1. Michael Constantine is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, the stubborn Greek father of Toula Portokalos, in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
18 Facts About Michael Constantine
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Early in his career, Michael 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.
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Michael Constantine reprised his role as Gus Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.
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Michael Constantine was the son of Andromache and Theocharis Ioannides Efstratiou, both immigrants from Greece.
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Michael Constantine began his career on the New York stage in the mid-1950s as understudy to Paul Muni in Inherit the Wind.
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Michael Constantine studied acting with such prominent mentors as Howard Da Silva and played character roles on and off Broadway in his mid-twenties, supplementing his income as a night watchman and shooting-gallery barker.
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Michael Constantine had a small but memorable supporting role in The Hustler.
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In 1964 and 1965, Michael Constantine appeared on Perry Mason, first as wannabe private eye Dillard in "The Case of the Blonde Bonanza", and then as Pappy Ryan in "The Case of the Runaway Racer".
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In 1965, Michael Constantine was cast as the historical John Chisum in the episode "Paid in Full", on the syndicated television anthology series Death Valley Days.
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Michael Constantine appeared in another 1965 Death Valley Days episode "The Great Turkey War".
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Michael Constantine played a long-suffering anti-organized-crime agent in Walt Disney's caper film The North Avenue Irregulars, where he appeared alongside Edward Herrmann and Cloris Leachman.
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Michael Constantine played an organized crime mobster who worked for Frank Nitti in the television version of The Untouchables.
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In 1993, Michael Constantine appeared in the independent drama Question of Faith, starring Anne Archer and Sam Neill.
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Michael Constantine played Tadzu Lempke in Stephen King's Thinner.
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On October 5,1953, Michael Constantine married actress Julianna McCarthy, whom he met while in the cast of Inherit the Wind.
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The marriage ended in divorce in 1969, the same year that Michael Constantine began his role on Room 222.
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Michael Constantine married Kathleen Christopher in 1974 and they divorced in 1980.
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Michael Constantine died at his home in Reading, Pennsylvania, on August 31,2021, at age 94, from natural causes.