Award-winning Greek-American actor Michael Constantine was best known for his portrayal of the Windex bottle-toting family patriarch "Gus Portokalos" in the sleeper hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). Before his appearance in that movie and the subsequent TV series based on it, he was primarily known for his portrayal of principal "Seymour Kaufman" in the series Room 222 (1969), for which he won a 1970 Emmy Award as Best Supporting Actor (in 1971, he also received a second Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe nomination as Best Supporting Actor for the role).
Michael Constantine was born Constantine Joanides in Reading, Pennsylvania on 22 May 1927, to Greek parents, Andromache (Fotiadou) and Theoharis Ioannides, a steel worker. He made his Broadway debut as part of the ensemble of the hit play "Inherit the Wind", which made its bow at the National Theatre on April 21, 1955, and closed on June 22, 1957, after 806 performances. During the run of the play, Constantine managed to work his way up into the part of "Conklin". His next appearance on the Great White Way was in "Compulsion", a dramatization of the Leopold & Loeb trial, in which he played three parts: speakeasy owner "Al", defense attorney "Jonathan Wilk" and "Dr. Ball". The show had a modest run of 140 performances in the 1957-58 season at the Ambassador Theatre.
On October 19, 1959, Constantine was part of the opening-night cast of the hit play "The Miracle Worker", appearing in the role of "Anagnos". It ran for 719 performances at the Playhouse through July 1, 1961, but his next play, "The Egg", was a flop, lasting but one week (eight performances) at the Cort in January 1962. His last turn on Broadway was in Tony Richardson's staging of Bertolt Brecht's mediation on the rise of Adolf Hitler, "Arturo Ui" (a.k.a. "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui"). Constantine played the character "Dogsborough" in support of the great Broadway star Christopher Plummer's "Arturo Ui". It, too, was a one-week flop, lasting but eight performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in November 1963. Constantine's Broadway career was at an end.
He had made his motion picture debut in The Last Mile (1959) in support of Mickey Rooney, but had already begun appearing in the medium in which he made his reputation, television, the year before. He appeared in teleplays on the omnibus television anthologies Armstrong Circle Theatre (1950) and Play of the Week (1959) and made numerous guest appearances on TV series, where his ethnic look made him valuable as heavies on such programs as The Untouchables (1959). In film, he appeared in such productions as Robert Rossen's classic The Hustler (1961), If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969) and the film version of Woody Allen's play, Don't Drink the Water (1969), the latter two films revealing his flair for comedy.
Constantine was a regular on the series Hey, Landlord (1966). His stint on Room 222 (1969) was followed by his star-turn in the short-lived series Sirota's Court (1976), for which he received his second Golden Globe nomination, this time as Best Leading Actor in a Musical or Comedy TV Series, in 1976. After that, he remained steadily employed but his career remained rather quiet until he was cast in My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002).
Known For
Credits
Cast Credits
My Big Fat Greek Life (2003)
Starring as Kostas "Gus" Portokalos
(7 episodes)
- Episode 1x07: Greek Easter (Apr 7, 2003)
- Episode 1x06: Nick Moves Out (Mar 31, 2003)
- Episode 1x05: Big Night (Mar 24, 2003)
- Episode 1x04: The Free Lunch (Mar 17, 2003)
- Episode 1x03: Ariana (Mar 10, 2003)
- Episode 1x02: The Empire Strikes Back (Mar 3, 2003)
- Episode 1x01: The House Gift (Feb 24, 2003)
Judging Amy (1999)
