Stathis Giallelis is a Greek actor. His brief international fame came in the early 1960s. During this time period, he starred in America, America and won Oscars, Golden Globes and New Star of the Year acting.
Biography
Stathis Giallelis was born on January 21, 1941, and until 1980, his biographical data is very, very sketchy. For example, several sources indicate that Stathis was born not in 1941, but in 1939.
Giallelis was of medium height, small build and he turned 21 when the famous filmmaker Elia Kazani arrived in Greece and met with Giallelis. Kazan in Giallelis saw a future cinematic star, which he could make from an unknown actor. Stathis saw in Kazan an opportunity to fulfill an old dream and emigrate from the United States.
According to the memoirs of Elia Kazani, he tried for a long time to find a new leading actor, first in England, then in France and even almost found a possible candidate, but at the last moment he refused him (his last name is unknown, but according to rumors it was Alain Delon). Even in the acting studio, he could not find a good applicant. But one day he noticed Stathis Giallelis in one Greek office, where the future actor was sweeping the floor.
Stathis at that time had almost no acting experience, knew little English and was the only son in a family with 4 daughters. But he struck Kazan with sincerity and deep feelings in his memories of his father's communist past and the civil war in Greece.
Career
After moving to the United States, Stathis spent 18 months studying English and preparing for his new role. The result of this work was positively noted by many critics. They wrote that Giallelis is incredibly good at being a determined hero who can put spirit and fire into the role.
The film "America, America" won three Oscars for Elia Kazan (Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay) in 1964. In addition, the film received 11 additional awards: Golden Globes and New Star of the Year for Giallelis. Stathis's work was also nominated for Best Actor in a Drama, but never won an Oscar.
As America, America gained widespread popularity in Europe and elsewhere in 1964-1965, Stathis became the center of attention. While America America was finishing post-production, he made a cameo appearance in Nikos Kundouros's Greek feature film Mikres Aphrodites (1963).
In Hollywood, Giallelis was counting on a long and successful acting career after such a resounding success. But in the next 16 years, from 1964 to 1980, he will receive only 7 roles in a variety of films, of which only 3 will be American production.
Stathis received his first filming offer from Argentine filmmaker Leopoldo Tore Nilsson on Christmas Day 1964. He invited the Greek actor to star in his new film "The Overheard," in which Giallelis will star in the lead roles with 21-year-old Janet Margolin. They then became the only non-Hispanic actors on the set. The Eavesdropper received the Silver Condor Award from the Argentine Film Critics Association. But only two years later, he will appear on American screens and, despite good reviews from critics, will not receive popularity.
Giallelis' second appearance on the screens took place in the United States in 1966 in the film "Cast a Giant Shadow". This is a large-scale film project dedicated to the creation of the State of Israel and the victories that preceded it. The Greek actor played the main role of Colonel Mickey Marcus in the film, but his work did not leave a strong impression.
In 1968, Giallelis was featured in the movie Blue. It is a well-funded independent western filmed in picturesque Utah and directed by Silvio Narizzano. Stathis played the role of the son of a Mexican mobster and had little on screen as an actor. The film was negatively received by critics and soon it was removed from the box office.
According to some sources, in 1970, Stathis starred in the Yugoslav film Requiem, but his participation remains unconfirmed. The picture was never shown in the United States, although a shortened and dubbed version of it was shown on television much later.
In 1974 Jules Dassin and his wife Melina Mercury decided to make the film Rehearsal. It was to be a drama about the events of the student uprising in Athens against the brutal rule of the Greek junta. Stathis Giallelis, along with Olympia Dukakis and Mikis Theodorakis, were invited to shoot. The film was filmed in a makeshift studio in New York and was finished just weeks before the fall of the junta, so no public screenings were postponed. It wasn't until 2001 that he received a modest premiere in New York.
In 1976, Stathis returned to Greece and starred with the respected Greek director Pantelis Voulgaris in Nineteen Eighty-Four Birthday Allegories. The film focused on imprisonment and repression in Europe, with Giallelis starring, still considered a Hollywood celebrity in his homeland. The film won numerous prizes at Greek film festivals and at the Toronto International Film Festival, but did not have an impact on Stathis's career.
Giallelis's last American film was The Children of Sanchez. It was a Mexican movie starring Anthony Quinn. Stathis's role in the film was small and consisted of only a few close-ups that showed the premature aging of the 37-year-old Greek. The film received mixed and negative reviews.
The last role in Giallelis's career was in the Italian miniseries Panagoulis Lives directed by Giuseppe Ferrara, which told about the life and death of the famous Greek poet-politician Alexander Panagoulis. The main role went to Stathis, who was suitable for this role both by nationality, and by age, and by international fame. The film received favorable reviews in various European media, but was never shown in the United States.
Later years
After 1980, Stathis Giallelis retired from acting and took a job at the United Nations (UN) International School in Manhattan, New York, where he worked as a child educator and mentor. He retired in the summer of 2008.
