 |
George Kapiniaris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1961 (age 62–63) Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Notable work | Acropolis Now (1989–1992) The Flying Doctors (1988–1994) Underbelly (2008) |
George Kapiniaris is an Australian stage, television and film actor and comedian. He is of Greek descent and is best known for his role in popular sitcom Acropolis Now and composed the series' theme song.
Kapiniaris appeared in the stage show Wogs Out of Work with Nick Giannopoulos, in the 1980s. [1] In 2007, he joined forces with fellow comedians Joe Avati, Nish Selvadurai and Simon Palomares for a national tour Il Dago. [2] In late 2012, he played in the Australian stage version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang . [3]
In 1987, Kapiniaris joined the cast of the drama series The Flying Doctors as Demetris "D.J." Goannidis. He stayed on this role until 1991. [4] During this time, he also starred in the Melbourne-based popular sitcom Acropolis Now with Giannopoulos, Simon Palomares and Mary Coustas. Since that show's cancellation, he has continued stand-up comedy and has produced a few stage performances, as well as emceeing events such as weddings.[ citation needed ] Some of his songs include a parody of Knockin' on Heaven's Door , called "Gnocchi on Heaven's Door".[ citation needed ]
In 2007, Kapiniaris starred in the television comedy series Kick on SBS as Takis Mavros. [5] He also appeared in the same year on the television soap opera Neighbours , in a guest role as a celebrity chef.[ citation needed ] Kapiniaris appeared in the controversial 2008 mini series Underbelly , [6] where he played a real life character George Defteros. Also in 2008, Kapiniaris (and his Acropolis Now co-star Simon Palomares) made consecutive appearances on successful Channel 31 show, the Deakin TV produced TheatreGames LIVE.[ citation needed ]
Kapinaris has also had minor stints in Paul Fenech comedies, such as Pizza as an Albanian war criminal, Swift and Shift Couriers as a marriage celebrant and the 2011 comedy Housos in a minor role.[ citation needed ]
Kapiniaris has appeared in a series of comedic commercials for South Australian automotive repairer and insurance broker, the RAA, featuring Kapiniaris talking to a confidante; a barista named 'Trev' at a coffee shop. Kapiniaris created his own website based on the RAA ads. He also created a satirical Today Tonight segment entitled The Dummies, poking fun at politicians through the use of puppets.[ citation needed ]
In 2003, he had a role in the film Fat Pizza , playing the character of Ronnie McDoggle. In 2012, he had a minor role in Housos vs Authority, the screen version of the sitcom Housos .[ citation needed ]
In 2009, he appeared as Ricardo in Broken Hill , [7] an inmate who played guitar in a jail band.
He plays Uncle Tasso in the 2015 film version of hit Australian stage play Alex & Eve , written by Alex Lykos
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Closer and Closer Apart | Enzo Vozza | Direct-to-video film |
| 1995 | Rainbow's End | Cafe Proprietor | TV movie |
| 1997 | Joey | Spiros | Feature film |
| 2003 | Fat Pizza | Ronnie McDoggle | Feature film |
| 2004 | Thunderstruck | Mr Koyths | Feature film |
| 2005 | Bloody Footy | Vito | Short film |
| 2009 | Broken Hill | Ricardo Romero | Feature film |
| 2010 | Bad Language | Lefteri | Short film |
| 2010 | Latté | John the Barista | Short film |
| 2011 | Big Mama's Boy | Theo | Feature film |
| 2012 | Housos vs. Authority | Stylist | Feature film |
| 2014 | Fat Pizza vs. Housos | Mr Greek | Feature film |
| 2015 | Alex & Eve | Uncle Tasso | Feature film |
| 2023 | Finally Me | Mr Paoadopoulos | Feature film |
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Fast Lane | Arly | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1987 | Willing and Abel | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1987 | Theatre Sports | Self (Team: "Lost on Stage") | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1987–91 | The Flying Doctors | Demetris 'D.J.' Goannidis | TV series, 110 episodes |
| 1988 | Sentiments | Immigration Officer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1989–92 | Acropolis Now | Agamemnon 'Memo' Aristotele Hatzidimitropoulos | TV series, seasons 1–5, 63 episodes |
| 1992 | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Self (stand-up comedian) | TV special, 1 episode |
