Sotiris Moustakas

Sotiris Moustakas was a stage and film actor. He was born in Limassol, Cyprus, in 1940. As a kid, he adored Charlie Chaplin, Danny Kaye and loved opera and classical music. He learned the violin. When his voice changed at 16, he scrapped his dreams for an opera singer - not those of an actor.

When Nikos Stavridis was on tour in Cyprus, Moustakas went up to him to ask for an autograph. Moustakas mimicked his playing and Stavridis told him "You're good! Come to Greece to study acting."

At age 18, after his release from prison - for his involvement with EOKA - he went to Athens for theatrical studies. He graduated from the National Theatre of Greece and was known for his portrayal of offbeat, neurotic yet likable characters. He appeared primarily in modern films and plays, although he also performed several roles in classical works.

Moustakas appeared in 76 films and numerous stage plays, and was a popular television actor.

Moustakas' international film debut came in 1964 in the Oscar-winning movie Zorba the Greek starring Anthony Quinn, in which he played Mimithos, the village idiot. Although his recent work was mainly in the theatre, he also had a role in the 2007 film El Greco.

On June 4, 2007, he collapsed while rehearsing a production at a local theatre, and died early that Monday after being transferred to an Athens hospital. The exact cause of death was not released. Moustakas was survived by his actress wife Maria Bonelou and one daughter, Alexia. Moustakas was "one of the most significant comic actors who has emerged from Greece and Cyprus," said Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis in a tribute to the comic.