Constantine in a publicity still for Room 222.
Michael Constantine (born Gus Efstratiou; May 22, 1927 - August 31, 2021) was an American actor.
Born in Reading, Pennsylvania to Greek immigrants, Constantine began his acting career on the New York City stage in The '50s. He became a busy character actor in The '60s, doing plenty of TV and film work. In 1969, he began playing his first Star-Making Role: Principal Seymour Kaufman, one of the main characters of the Dramedy series Room 222, which lasted five seasons. (A second TV series, Sirota's Court, didn't fare as well.) He returned to being a character actor, getting a prominent supporting role in the Stephen King adaptation Thinner in 1996. A few years later, he got a second Star-Making Role thanks to his memorable performance as Gus Portakolos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), a film which became popular enough to spin off a TV series (My Big Fat Greek Life in 2002) and eventually two sequels (My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 in 2016 and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 in 2023).
He was married to Julianna McCarthy and Kathleen Patricia Christopherson and had two children with McCarthy.
Constantine died in 2021 at the age of 94 from natural causes.
Filmography
Film Roles
- 1959: The Last Mile as Ed Werner
- 1961: The Hustler as Big John
- 1963: Island Of Love as Andy
- 1963: Lonnie as Gage
- 1964: Quick Before It Melts as Mikhail Drozhensky
- 1965: Memorandum For A Spy as Niri
- 1966: Beau Geste as Rostov
- 1966: Hawaii as Mason
- 1967: Ghostbreakers as Oscar Jensen
- 1968: In Enemy Country as Ladislov
- 1968: Skidoo as Leech
- 1969: If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium as Jack Harmon
- 1969: Justine as Memlik Pasha
- 1969: Don't Drink the Water as Krojack
- 1969: The Reivers as Mr. Binford
- 1971: The Impatient Heart as Murray Kane
- 1971: Suddenly Single as Frankie Ventura
- 1972: Deadly Harvest as Stefan Groza
- 1972: Say Goodbye Maggie Cole as Dr. Sweeney
- 1973: The Bait as Capt. Gus Maryk
- 1974: Big Rose Double Trouble as Gunther
- 1974: Death Cruise as Dr. Burke
- 1975: The Secret Night Caller as Dr. Mayhill
- 1975: The Night That Panicked America as Jess Wingate
- 1975: Peeper as Anglich
- 1975: Conspiracy Of Terror as Jacob Horowitz
- 1976: Twin Detectives as Ben Sampson
- 1976: Wanted The Sundance Woman as Dave Riley the Shopkeeper/David Baker
- 1976: Voyage Of The Damned as Luis Clasing
- 1977: Billy Portrait Of A Street Kid as Dr. Silver
- 1978: Summer of My German Soldier as Harry Bergen
- 1978: The Pirate as Yashir
- 1979: The North Avenue Irregulars as Marv
- 1979: Crisis In Mid Air as Frank Piovano
- 1980: The Love Tapes as Frank Yost
- 1981: Evita Peron as Jaime Yankelevich
- 1982: Forty Days Of Musa Dagh as Talaat Pasha
- 1985: Pray For Death as Mr. Newman
- 1987: In the Mood as Mr. Wisecarver
- 1988: Leap of Faith as Dr. Rudolph
- 1989: Prancer as Dr. Stewart/Santa Claus
- 1990: By A Thread as Anthony Gallucci
- 1993: Deadfall as Frank
- 1993: My Life as Bill Ivanovich
- 1994: Because Mommy Works as Elliot
- 1996: The Juror as Judge Weitzel
- 1996: Thinner as Tadzu Lempke
- 2001: WW3 as Yuri Zenkovsky
- 2002: My Big Fat Greek Wedding as Gus Portokalos
- 2016: My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 as Gus
Television Roles
- 1958-1961: Armstrong Circle Theatre as Victor/George Calder/Committee Chairman (3 episodes)
- 1959: Brenner as Lt. Kopec
- 1959: The Catholic Hour as Ponticianus
- 1959: The Big Story as Miller
- 1959: Deadline as Russ
- 1961: The Asphalt Jungle as Joe Garfield
- 1961: Cains Hundred as Herbert Lorgan
- 1961: The New Breed as Oscar Holloway
- 1961: The Detectives as Salvator Tropolis
- 1961: Target The Corruptors as Chief Swenson
- 1961: The Defenders as Mr. Heinmiller
- 1961-1963: The Dakotas as Max Frivol/Marty Baltin/Seth Otis/Edmund Wald/Gino Carabello (5 episodes)
- 1962: Naked City as Vito Calageras
- 1962: Dr. Kildare as Dr. Enrest Miller
- 1962: Ben Casey as Engineer Andersen
- 1962: Sam Benedict as Judge Sherman Tower
- 1962: The Beachcomber as Maurice Martone
- 1962-1963: The Lloyd Bridges Show as Hata/Aristos (2 episodes)
- 1963: The Dakotas as John Marshak
- 1963: Vacation Playhouse as Police Detective
- 1963: Channing as Nick
- 1963: The Eleventh Hour as Dr. Jamison
- 1963: The Greatest Show On Earth as Verducci
- 1963: 77 Sunset Strip as Sylvio Flore
- 1963-1964: Arrest And Trial as Dr. Graham/Dr. Fowler (2 episodes)
- 1963-1964: The Richard Boone Show as Barney Chapman/Romero (3 episodes)
