DIMITRIS HORN

Dimitris Horn was born in 1921 in Athens literally inside the theatre world. He was the son of the well-known play writer, Pantelis Horn. Dimitris Horn died in 1998. His participation in theatre plays began at the age of six months. He studied drama at the National Theatre and he was entirely devoted to the art of theatre. He was the leading man at the plays of the Greek National Theatre for many years, and he also had his own theatre group along with Mary Aroni, Alekos Alexandrakis, and Elli Lampeti. With Lambeti he lived an amazing love affair which began at the shooting of the film “The Counterfeit Coin” directed by Javellas and their love lasted for 5 years.

He is one of the most important actors of postwar Greece, and he always was an aristocrat and a snob. He especially did not respect cinema. Nevertheless he starred in 10 films clearly for financial reasons. Even if he disliked cinema and he ignored it the films he made are very important in Greek cinema history. He also managed to gain an enormous success in the music business when he sang a tsifteteli in one of his films; the song “Green, Red, Marine beads” of Mimis Plessas. He was always saying that despite of his amazing and important roles as Richard the Third, as the calendar of a madman, as Hamlet and as Don Juan, people were stopping him to congratulate him for the ‘beads’ song. He was also a personal friend of Hatzidakis and Konstantinos Karamanlis. In addition he also served as the first chairman of ERT (Greek National Television) immediately after the change of regime.

DIMITRIS HORN