One of the last losses of the beloved generation of the old Greek cinema, who never stopped working either in cinema and theatre or on television. Kostas Voutsas, with close to 70 years in the trenches, started from the bottom, became a leading man in the golden 1960s, played everything but was described as a great comedian, and even as a veteran he tried new things.
Kostas Voutsas, however, had difficult times, especially in his childhood. He saw his communist father beaten up by security guards, experienced the Black Occupation, participated in the National Resistance, worked from a young age to survive until he stepped on the theatre stage, starting from the boules.
Two years have passed since his death (26 February 2020), something that his numerous fans could hardly believe, as Kostas Voutsas was synonymous with vitality, positive energy, a man who loved women, married four times, had three daughters and a son from his last marriage at the age of 84.
Avantador pappagi
Kostas Savvopoulos, as his real name was, was born on 31 December 1931, in Byron, Attica, the child of a refugee family from the Ephraites of Thrace. He grew up in Thessaloniki and was forced as a child to go into the business to help his family. His father, a road construction worker, was struggling to make ends meet and young Kostas did menial jobs to help out. He sold cigarettes, played wingman to paparazzi and everything else imaginable.
The communist father and the beating at the Security
His father Apostolos was one of the first members of the Communist Party, well known to the Security at the time. At some point he was bagged at the Security to sign a statement of repentance and released. His wife and young children went there to see him, seeing their father beaten up in front of their eyes. He was beaten with metal rods, he was covered in blood and although his wife hotly begged him to sign, he refused. A childhood trauma that probably followed the popular star for years. He had other unpleasant experiences during the Occupation, with dead people in the streets, with people's brains on the walls.
From the boules to the cinema
Despite this, he managed to study at the Drama School of the Macedonian Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1953 and without any inhibitions he joined the travelling theatre companies, the famous Bulukia. In 1953 he would get his baptism of fire in the cinema, playing a roll in the film ’Daddy's Training“ starring Petros Kyriakos. Two or three more small roles would follow -including in the classic comedy ”Our Lady the Mummy“ - until 1961, when he would co-star alongside the already acclaimed Kostas Hatzichristos in the comedy ”The Hard Man“, while his eternal friend Martha Karagianni would also have a characteristic and particularly poignant role.
Water was flowing in for Voutsas and he would start to get good supporting roles in many films, clearly winning impressions, often even from the leading actors. Some examples are the films “Theodore and Dikanos”, “Law 4000”. Thus would come his first huge success in a leading role in the 1962 comedy “Some prefer it cold” as Cleopas, playing alongside Dinos Iliopoulos, Zoe Laskari, Rena Vlachopoulou and Vangelis Voulgaridis.
From Aleka to Alice
Kostas Voutsas, however, was also particularly successful with women. One of his first loves was with the actress Aleka Stratigiou, while in the late 50s he met Speranza Vrana, with whom he became engaged. In fact, in her biography, Vrana had described him for that period of their love affair as a jealous man who would do anything to rise to the artistic stage. Apparently the childhood traumas that followed Voutsas, with the cursed poverty, the image of the beaten father and the Occupation, had influenced him and made him a man who wanted to escape from his tormenting memories, to stop being afraid that the door might knock and be the gendarme...
His first marriage would be to dancer and actress Erika Broyer in 1966. Two more marriages would follow, to Theano Papaspyrou and actress Evi Karagiannis. His last wife was his 39 years younger actress, Aliki Katsavou, with whom he will marry in 2016 and have a son.
A smart mute
Returning to his artistic career, in 1963, among the five films he acted in, he starred in the successful comedies “A Girl for Two”, next to Alekos Alexandrakis and “My Friend Lefterakis” next to Dinos Iliopoulos. Next year he will star, alongside a wide cast of popular actors, in the comedy “Something to Burn”. In 1965 his commitments would increase, with even more films, of which the comedies ’A Smart Smart Muto“, alongside Vassilis Avlonitis and Nikos Rizos, and ”Girls for Kissing“, giving a recital as Kostas Kaliakoudas and the famous ”I have a boat, let's go for a ride...« stand out. Voutsas, expressive, conveying energy, serves both slapstick and other comedy genres and musicals admirably, and although apparently unacquainted with dance, is delightful with his furlongs.
Forever AEK
In the following years, until the obsolescence of commercial old cinema, he would make dozens of films, becoming an undisputed leading man, as the films were now based entirely on him, while the mania would now dominate his acting skills. Some of his best performances would be in the films ’Night of the Wedding“, playing a rude Constantinopolitan next to Martha Karagianni, ”The Little Man“, again next to Karagianni, while this cycle would close with the ”political“ comedy ”A Tank in My Bed“, in the role of a frightened convenience store owner during the years of the Junta. It is also the only film with a political theme, albeit of limited importance and interest, although he claimed to have been a KKE voter and never organized in the party. On the contrary, he was known for his madness with AEK, which he strongly supported since his childhood.
From Kotsos to Ulysses
In the following years, the road will be downhill with unimportant to bad films - and video films - of the type “Sheriff the Machinist”, “Kotsos and the Aliens”, “Kotsos in the EEC”, “The Knight of the Lakuba”, until 1984, when one of the most sympathetic representatives of the new Greek cinema, Vassilis Vafeas, gave him the opportunity to play something completely different from the usual in the film “Ulysses” Love", with which he won the performance award at the Thessaloniki Festival. He and Vafeas will work together in two or three more films, and he will continue to act in commercial, but unimportant, films.
Sweet memory
Two years ago, the beloved actor would die in Attikon Hospital of cardiopulmonary failure at the age of 88. He passed away almost standing up, as he had been working and partying normally in the theatre until he entered the hospital. Before his funeral, his body was placed on a popular pilgrimage to bid farewell to the numerous audiences who loved him. Kostas Voutsas, apart from his children, will leave behind a sweet memory of a man who transmitted the joy of life, shared laughter and with his black and white or colour films, it doesn't matter, a Greece that was magical, human and charming forever.
Harry Anagnostakis