| 1995, 2000 | Blue Heelers | Leo Tapis / Gordon Jennings | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Pig's Breakfast | Queegle | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2000 | Round the Twist | Paulo | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2000 | Russell Gilbert Live | Racketeer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2001–03 | Pizza | Ronnie / Nanna | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 2004 | Stingers | Serge the K | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2007 | Kick | Takis Mavros | TV miniseries, 13 episodes |
| 2007 | Neighbours | Tony Aristides | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2008 | TheatreGames LIVE | ||
| 2008 | Swift and Shift Couriers | Marriage celebrant | TV series |
| 2008 | Underbelly | George Defteros | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2009 | The Squiz | Self | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Housos: The Thong Warrior | George | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2011–12 | Toon Time | Special guest | TV series |
| 2014 | It's a Date | Tony | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2014 | Planet Unearth | Self | TV series |
| 2016 | Offspring | Nick | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2016–17 | Fancy Boy | Joe | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2019 | King TV | Self | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2019–21 | Fat Pizza: Back in Business | Ronnie McDoggie | TV series, 9 episodes |
| 2023 | Darradong Local Council | Mayor Theo Theopoulos | TV series, 9 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Rome: Total War | Voice | Video game |
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Obedience / The Future is in Eggs | Director | Victoria College, Melbourne |
| 1981 | Oedipus | Victoria College, Melbourne | |
| 1982 | Hoopla - Opposite Waves | Victoria College, Melbourne | |
| 1984 | Good Things Come in Glass | Victoria College, Melbourne | |
| 1984 | Sorry - Audience / Private View | Victoria College, Melbourne | |
| 1985 | Death: The Cabaret | St Martins Theatre, Melbourne | |
| 1986 | Worry Beads and Furry Dice | Comedian | Little Sister's Cabaret Room, Adelaide for Adelaide Fringe |
| 1987 | Wogs Out of Work | Comedian | Melbourne International Comedy Festival |
| 1989 | Wogs Out of Work | Comedian | Enmore Theatre, Sydney, Geelong Arts Centre, Regal Theatre, Perth |
| 1991 | Acropolis Now | Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide, Canberra Theatre | |
| 1992 | Return to the Forbidden Planet | Captain Tempest | Comedy Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1993 | An Evening with Merv Hughes | His Majesty's Theatre, Perth | |
| 1994–96 | The Last Proxy | Comedian | |
| 1996 | The New Rocky Horror Show | Eddie / Dr. Scott | Adelaide Festival Centre |
| 1996 | The Queen and I | Archie | Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Monash University, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Gold Coast Arts Centre, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Canberra Theatre, University of Sydney |
| Roald Dahl’s Little Red Riding Hood | with Geminiani Orchestra | ||
| Una Razza Una Faccia Acropolis Now Live | Comedian | ||
| 1997 | The New Rocky Horror Show | Riff Raff | Hong Kong Lyric Theatre |
| 1998 | Gangster Apparel | Melbourne Athenaeum | |
| Honeymoon In Hellas | Comedian | ||
| 1999 | Born Yesterday | Assistant Manager | Playhouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Theatre Company |
| 1999 | The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui | Girl / various characters | Playhouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Theatre Company |
| The Bench | The Comedy Club for Melbourne International Comedy Festival | ||
| 2001 | Who Let the Wogs Out? | Comedian | Enmore Theatre Sydney, Leopold Hotel, Perth, Civic Hotel, Perth, IMB Theatre, Thebarton Theatre Adelaide, Canberra Theatre |
| 2001–02 | Pizza – Live | Enmore Theatre. Sydney | |
| 2002 | Oh! What a Night | Stretch Mulligan | State Theatre, Melbourne with Majestic Theatre Company |
| 2003 | Flares | Wrest Point Cabaret Room, Tasmania | |
| 2004–05 | Twelve Angry Men | Juror #2 | QPAC Brisbane, Sydney Theatre & Melbourne Athenaeum with Arts Projects Australia |
| 2004–05 | Who Let the Wogs Out? | Enmore Theatre Sydney, Leopold Hotel, Perth, Civic Hotel, Perth | |
| 2007–08 | Il Dago | Victoria & New South Wales tour with XYZ Entertainment | |
| 2008 | From Burnside With Love | The Cavern Club, Adelaide for Adelaide Fringe Festival | |
| 2010 | Rockstar | Comedian (solo show) | The John Curtin Hotel, Melbourne for Sydney Comedy Festival & |