Guest starring as Elias Kelikidis
- Episode 3x10: Beating the Bounds (Dec 11, 2001)
Probe (1988)
Guest starring as Truman Smith the 3rd
- Episode 1x06: Plan 10 from Outer Space (Apr 7, 1988)
Friday the 13th: The Series (1987)
Guest starring as Ray Dallion
- Episode 1x24: Pipe Dream (Jul 16, 1988)
Blacke's Magic (1986)
Guest starring as Victor Kroger
- Episode 1x07: Prisoner of Paradise (Feb 19, 1986)
MacGyver (1985)
Guest starring as Sam Leland
- Episode 2x16: Out in the Cold (Feb 16, 1987)
Guest starring as Jan Messic
- Episode 1x03: Thief of Budapest (Oct 13, 1985)
Murder, She Wrote (1984)
Guest starring as Ben Gibbons
- Episode 1x19: Murder Takes the Bus (Mar 17, 1985)
Guest starring as Laszlo Dolby
- Episode 5x06: Wearing of the Green (Nov 27, 1988)
Mama's Family (1983)
Guest starring as Judge Willard E. Packard
- Episode 2x18: Harper versus Harper (Mar 10, 1984)
Remington Steele (1982)
Guest starring as George Edward Mulch
(3 episodes)
- Episode 4x11: Steele, Inc. (Jan 14, 1986)
- Episode 3x14: Have I Got a Steele For You (Jan 22, 1985)
- Episode 3x09: Cast in Steele (Dec 4, 1984)
The Powers of Matthew Star (1982)
Guest starring as Giancarlo
- Episode 1x06: The Italian Caper (Oct 29, 1982)
The Fall Guy (1981)
Guest starring as Virgil Sykes
- Episode 2x19: One Hundred Miles a Gallon (Mar 9, 1983)
Magnum, P.I. (1980)
Guest starring as Judge Hannibal Kearns
- Episode 7x12: Death of the Flowers (Dec 10, 1986)
The Love Boat (1977)
Guest starring as Charlie Haskins
(2 episodes)
- Episode 7x02: The Pledge / East Meets West / Dear Roberta / My Two Dumplings (2) (Oct 1, 1983)
- Episode 7x01: The Pledge / East Meets West / Dear Roberta / My Two Dumplings (1) (Oct 1, 1983)
Fantasy Island (1977)
Guest starring as Joshua Templar
- Episode 3x16: Rogues and Riches / Stark Terror (Jan 19, 1980)
Sirota's Court (1976)
Starring as Judge Matthew J. Sirota
(14 episodes)
- Episode 1x14: Full Moon (Mar 15, 1977)
- Episode 1x13: The Alien (Mar 8, 1977)
- Episode 1x12: Pilot (Mar 1, 1977)
- Episode 1x11: The Old Friend (Feb 15, 1977)
- Episode 1x10: The Vacation (Feb 8, 1977)
- Episode 1x09: The Judge (Feb 1, 1977)
- Episode 1x08: D.A. - D.O.A. (Jan 26, 1977)
- Episode 1x07: The Split-Up (Jan 26, 1977)
- Episode 1x06: Snake and the Old People (Jan 19, 1977)
- Episode 1x05: The Hooker (Jan 12, 1977)
- Episode 1x04: Court Fear (Dec 29, 1976)
- Episode 1x03: The Election (Dec 22, 1976)
- Episode 1x02: Sirota's Car (Dec 8, 1976)
- Episode 1x01: The Reporter (Dec 1, 1976)
Ellery Queen (1975)
Guest starring as Leo Robert Campbell
- Episode 1x15: The Adventure of the Wary Witness (Jan 25, 1976)
Kojak (1973)
Guest starring as Don 'Cheech' Frank Scalesi
(2 episodes)
- Episode 2x02: The Chinatown Murders (2) (Sep 15, 1974)
- Episode 2x01: The Chinatown Murders (1) (Sep 15, 1974)
The Streets of San Francisco (1972)
Guest starring as Al Davies
- Episode 2x01: A Wrongful Death (Sep 13, 1973)
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)
Guest starring as Mike Cooper
- Episode 2x02: I Am Curious Cooper (Sep 25, 1971)
Love, American Style (1969)
Guest starring as Fred
- Episode 4x20: Love and the High School Sweetheart (Oct 13, 1972)
Room 222 (1969)
Starring as Principal Seymour Kaufman
(7 episodes)
- Episode 4x21: A Hairy Escape (Feb 23, 1973)
- Episode 3x18: We Hold These Truths... (Jan 28, 1972)
- Episode 3x09: Stay Awhile, Mr. Dream-Chaser (Nov 12, 1971)
- Episode 1x13: Seventeen Going On Twenty-Eight (Dec 10, 1969)
- Episode 1x12: Clothes Make the Boy (Dec 3, 1969)
- Episode 1x05: The Flu (Oct 15, 1969)
- Episode 1x03: Funny Boy (Oct 1, 1969)
The Name of the Game (1968)
Guest starring as Jay Johnson
- Episode 3x09: All the Old Familar Faces (Nov 13, 1970)
The Hollywood Squares (1966)
Guest starring as Panelist
- Episode 11x40: January 24-28, 1977 (DT) (Jan 24, 1977)
Hey, Landlord (1966)
