Evgenios Spatharis
Evgenios Spatharis was a Greek master of the "shadow theatre" (Greek: Θέατρο Σκιών) which brought to life the humourous adventures of Karagiozis, a wretched hunch-backed Greek, who tries to make his way through life in the Ottoman Empire, often with hair-brained schemes that, more often than not, backfire.
Spatharis was born on January 3, 1924 in Kifissia, Athens, the son of Sotiris Spatharis, also a Karagiozis artist. He started his career in 1942 and has played both in Greece and abroad.
In 1962, Spatharis became the first person to record episodes of Karagiozis on records.
In 1991, he established the Spatharis Museum of the shadow theatre in Maroussi.
He died on May 9, 2009 after being hospitalized at the KAT Hospital in critical condition for some days, where he was being treated after falling from a staircase while he was on his way to a performance. No details have been given about the type of injuries he suffered.
