George Foundas

Acting

George Foundas

Born 1924-02-13 · Mavrolithari, Folkida

George Fountas (Greek: Γιώργος Φούντας, Mavrolithari, Fokida, 13 February 1924 – Athens, 28 November 2010) was a Greek actor, one of the most important in cinema, theatre and television, known, among other things, for his role in the film Stella (1955), by Michael Cacoyannis. He participated in many other distinguished films of the 1950s and 1960s, including Magic City (1954), The Girl in Black (1956), Never on Sunday (1960) and The Red Lanterns (1963), while he also appeared in the foreign productions America, America (1963) and Zorbas (1964). His most important moment in television is his role in the series Christ is Crucified Again (1975-1976). George Fountas was born on February 13, 1924, in Mavrolithari, Fokida. In 1944, Fountas appeared in the film Applause by Giorgos Tzavellas, which is considered the most important film made during the Occupation. He then studied acting at the Drama School of the Athens Conservatory, where he studied with Emilio Veakis, Dimitris Rontiris and Kostas Mousouris, while also playing football, as a player for the AEK reserve team. At a young age, he also played (amateur) shot put, discus and boxing. He made his first theatrical appearance in the play Nyfiatiko ngai (Wedding Song) by Notis Pergialis. Gradually, he began to appear more and more in films, such as Aegean Raid (1946) by M. Karagatsis and Dead City (1951) by Frixos Eliades. In 1954, he starred in Nikos Koundouros' first film, Magic City, through which he became more widely known. In 1955, Fountas appeared in Stella, directed by Michalis Cacoyannis. This film contains one of the most emblematic scenes in Greek cinema, during which the line "Go away Stella, I'm holding a knife!" is heard. Stella caused a sensation internationally, especially for the performance of Melina Mercouri, and was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival and won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Fountas collaborated with Cacoyannis again shortly afterwards, for The Girl in Black (1956). Between 1960 and 1964, Fountas appeared in many films that received international attention. In 1960, he participated in Jules Dassin's Never on Sunday, again alongside Mercouri. The foreign-language film "Never on Sunday" opened the way for his international career and made him known abroad. In 1963, he appeared in two films that were nominated for the 36th Academy Awards. One was Red Light District (1963), directed by Vasilis Georgiadis, which is considered one of Fundas' most characteristic performances, and the other was America, America by Elia Kazan. In 1964, Fundas collaborated again with Cacoyannis, for the award-winning Zorba the Explorer. Fundas' next major moments were With the Flash in Your Eyes (1966) and Asphalt Fever (1967), directed by Panos Glykofrydis and Dinos Dimopoulos respectively. For his performances in these films, he was awarded Best Actor Awards at the seventh and eighth Thessaloniki Film Festivals. From 1970 onwards, Giorgos Fountas' presence in cinema began to decline. In 1973, he made his first appearance on television, in the series Occupation, which was broadcast on YENED. Two years later, he received a leading role in the series Christ is Recrucified. His last film was Vicky Peziri's dramatized documentary, Tales of the Sea (1997). (Source: Wikipedia)

Acting credits

Zorba the Greek poster
7.5

An uptight English writer traveling to Crete on a matter of business finds his life changed forever when he meets the gregarious Alexis Zorba.

Zorba the Greek

1964

Ο μεγάλος ένοχος poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Ο μεγάλος ένοχος

1970

The Red Lanterns poster
7.1

The inextricably intertwined stories of five sex workers who live in a brothel at Pireas harbor.

The Red Lanterns

1963

Experts on the Football Field poster
5.5

The everyday lives of some international football players before and after a big game.

Experts on the Football Field

1956

17 Bullets for an Angel poster
7.2

Iro Konstantopoulou was thirteen years old when the Germans invaded Greece. Despite her age, however, she got involved with the resistance. When she was arrested for the first time, her rich father managed to set her free, and she fell in love with a young doctor who took care of her injuries following torture. A little before the withdrawal of the Germans, she participated in the blowing up of a train that was transporting ammunition, and she was arrested again, but this time no one could save her. She was executed at the Chaïdari camp, along with forty-nine other prisoners.

17 Bullets for an Angel

1981

Bitter Bread poster
6.2

A poor builder tries, with the help of his wife, to raise his three children. When he gets killed in an accident at the construction site, his oldest son undertakes the responsibility of providing for the family, facing all difficulties.

Bitter Bread

1951

Trouba '67 poster
6.6

A dark atmosphere pervades this film in true noir fashion. So does the feeling that our principals are trapped. They fight their way against economic forces and their status in life, and love might conquer all.

