Michael Constantine

Michael Constantine (born Gus Efstratiou (Ευστρατίου); May 22, 1927 – August 31, 2021) was an American actor.

He began his career on the New York stage in the mid-1950s as understudy to Paul Muni in Inherit the Wind.

He 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.

On October 5, 1953, Constantine married actress Julianna McCarthy, whom he met while in the cast of Inherit the Wind.

They had two children, Thea Eileen and Brendan Neil.

In 1959, he appeared in his first film, The Last Mile (1959).

He had a small but memorable supporting role in The Hustler (1961).

In 1964 and 1965, 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".

In 1965, Constantine was cast as the historical John Chisum in the episode "Paid in Full", on the syndicated television anthology series Death Valley Days.

He also appeared in another 1965 Death Valley Days episode "The Great Turkey War".

In 1967, he appeared in the first part of "The Judgment", the two-episode conclusion of The Fugitive, starring David Janssen.

The marriage ended in divorce in 1969, the same year that Constantine began his role on Room 222.

Earlier, he 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.

He later married Kathleen Christopher in 1974, though they also later divorced in 1980.

Constantine died at his home in Reading, Pennsylvania, on August 31, 2021, at age 94, from natural causes.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, which was released two years after his death, was dedicated to his memory.

After the conclusion of Room 222, Constantine portrayed night court magistrate Matthew J. Sirota on the 1976 sitcom Sirota's Court, receiving his second Golden Globe nomination.

Constantine played a long-suffering anti-organized-crime agent in Walt Disney's caper film The North Avenue Irregulars (1979), where he appeared alongside Edward Herrmann and Cloris Leachman.

He also played an organized crime mobster who worked for Frank Nitti in the television version of The Untouchables.

In 1988, he played the estranged father of one of the main characters in Friday the 13th: the Series.

He played Santa Claus in Prancer (1989).

In 1993, Constantine appeared in the independent drama Question of Faith, starring Anne Archer and Sam Neill.

He played Tadzu Lempke in Stephen King's Thinner (1996).

He is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, the Windex bottle-toting Greek father of Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos), in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002).

Constantine reprised his role as Gus Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016).

Constantine was born Gus Efstratiou in Reading, Pennsylvania.

He was the son of Andromache (née Fotiadou) and Theocharis Ioannides Efstratiou (a steel worker), both immigrants from Greece.

In 2002, he enjoyed an unexpected comeback as the Windex-toting Gus Portokalos in the hit movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a role he reprised on the short-lived television series My Big Fat Greek Life, and a sequel film with the original cast, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which was released on March 25, 2016.