to National Theatrewhere he had started.
He has also starred in many successful television series. The Strange Traveller, which aired on ΕΙΡΤ in 1972-73, was an unprecedented success to the extent that it led its rival series, The Unknown War, to its demise. In 1976 he returned to television with the adaptation of the novel Jugerman of Μ. Karagatsi at ΥΕΝΕΔ. In 1979 the series The Secret Engagements by Gregorios Xenopoulos was aired with great success – it became the most popular programme of the period. After a period of abstinence – and after the series intervened Hotel, which didn’t get the expected ratings – returned with series such as: The Card Dealer, Hotel Amore, Vice Department, The Lawyers of Athens, Anatomy of a crime, The Throne Room, Take care of me and others.
Private life
He had an affair for about six months with Ellie Lambeti. Their affair did not last long, as Alexandrakis preferred to follow Katerina Andreadi on a tour.
In Sudan he met his first wife, Marge Valvi, whom he married shortly afterwards in Athens. Their marriage lasted three years, as did his second marriage to Frenchwoman Claude Champantoux. In 1956 he married the actress Aliki Georgouli. Together they staged the Picnic at the Gloria Theatre in America Square, and participated in peace marches and democratic rallies. After four years they divorced. His fourth marriage was in 1964 to the Swiss Verena Gower, with whom he had a son, Vassia, and a daughter, Johanna. In 1969 this marriage also led to divorce, since Alexandrakis had in the meantime fallen in love with Nonika Galinea, whom he met at the Metropolitan Theatre, where they co-starred. He and Galinea divorced in 1990, after 21 years of relationship.[13]
Political activity
Alexandrakis was a fighting leftist and many times his progressive views had caused controversy in art and public opinion circles, as when he supported Manolis Glezos in the 1960s. In various interviews he has commented on politics, the left, the right and the EPON.
Death
During the last years of his life he taught acting at the Diamantopoulos Workshop. In 2001 the President of the Republic Konstantinos Stephanopoulos awarded him the Gold Cross of the Order of Honour for his contribution to art. He died on 8 November 2005 after many years of treatment for cancer.
