Spyros Fokas: the actor who captivated international audiences dies at 86

Actor Spyros Fokas died on Friday at the age of 86. He was one of the few Greek actors to have an international career and played in many notable foreign films such as “Rocco and His Brothers” or the Hollywood blockbusters “The Jewel of the Nile” (1985) and “Rambo III” (1988), etc.

Fokas was born in Patras and graduated from the Kostis Michailidis drama school. At an early age, he discovered his love for cinema and at some point decided to become an actor. One of the most respected and renowned Greek actors, Spyros Fokas was discovered by legendary Italian director Luchino Visconti and cast in the lead role in the classic film Rocco and His Brothers (1960).

His first role in a foreign film produced in Italy was the role of Bruno in the film “Death of a Friend” (Morte di un amico, 1960). He subsequently starred in many Greek and Italian films throughout the 1960s and 70s, working with such famous directors as Vincente Minnelli and Ferdinando Baldi.

Σήμερα το πρωί πέταξε για την γειτονιά των αγγέλων ο αγαπημένος μας ηθοποιός Σπύρος Φωκάς. Γοητευτικός, ταλαντούχος και χαμηλών τόνων, ο Σπύρος ήταν από τους πρώτους Έλληνες ηθοποιούς που έκανε διεθνή καριέρα παίζοντας δίπλα σε μεγάλους σταρ όπως η Λάιζα Μινέλι και ο Αλέν Ντελόν.… pic.twitter.com/pJ4sIFLII7

— Finos Film (@FinosFilm) November 10, 2023

In the 60s he returned to Greece and acted in films produced by the Greek film company Finos Films. He starred in more than 30 foreign and Greek films, most of which were filmed in Italy and the USA. He also played in famous theaters abroad.

The Greeks liked to call the handsome actor “the Greek Omar Sharif.” He was married four times and said he “never wanted to have children in this world we live in.”

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