| 2010 | The Give and Take | Don Locke | Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 2012 | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | Goran | Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Festival Theatre, Adelaide, Crown Theatre Perth, Lyric Theatre, Brisbane |
| 2012 | Comicus Erectus | Comedian | Melbourne International Comedy Festival & national tour |
| 2015 | Zorba the Freak | Comedian (solo show) | Casula Powerhouse, Creative Arts Space, Frankston |
| 2015–16 | Wild Wogs | Comedian | Jupiter’s Casino, Gold Coast, South West Italian Club, Bunbury, |
| 2015 | Nice Work if You Can Get It | Cookie McGee | State Theatre Arts Centre Melbourne with The Production Company |
| 2017–18 | Straight Outta Compo | Comedian | Woodville Town Hall, Arkaba Hotel for Adelaide Fringe, The Star Gold Coast, Astor Theatre, Perth, Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre, Knox Club for Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL, Ramsgate RSL Club, Burwood RSL, Enmore Theatre for Sydney Comedy Festival |
| 2019 | Wild 2 Wogs | Comedian | Bankstown Sports Club |
| 2021 | Who Let The Wogs Out | Comedian | |
| 2021 | Top End Comedy Spectacular | Comedian | Darwin with Wowza Entertainment / Top End Shows |
| 2022 | Crazy Rich Ethnics | Comedian | Australian tour |
| 2023 | Life of Byron | Byron | The Fusebox, Sydney for Greek Festival of Sydney & Alex Theatre, Melbourne |
| 2023 | Spot the Aussie Comedy Night | ||
| 2024 | Big Fat Greek - Comedy & Music Variety Show | Comedian – Greek Elvis / various characters | Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide tour |
| 2024 | Woggy Men in Black | Comedian |
Nicholas Giannopoulos is a Greek Australian stand-up comedian, stage, TV and film actor and film director. He is best known for his comedy stage show Wogs Out of Work alongside George Kapiniaris, the television sitcom Acropolis Now and The Wog Boy film series and has been described as "Australia's leading exponent of "wog" humour".
Alex Dimitriades is an Australian actor and DJ. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Nick Polides in the 1993 romantic comedy film The Heartbreak Kid and as Nick Poulos in the 1994 television teen drama spin-off Heartbreak High.
Fat Pizza is an Australian comedy television series created by Paul Fenech. The series premiered on SBS on 24 April 2000 where it aired for its first five seasons between 2000 and 2007 before moving to 7mate for its sixth and seventh seasons, in 2019 and 2021, respectively. The series has a spin-off feature length movie, Fat Pizza, released in 2003, and a best-of highlights video and DVD that featured previously unreleased footage and a schoolies exposé, released in 2004. In addition to this, a theatre show entitled "Fat Pizza", starring several characters from the show, toured the Australian east coast. In 2014, the storyline of the series was combined with that of Housos to create the motion picture Fat Pizza vs. Housos. The film was shown in Australian cinemas from 27 November 2014.
Acropolis Now was an Australian television sitcom set in a fictional Greek cafe, called the "Acropolis Cafe" in Melbourne that ran for 63 episodes broadcast from 9 August 1989 to 4 November 1992 on the Seven Network. It was created by Nick Giannopoulos, George Kapiniaris and Simon Palomares, who also starred in the series. They were already quite well known for their comedy stage show, Wogs out of Work. The title is a nameplay on the film Apocalypse Now. Each episode was 20 minutes in length and filmed in front of a live audience.
Brian Paul Conley is an English actor, comedian, singer and television presenter. Conley has been the host of The Brian Conley Show, as well as presenting the Royal Variety Performance on eight occasions. In his 40-year television career, he has starred in multiple award-winning television sitcoms including Time After Time and The Grimleys. In the West End, he has played the lead role in musicals such as Me and My Girl, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Hairspray, Oliver!, The Music Man, Barnum and Jolson for which he was nominated for a prestigious Laurence Olivier Award. As a musician, he has released five albums, including Brian Conley Sings, Let the Good Times Roll, and Stage to Stage. He has won numerous awards in his career including The National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Performer, Best Live Performer in Manchester Evening News and a British Comedy Award.