- 1963-1968: Gunsmoke as Noah Meek/Baca (2 episodes)
- 1964: The Twilight Zone as Sheriff Charlie Koch
- 1964: The Great Adventure as Col. Streight
- 1964: The Rogues as Dr. Vittorio De Nova
- 1964: Slatterys People as Paul Hungerford
- 1964: The Outer Limits as Joe Dix
- 1964-1965: Profiles In Courage as Gen. Lucas/Watson (2 episodes)
- 1964-1965: Perry Mason as Pappy Ryan/Dillard (2 episodes)
- 1965: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea as Dr. Brand
- 1965: The Trials Of O Brien as Colin Kipner
- 1965-1966: Death Valley Days as George Burnett/Thomas J. Pollack/John Chisum (3 episodes)
- 1965-1966: My Favorite Martian as Leonardo da Vinci/Collins (2 episodes)
- 1965-1967: Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre as Niri/Steve Jenkins (3 episodes)
- 1965-1967: The Fugitive as Arthur 'Art' Howe/Lt. Ben Wyckoff/Ernie Svoboda (3 episodes)
- 1965-1969: The Virginian as John Halstead/Pvt. Essex Kanin/Stavros Karas (3 episodes)
- 1966: Hogan's Heroes as Capt. Heinrich
- 1966: The Double Life Of Henry Phyfe as Googie
- 1966: Run For Your Life as Col. Shoner
- 1966: The Dick Van Dyke Show as Leslie Merkle
- 1966: Twelve O Clock High as Gen. Nikolai Vorodenko
- 1966: The Jean Arthur Show as Carnella
- 1966: I Spy as Col. Halouf/Plotkin
- 1966: THECat as Silvio
- 1966: The Road West as Jacob Adams
- 1966-1967: Hey Landlord as Jack Ellenhorn (11 episodes)
- 1967: Combat as Jacques Patron
- 1967: Iron Horse as Sam McGinty
- 1967: Ironside as Harry Brancusi
- 1968: The Invaders as Dr. Martin Willard
- 1968: The Flying Nun as Juan
- 1968: The Danny Thomas Hour as Demetrios
- 1969: The Good Guys as Larry Tomack
- 1969: Mission: Impossible as Janos
- 1969-1974: Room 222 as Principal Seymour Kaufman (series regular)
- 1970: The Name Of The Game as Jay Johnson
- 1971: The Odd Couple as Bill Green
- 1971: Night Gallery as Wellman
- 1971: The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Mike Cooper
- 1972: Love, American Style as Fred
- 1973: The Bold Ones: The New Doctors as Charles Milaney
- 1973: The Streets of San Francisco as Al Davies
- 1974: Kojak as Don 'Cheech' Frank Scalesi
- 1975: The Manhunter as Warden Lewis
- 1975: Police Woman as Ralph
- 1976: McMillan & Wife as Dr. Eisner
- 1976: Ellery Queen as Leo Robert Campbell
- 1976: Electra Woman and Dyna Girl as The Sorcerer
- 1976: The Krofft Supershow as The Sorcerer
- 1976-1977: Sirotas Court as Judge Matthew Sirota
- 1977: Harold Robbins 79 Park Avenue as Ben Savitch
- 1979: Roots The Next Generation as Dr. Vansina
- 1979-1982: Quincy, M.E. as Dr. Arthur Ciotti/Brock Campbell/Dr. George Pendleton (5 episodes)
- 1980: Fantasy Island as Joshua Templar
- 1981: Vegas as Arnie Moss
- 1981: Trapper John, M.D. as Max Wyatt
- 1981: Palmerstown USA as Bennett
- 1981-1982: Lou Grant as Joe Lombardi/Sidney Kovac (2 episodes)
- 1982: Darkroom as Monsieur de Paris
- 1982: American Playhouse as Yianni
- 1982: It Takes Two as Judge Beilin
- 1982: Benson as Michael Musker/Marvin Musker (2 episodes)
- 1982: The Powers of Matthew Star as Giancarlo
- 1983: Amandas as Krinsky
- 1983: The Fall Guy as Virgil Sykes
- 1983: Matt Houston as Police Chief
- 1983: The Love Boat as Charlie Haskins
- 1983: Hotel as Mr. Tomasino
- 1984: The New Mike Hammer as Mel Hurock
- 1984: Mama's Family as Judge Willard E. Packard
- 1984: Finder Of Lost Loves as Mr. Harding
- 1984-1986: Remington Steele as George Edward Mulch (3 episodes)
- 1984-1988: Simon & Simon as Ernie Petrolik/Dr. John Longstrand/Robert Corman (3 episodes)
- 1985: Airwolf as Pres. Marios Guzman
- 1987: Airwolf as Dr. Vladimir Bronski
- 1985: Highway to Heaven as Dr. Dan Hickey
- 1985-1987: MacGyver as Sam Leland/Hungarian Inspector Jan Messic (2 episodes)
- 1985-1988: Murder, She Wrote as Laszlo Dolby/Ben Gibbons (2 episodes)
- 1986: Blackes Magic as Victor Kroeger
- 1986: Crazy Like a Fox as Police Inspector
- 1986: Magnum, P.I. as Judge Hannibal Kearns
- 1988: The Law And Harry Mc Graw as Lamonica
- 1988: Probe as Truman
- 1988: Friday the 13th: The Series as Ray Dallion
- 1988: Hunter as Harvey Falk
- 1989: Snoops as Capt. Bauer
- 1990: Free Spirit as Mr. Goodwin
- 1990: Midnight Caller as Angelo Busico
- 1992-1994: Law & Order as Joshua Berger/Dan Barnett (2 episodes)
- 1993: Homicide: Life on the Street as Jim Scinta
- 1997: Cosby as Zack
- 2001: Judging Amy as Elias Kelikidis
- 2002: In Laws as Howard
- 2003: My Big Fat Greek Life as Gus
- 2007: Cold Case as Archie Randall
Shorts
- 2006: Then Came You as Cole McAllister
- 2008: Pink Glasses as Dr. Love
- 2009: Back In 10 as Bill
- 2010: Location Location as Gusav