Trouba '67

1967

The Lagoon of Desire poster
6.6

Miranda, the rich and spoiled daughter of an Athenian businessman, accompanies her father to Messolonghi, where they have their own fish farming facilities in the best parts of the lagoon. There, while the local fishermen try to establish a cooperative so they can defend themselves against exploitation by their bosses, Miranda seduces a charming and dynamic young man, disrupting his life and his relationship with the girl he loved and intended to marry.

The Lagoon of Desire

1957

Serenity poster
6.8

Originally edited in two versions. Version I, 70 minutes; version II, 90 minutes. (The only known existing version is not Markopoulos’s edit and contains additional titles, music and voice-over added later than 1961. 65 minutes.) Filmed in Mytilene and Annavysos, Greece, 1958. Existing copy on video, J. and M. Paris Films, Athens.

Serenity

1961

Never on Sunday poster
6.9

An American scholar in Greece sets about improving the local prostitute with whom he is infatuated.

Never on Sunday

1960

Με Τη Λάμψη Στα Μάτια poster
8.7

During the German occupation, the Nazis plan to execute 30 men in retaliation for the death of a German soldier at the hands of the partisans. Among the men are three brothers (Giorgos Fountas, Anestis Vlachos and Giannis Fertis). The villagers ask the German officer (Zoras Tsapelis) to spare the life of one of the brothers. He accepts on the condition that their father (Lavrentis Dianellos) selects the one to remain alive.

Με Τη Λάμψη Στα Μάτια

1966

Goodbye Zoe poster
10.0

A woman who lives happily with her husband and child discovers that she is suffering from cancer and tries to ensure their happiness after her death, without learning anything about the truth…

Goodbye Zoe

1960

Emergency exit poster
5.6

When Daisy saves the life of police officer Markos she is immediately promoted to the drug department of the police. Markos falls in love with her and they start going out until he asks her to marry him. That's exactly when she meets a junkie named Tasos Bekiris and falls in love with him. When he is murdered by a mysterious woman all the clues lead to Daisy who tries to prove her innocence. As she discovers, this woman is in charge of a drug-smuggling racket and she is also planning to import a huge quantity of heroin in Athens. Daisy kills her and arrives at their meeting place along with Markos.

Emergency exit

1980

The barker poster
6.3

A union leader is corrupted by the owner of a factory and appointed as its CEO.

The barker

1964

Betrayed love poster
6.3

Anna, who lives with her aunt, is afraid that Stratos, the man she loves, is cheating on her with another woman. She decides to leave for America, where she will spend a year with another aunt. When she returns to Athens, her aunt will try to marry her off to a rich young man, but she is still in love with Stratos.

Betrayed love

1962

Θα σε περιμένω πάντα poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Θα σε περιμένω πάντα

1954

The Dawn of Triumph poster
6.7

A group of resistance fighters during the Occupation, collaborates with a lieutenant who comes to Greece from the headquarters of the Middle East, aiming to blow up a German ship.

The Dawn of Triumph

1960

Applause poster
7.3

Alfa (Attik) runs an itinerant theatrical troupe and can see that a young woman, Nora (Zinet Lakaz), is very talented. Indeed, Nora turns into a great actress. However, when she does not reciprocate his love, he turns her away. After this, Alfa falls on hard times, while Nora achieves great popular success.

Applause

1944

Take Me Away, My Love poster
10.0

Graceful Sofia falls in love with Alkis, a charming young writer. They make plans for the future; but, one day, her boss, Memas, enters the picture: a tough guy who owns a cabaret in Trouba, and wants Sofia back.

Take Me Away, My Love

1960

Ο άνεμος του μίσους poster
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

Ο άνεμος του μίσους

1954

The mother's curse poster
7.7

After the murder of a brutal landowner, and six long years of incarceration, unarmed Tasos returns to his village, only to face the deceased's murderous brothers. Is Tasos willing to honour his promise to his late mother?

The mother's curse

1961

A Girl in Black poster
6.4

Against the backdrop of a cloudless summer, love's unforeseen complications will entwine an Athenian writer, a morosely beautiful daughter, and a scorned local suitor. And then, calamity strikes. Can love redeem the sad girl in black?

A Girl in Black

1956

Psarogiannos poster
8.0

Psarogiannos lives with his wife and five children in a seaside village. One day, a sailor appears, seeking revenge and wanting to fight Psarogiannos. Psarogiannos realizes that the sailor is his son from another woman. When the time comes for the confrontation, neither of them can hurt the other. In the end, Psarogiannos' family gains another child.

Psarogiannos

1966

Stella poster
6.9

The story of a young, wild woman who doesn't want to compromise and settle down. Stella is a restless, rebellious Greek woman who plays with men and enjoys her life as much as she can. But when she meets a young footballer, things get mixed up. She loves him but she loves her freedom too. So it's about time she made an important choice.

Stella

1955