Starring as John 'Jack' Ellenhorn
(31 episodes)
- Episode 1x31: Aunt Harriet Wants You (Apr 23, 1967)
- Episode 1x30: The Dinner Who Came to Man (Apr 16, 1967)
- Episode 1x29: Czech Your Wife, Sir? (Apr 9, 1967)
- Episode 1x28: Swingle City East (Apr 2, 1967)
- Episode 1x27: Testing 1 - 2 - 3... (Mar 26, 1967)
- Episode 1x26: A Little Off the Top (Mar 12, 1967)
- Episode 1x25: Big Brother is Watching You (Mar 5, 1967)
- Episode 1x24: Sharin' Sharon (Feb 26, 1967)
- Episode 1x23: Woody, Can You Spare a Sister? (Feb 19, 1967)
- Episode 1x22: How Do You Follow Hi-Lites from Hamlet? (Feb 12, 1967)
- Episode 1x21: Same Time, Same Station, Same Girl (Feb 5, 1967)
- Episode 1x20: The Screen Queen Quiz (Jan 29, 1967)
- Episode 1x19: Oh, How We Danced (Jan 22, 1967)
- Episode 1x18: A Legend Dies (Jan 15, 1967)
- Episode 1x17: Roomate, Stay Away from My Door (Jan 8, 1967)
- Episode 1x16: Go Directly to Jail (Jan 1, 1967)
- Episode 1x15: How You Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm, After They've Seen the Rug? (Dec 25, 1966)
- Episode 1x14: By the Sea, or at Least Rent It (Dec 18, 1966)
- Episode 1x13: The Big Fumble (Dec 11, 1966)
- Episode 1x12: Sizzling Sidney (Dec 4, 1966)
- Episode 1x11: Divorce, Bachelor Style (Nov 27, 1966)
- Episode 1x10: When You Need a Hidden Room, You Can Never Find One (Nov 20, 1966)
- Episode 1x09: Safari (Nov 13, 1966)
- Episode 1x08: The Long Hot Bus (Oct 30, 1966)
- Episode 1x07: Chuck Nobody (Oct 23, 1966)
- Episode 1x06: The Shapes of Wrath (Oct 16, 1966)
- Episode 1x05: Instant Family (Oct 9, 1966)
- Episode 1x04: The Daring Duo vs. The Incredible Captain Kill (Oct 2, 1966)
- Episode 1x03: From Out of the Past Comes the Thundering Hoofbeats (Sep 25, 1966)
- Episode 1x02: If She Catches the Bouquet, I'll Die (Sep 18, 1966)
- Episode 1x01: Pursuit of a Dream (Sep 11, 1966)
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Guest starring as Heinrich
- Episode 1x20: It Takes a Thief... Sometimes (Jan 28, 1966)
Slattery's People (1964)
Guest starring as Paul Hungerford
- Episode 1x03: Question: Remember the Dark Sins of Youth? (Oct 5, 1964)
12 O'Clock High (1964)
Guest starring as Gen. Nikolai Vorodenko
- Episode 3x02: Massacre (Sep 16, 1966)
My Favorite Martian (1963)
Guest starring as Leonardo da Vinci
- Episode 3x28: Martin Meets His Match (Mar 27, 1966)
Guest starring as Collins
- Episode 2x15: The Case of the Missing Sleuth (Jan 3, 1965)
The Fugitive (1963)
Guest starring as Lt. Ben Wyckoff
- Episode 3x28: A Taste of Tomorrow (Apr 12, 1966)
Arrest and Trial (1963)
Guest starring as Dr. Graham
- Episode 1x22: A Roll of the Dice (Feb 23, 1964)
Guest starring as Dr. Fowler
- Episode 1x05: My Name is Martin Burnham (Oct 13, 1963)
Sam Benedict (1962)
Guest starring as Judge Tower
- Episode 1x05: Tears for a Nobody Doll (Oct 13, 1962)
The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)
Guest starring as Leslie Merkle
- Episode 5x29: You Ought to Be in Pictures (Apr 27, 1966)
The New Breed (1961)
Guest starring as Oscar Holloway
- Episode 1x05: The Compulsion to Confess (Oct 31, 1961)
The Untouchables (1959)
Guest starring as Max Frivol
- Episode 4x20: Junk Man (Jan 26, 1963)
Guest starring as Marty Baltin
- Episode 4x03: The Chess Game (Oct 9, 1962)
Guest starring as Seth Otis
- Episode 3x05: The Matt Bass Scheme (Nov 9, 1961)
Guest starring as Edmund Wald
- Episode 2x30: The King of Champagne (May 25, 1961)
Guest starring as Gino Carabello
- Episode 2x19: The Nick Moses Story (Feb 23, 1961)
The Twilight Zone (1959)
Guest starring as Sheriff Charlie Koch
- Episode 5x26: I Am the Night - Color Me Black (Mar 27, 1964)
Naked City (1958)
Guest starring as Vito Calageras
- Episode 3x19: Let Me Die Before I Wake (Feb 14, 1962)
Perry Mason (1957)
Guest starring as Pappy Ryan
- Episode 9x10: The Case of the Runaway Racer (Nov 14, 1965)