Eddie Kulukundis

Sir Elias George Kulukundis OBE (20 April 1932 – 17 February 2021) was a member of a Greek shipping family whose professional career spanned shipping and the theatre.

He was married to British actress Susan Hampshire.

Elias George Kulukundis was born on 20 April 1932 at 26 Warbeck Street in London, the son of a Greek shipping family who had made their home in London.

His parents moved to New York City when he was eight.

Kulukundis was not an active sportsman and took the role of a statistician, keeping score.

The Kulukundis and Mavroleon families had formed the shipping company London & Overseas Freighters (LOF) in 1948.

Kulukundis entered the shipping industry by working on tramp steamers in the Mediterranean.

He attended Salisbury School until 1950, and was an Emeritus Trustee of the school.

He co-produced the 1976 Tony Award-winning play Travesties by Tom Stoppard.

Kulukundis later formed Knightsbridge Productions, with theatre artist/educator Jack Lynn.

After the death of his uncle John Kulukundis in September 1978, Kulukundis joined the LOF board.

Kulukundis married the English actress Susan Hampshire in 1981.

The couple lived on the outskirts of Bedford, England.

The company suffered mounting losses, and after it had sold all but two of its ships and all shoreside assets, he resigned on 11 December 1985.

He rejoined the board of the much-reduced company in 1988 following the death of company president Manuel Kulukundis, and also the death of his nephew, Minas Kulukundis, in the Lockerbie air disaster while flying to attend the funeral of his uncle and godfather Captain Nicholas Kulukundis.

Kulukundis was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Sport in the 1988 Birthday Honours, and knighted for charitable services to Sport and to the Arts in the 1993 Birthday Honours.

He changed his name by deed poll to Eddie Kulukundis on 23 September 1993.

In 1993, Kulukundis was part of a consortium that took over the struggling Duke of York's Theatre on St Martin's Lane.

The consortium became the Ambassador Theatre Group, of which Kulukundis was Life President and a major shareholder.

On 1 November 1997, LOF was sold to Frontline Freighters AB of Sweden and Kulukundis resigned from the board.

He continued to hold positions with the family company Company Rethymnis and Kulukundis Ltd, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1998.

A theatre impresario, Kulukundis started producing plays while resident in the United States.

In November 1998, Kulukundis came second in the contest to become the first elected president of UK Athletics to former Olympic champion David Hemery.

Kulukundis served as chairman of the London Coaching Foundation, the Midland Coaching Foundation, and Athletes Youth Performance; vice-president of UK Athletics; chairman of the British Athletic Field Event Charitable Trust; and as chairman and patron of the Belgrave Harriers athletics club.

Kulukundis gave more than £2 million to British athletes over 25 years.

It was estimated that Kulukundis supported about 60 to 70 athletes.

The philanthropy started when he returned to the UK, after a chance meeting with David Hemery.

Through Harry Wilson, Steve Ovett's coach, Kulukundis received the names of several athletes who needed help.

Every deal was recorded by his secretary because, theoretically, each one was only a loan.

Among the athletes Kulukundis has supported were:

Active on stage and screen until her early seventies, Hampshire gave up most acting opportunities after 2009 to care for her husband, who had developed dementia and type 2 diabetes.

Kulukundis died at his home on 17 February 2021, aged 88.