(Trends Wide) — Actor Michael Constantine, best known for playing the proud father in the hit movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” died last week, his agent told Trends Wide. He was 94 years old.
Constantine was a prolific character actor for five decades who won an Emmy for his role as school principal Seymour Kaufman on the ABC series “Room 222” in 1970.
But his most memorable role was as the patriarch of the Gus Portokalos family in the hit independent film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”
In that movie, Constantine played a loving but overprotective father who was immensely proud of his heritage and insisted that virtually all minor physical illnesses could be cured with Windex. Constantine reprized the role in a sequel to the film, as well as in the short-lived television series “My Big Fat Greek Life.”
Constantine’s family say he died in Reading, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 31 after a long illness, according to an article in Reading Eagle that was confirmed to Trends Wide by his agent, Julia Buchwald.
Constantine was a native of Reading and the son of Greek immigrants, the newspaper said.
In 1976, Constantine told “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson that growing up, “I really thought, well, I’m going to be a bum,” until he discovered his love of acting.
“Michael Constantine, the father of our movie family, a gift for the written word and always a friend,” Nia Vardalos, the writer and star of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” tweeted Wednesday. “Acting with him was a rush of love and fun. I will treasure this man who brought Gus to life. He made us laugh so hard and now he deserves a break. We love you Michael.”
(Trends Wide) — Actor Michael Constantine, best known for playing the proud father in the hit movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” died last week, his agent told Trends Wide. He was 94 years old.
Constantine was a prolific character actor for five decades who won an Emmy for his role as school principal Seymour Kaufman on the ABC series “Room 222” in 1970.
But his most memorable role was as the patriarch of the Gus Portokalos family in the hit independent film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”
In that movie, Constantine played a loving but overprotective father who was immensely proud of his heritage and insisted that virtually all minor physical illnesses could be cured with Windex. Constantine reprized the role in a sequel to the film, as well as in the short-lived television series “My Big Fat Greek Life.”
Constantine’s family say he died in Reading, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 31 after a long illness, according to an article in Reading Eagle that was confirmed to Trends Wide by his agent, Julia Buchwald.
Constantine was a native of Reading and the son of Greek immigrants, the newspaper said.
In 1976, Constantine told “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson that growing up, “I really thought, well, I’m going to be a bum,” until he discovered his love of acting.
“Michael Constantine, the father of our movie family, a gift for the written word and always a friend,” Nia Vardalos, the writer and star of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” tweeted Wednesday. “Acting with him was a rush of love and fun. I will treasure this man who brought Gus to life. He made us laugh so hard and now he deserves a break. We love you Michael.”