Tony Nominee Nikos Kourkoulos Dies at 73

Nikos Kourkoulos, one of Greece’s leading actors and directors for over 30 years, the artistic director of the National Theatre of Greece, and a Tony Award nominee for the 1967 musical Illya Darling, died in Athens today of cancer. He was 73 years old.

The Athens-born actor began his acting career in a 1959 production of La Dame aux Camelias and worked steadily on stage until his last appearance in a 1991 production of Philoctetes. In the 1970s, he was a founder of the stage group Prosinko, where he appeared in such plays as The Trial and A View from the Bridge.

In 1995, he became the artistic director of the National Theatre of Greece, which later brought such productions as Medea and Lysistrata to the United States.

His sole Broadway appearance was in Illya Darling, for which he received a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Tonio. The show, which ran for 320 performances, starred Melina Mercouri and Orson Bean.

Kourkoulos is survived by his second wife, Marianna Lastis, and by his four children, Errieta, Philip, Melita, and Alkis.