Mary Coustas is an Australian actress, comedian and television personality and writer. Originally from Melbourne, Coustas often performs as the character "Effie", a stereotypical second-generation Greek Australian prone to malapropisms. She completed a Bachelor of Arts at Deakin University in Melbourne, majoring in performing arts and sub-majoring in journalism.
Paul Fenech is an Australian filmmaker, film and television actor, director, producer and writer. He is best known for writing, directing, producing and starring in the television series Pizza, Swift and Shift Couriers, Housos,Bogan Hunters, Fat Pizza: Back in Business, Housos vs. Virus: The Lockdown and Darradong Local Council as well as the motion pictures Fat Pizza (2003), Housos vs. Authority (2012), Fat Pizza vs. Housos (2014) and Dumb Criminals: The Movie (2015).
Shaun Williamson is an English actor best known as Barry Evans in EastEnders and as a satirical version of himself in the BBC/HBO sitcom Extras, 'Barry off EastEnders'.
Kim Gyngell, sometimes also credited as Kym Gyngell, is an Australian comedian and film, television and stage actor. Gyngell won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1988 for his role as Ian McKenzie in Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
Alex Romano is an Argentine-Australian actor. He has starred in all of Paul Fenech's TV series; as DJ BJ in Pizza, "Alex" in Swift and Shift Couriers, and "Jimmy the Junkie" in Housos. He grew up in the Western Suburbs of Sydney, Australia, after he migrated there with his family in 1981.
Rachael Elizabeth Beck is an Australian stage and television singer-actress. From 1991 to 1994 Beck had a major role on the popular sitcom, Hey Dad..!, as Samantha Kelly. From 2006 to 2008, Beck appeared on all three seasons of Seven Network's celebrity singing competition It Takes Two, as a singing coach successively for Mark Furze, Ernie Dingo and Mark Wilson. She has appeared in the Australian musical theatre productions of Cats (1985), Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1995–96), Les Misérables (1995–96), The Sound of Music, Cabaret, Singing in the Rain and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Beck released her first solo album This Girl on 7 March 2014.
Paul Nakad is an Australian actor and rapper, best known by the name Sleek the Elite. He began performing music as Sleek the Elite in 1991, then appeared in the SBS television series Pizza as a character by that same name. He appeared on the first two seasons of Pizza from 2000 to 2001, and in the show's two spinoff films, Fat Pizza (2003) and Fat Pizza vs. Housos (2014).
Rob Shehadie is an Australian actor, writer and stand-up comedian, who has featured in television series such as Pizza, Swift and Shift Couriers and Housos. He has performed numerous stage show comedies across Australia and has made many appearances at schools and charity events. His filmography includes Fat Pizza, a feature film that broke Australian box office records and Fat Pizza vs. Housos. Shehadie and Tahir Bilgic created the TV comedy series Here Come the Habibs
Simon Palomares is a German-born Australian comedian and actor of Spanish descent. He is best known for his character as cafe manager Ricardo "Ricky" Martinez in Acropolis Now.
Tony Nikolakopoulos is a Greek Australian film, theatre and television actor. He is best known for his work in the films of Nick Giannopoulos, The Wog Boy and The Wannabes, and for his role as Attilio in the television series Scooter: Secret Agent. He has also performed in stage plays, including Cafe Rebetika in 2009.
Wog is a racial slur used to refer, in British English, to black and South Asian people, and, in Australian English, to people from the Mediterranean region such as Italians, Greeks, and Lebanese. Whilst it is extremely derogatory in British English, in Australian English it may be considered non-offensive depending on how the word is used, due to reclamation and changing connotations.
Housos is an Australian comedy television series created by Paul Fenech for SBS, that screened on SBS One. The series is a satirical parody of low income Australian residents of fictional suburb Sunnyvale, New South Wales, who are living in Housing Commission public housing. In 2014, the series won the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program.
Wogs Out of Work is an Australian play which was written by Nick Giannopoulos, Simon Palomares, and Mary Portesi.
Kevin James Taumata is a Māori New Zealander Australian film and television actor.
Fat Pizza vs. Housos is an Australian film based on the combination of the stories and characters of the SBS series Pizza and the comedy series Housos, both created by Paul Fenech. The film began screening in Australian cinemas on 27 November 2014.
