Michael Constantine
Born: 1927-05-22 in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
Died: 2021-08-31
Known For: Acting
Biography
Michael Constantine (born Gus Efstratiou (Ευστρατίου); May 22, 1927 – August 31, 2021) was an American actor. 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). 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. 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 reprised his role as Gus Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016).
Filmography
2023
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 ... (In Memory Of)
2016
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 as Kostas "Gus" Portokalos
2003
- Cold Case as Archie Randall (2007)
- My Big Fat Greek Life as Gus Portokalos
2002
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding as Kostas "Gus" Portokalos
2001
- WW3 as Yuri Zenkovsky
1999
- Judging Amy as Elias Kelikidis
1995
1994
- Because Mommy Works as Elliot
1993
- Homicide: Life on the Street as Jim Scinta
- My Life as Bill Ivanovich
- Deadfall as Frank
1992
- By a Thread as Anthony Gallucci
1990
- Law & Order as Dan Barnett
1989
- Snoops as Captain Bauer
- Mancuso, F.B.I. as Angelo De Paulo
- Free Spirit as Mr. Goodwinn
- Prancer as Mr. Stewart / Santa
1988
- Probe as Truman
- Question of Faith as Doctor Rudolph
1987
- Friday the 13th: The Series as Ray Dallion
- In the Mood as Mr. Wisecarver
1986
- Blacke's Magic as Victor Kroeger
- Daniel and the Lion's Den as (voice)
1985
- MacGyver as Hungarian Inspector Jan Messic
- The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible as (voice)
- Pray for Death as Mr. Newman
1984
- Murder, She Wrote as Laszlo Dolby
- Hunter as Harvey Falk
- Airwolf as President Marios Guzman
- Highway to Heaven as Dr. Dan Hickey
- Crazy like a Fox as Police Inspector
- Finder of Lost Loves as Mr. Harding
1983
- Mama's Family as Judge Willard E. Packard
- Masquerade as Vasily Petrov
1982
- Hotel as Mr. Tomasino
- American Playhouse as Yianni
- Remington Steele as George Edward Mulch
- Matt Houston as Police Chief
- It Takes Two as Judge Beilin
- Forty Days of Musa Dagh as Talaat Pasha
- Silent Rebellion as Yianni
1981
- Simon & Simon as Robert Corman
- Darkroom as Monsieur De Paris
- Evita Peron as Jaime Yankelevich
1980
- Magnum, P.I. as Judge Kearns
- Palmerstown, U.S.A. as Bennett
- The Love Tapes as Frank Yost
1979
- Trapper John, M.D. as Max Wyatt
- Roots: The Next Generations as Dr. Vansina
- Crisis in Mid-Air as Frank Piovano
- The North Avenue Irregulars as Marv
1978
- Vega$ as Arnie Moss
- Summer of My German Soldier as Harry Bergen
1977
- The Love Boat as Charlie Haskins
- Lou Grant as Sidney Kovac
- The Pirate as Yashir
- 79 Park Avenue as Ben Savitch
- Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid as Dr. Silver
1976
- Quincy, M.E. as Brock Campbell
- Voyage of the Damned as Luis Clasing
- Electra Woman and Dyna Girl as The Sorcerer
- Sirota's Court as Judge Matthew Sirota
- Twin Detectives as Ben Sampson
- Wanted: The Sundance Woman as Dave Riley
1975
- Ellery Queen as Leo Robert Campbell
- Peeper as Anglich
- Conspiracy of Terror
- The Night That Panicked America as Jess Wingate
- The Secret Night Caller as Dr, Mayhill
1974
- Police Woman as Ralph
- The Manhunter as Warden Lewis
- Death Cruise as Dr. Burke
- Big Rose as Gunther
1972
- The Streets of San Francisco as Al Davies
- Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole as Dr. Sweeney
- Deadly Harvest as Stefan Groza
1971
- McMillan & Wife as Dr. Eisner
- Suddenly Single as Frankie Ventura
- The Impatient Heart as Murray Kane
1970
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Mike Cooper
- Night Gallery as Wellman (segment "The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes")
- The Odd Couple as Bill Green
1969
- Love, American Style as Fred
- Room 222 as Seymour Kaufman
- The Bold Ones: The New Doctors as Charles Milaney
- The Reivers as Mr. Binford
- Justine as Memlik Pasha
- If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium as Jack Harmon
- Don't Drink the Water as Krojack
1968
- The Name of the Game as Jay Johnson
- The Good Guys as Larry Tomack
- Skidoo as Leech
- In Enemy Country as Ladislov
1967
- Ironside as Harry Brancusi
- The Flying Nun as Juan
- The Invaders as Dr. Martin Willard
- The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour as Self - Commentor (uncredited)
- The Danny Thomas Hour as Demetrios
- Dundee and the Culhane as Jonathan Putnam
- Ghostbreakers as Oscar Jensen
1966
- Mission: Impossible as Janos
- T.H.E. Cat as Silvio
- Hey Landlord! as John 'Jack' Ellenhorn
- Hawaii as Mason
- Beau Geste as Rostov
1965
- Hogan's Heroes as Captain Heinrich
- Run for Your Life as Colonel Shoner
- Quick, Before It Melts as Mikhail Drozhensky
1964
- Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea as Dr. Brand
- 12 O'Clock High as Gen. Nikolai Vorodenko
- Profiles in Courage as Watson
1963
- The Fugitive as Ernie Svoboda
- Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre as Niri
- The Outer Limits as Joe Dix
- My Favorite Martian as Collins
- Arrest and Trial as Dr. Graham
- The Great Adventure as Colonel Streight
- The Greatest Show on Earth as Verducci
- The Dakotas as John Marshak
- Channing as Nick
- Island of Love as Andy
1962
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- The Virginian as Stavros Karas
- Combat! as Jacques Patron
- Sam Benedict as Judge Sherman Tower
- The Lloyd Bridges Show as Aristos
- The Beachcomber as Maurice Martone
1961
- The Dick Van Dyke Show as Leslie Merkle
- Dr. Kildare as Dr. Ernest Miller
- Ben Casey as Engineer Andersen
- Cain's Hundred as Herbert Lorgan
- The New Breed as Oscar Holloway
- The Hustler as Big John
- Target: The Corruptors! as Chief Swenson
1959
- The Twilight Zone as Charlie Koch
- The Untouchables as Edmund Wald
- The Detectives as Salvatore Tropolis
- The Last Mile as Ed Werner
1958
- Naked City as Vito Calageras
- 77 Sunset Strip as Sylvio Fiore
1957
- Perry Mason as Dillard
1955
- Gunsmoke as Baca
1950
- Armstrong Circle Theatre as Committee Chairman
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee