Renowned actor Christos Politis dies

Renowned actor Christos Politis passed away on Thursday (08/01) at the age of 83. He portrayed, among other roles, the iconic and famous character “Giangos Drakos” in the TV series “Lampsi”.

The sad news of his death was announced in a Facebook post by writer Manos Lambrakis, who wrote: “Christos Politis is no longer among us… 1942–2026.”

A leading figure in theatre, television and cinema, Christos Politis worked in theatre from 1966–1967 to 1997–1998, appearing in more than 45 theatrical productions. In cinema, mainly between 1968 and 1974, he took part in 18 films. On television, he worked from 1973 to 2005, starring in eight television series.

Τhe rich career of Christos Politis

Christos Politis was a graduate of the National Theatre Drama School (1965).

He made his first stage appearance with the company of Giannis Fertis and Xenia Kalogeropoulou in the play *Ten Little Indians* (1965–1966). He then performed with the company of Titika Nikiforaki and Nikos Chatziskos in *Much Ado About Nothing* (1968) and *Tea and Sympathy* (1969). Collaborations followed with the Kostas Mousouris Theatre and the National Theatre. As part of his work with the National Theatre, he appeared for the first time in ancient tragedy, in Aeschylus’ *The Libation Bearers – The Eumenides* and Euripides’ *Hippolytus*, productions that toured international festivals abroad.

He was a founding member of the Aplo Theatre (1974–1990), a company aimed at theatrical decentralization—initially through tours throughout Greece and later, from 1982, through the creation and operation of a theatre on the outskirts of Athens’ theatrical center, in Kallithea. The Aplo Theatre focused mainly on repertory drama, staging works by Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, O. Goldsmith, Loula Anagnostaki and others. It was also the theatre that first introduced the works of Joe Orton to a wider Greek audience. Christos Politis’ cycle with the Aplo Theatre concluded in 1990, with the dissolution of the company.

Alongside his work with the Aplo Theatre, he collaborated with other theatrical creators and companies, including Antigoni Valakou, Aliki Vougiouklaki, Alekos Alexandrakis, Alexis Minotis, Alexis Solomos, the Municipal and Regional Theatre of Crete (DIPETHE), Arma Thespis and others. After leaving the Aplo Theatre, he worked again with the National Theatre as well as with several independent theatre companies. He returned to ancient drama in 1986 alongside Alexis Minotis in Sophocles’ *Oedipus at Colonus*, and again in 1992 with *Antigone*. His final theatrical appearance was in *The Lion in Winter* by James Goldman during the 1997–1998 season.

In cinema, he first appeared in a very small role in 1968 in Nikos Foskolos’ film *Avenue of Hatred*, and in a leading role in 1969 in *Saint Nektarios: Protector of the Poor*. In the same year, he won the Best Supporting Actor award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival for his performance in *The Girl of 17*. He subsequently collaborated mainly with film producer James Paris. He returned to cinema in 2022, after many decades away, appearing in the film *Broadway* by Christos Massalas.

“Lampsi” and “Giangos Drakos”

He first appeared on television in 1973 in the series *The Nets of Terror*. Among other roles, he participated in the series *Queen Amalia* alongside Aliki Vougiouklaki and Dimitris Papamichael (1975), and *Aphrodite* with Nora Valsami (1977). During the 1980s, he made very few television appearances.

In 1991, he returned to television with Nikos Foskolos’ daily series *Lampsi*, a collaboration that established him in the public consciousness as “Giangos Drakos,” a role he portrayed for 14 years, until the summer of 2005. His participation in *Lampsi* was among his final artistic activities.

The role became iconic in Greek television, as the character was a powerful and ruthless businessman—president of the company Giant—who stood out and left a lasting mark on viewers’ memories for more than a decade.

The series *Lampsi* enjoyed enormous success and aired for approximately 14 years, with “Giangos Drakos” becoming one of its most distinctive characters.

In addition, during the 1970s and 1980s, he took part in several theatrical productions for radio and television, as well as in two video productions in the late 1980s. During the 1990s, he also served for two years as a teacher at the Athens Drama School of G. Theodosiadis.

Finally, he occasionally engaged in politics. In 1998, he was elected a prefectural councilor of Athens with the slate of Theodoros Katrivanos, a position he left after a short time. He also ran as a candidate on the nationwide list of the Political Spring party in the 1996 parliamentary elections.

After the end of the television series *Lampsi* in 2005, Christos Politis decided to withdraw from public life, and in recent years he lived at his home in Epidaurus.

 

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