Nico Lathouris
{{short description|Australian actor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Nico Lathouris
| image =
| caption=
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1944
| birth_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| education = National Institute of Dramatic Art (BFA)
| occupation = Actor, writer
| years_active = 1971–present
}}
Nico Lathouris (born 1944) is an Australian actor and writer. He is best known for his roles as George Polides in the 1993 romantic comedy film The Heartbreak Kid and as George Poulos in the 1994 television teen drama spin-off Heartbreak High. In both, he plays a Greek Australian patriarch, father of the protagonist, Nick (Alex Dimitriades).[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/24/i-died-in-the-original-heartbreak-high-now-with-the-netflix-reboot-people-are-asking-for-my-autograph-in-barber-shops I died in the original Heartbreak High. Now with the Netflix reboot, people are asking for my autograph in barber shops] The Guardian. 24 September 2022 Lathouris was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film at the 1993 Australian Film Institute Awards.[https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/when-crime-becomes-personal-20020711-gdudth.html When crime becomes personal] The Age. 11 July 2002
He is also the co-screen writer of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024).[https://www.sbs.com.au/whats-on/article/mad-max-fury-road-review-see-it-then-see-it-again/tq5uqya08 Mad Max: Fury Road review: See it, then see it again] SBS. 14 May 2015[https://www.avclub.com/furiosa-a-mad-max-saga-review-the-unexpected-exhilar-1851484166 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga review: The unexpected, exhilarating road to Fury Road] The A.V. Club. 17 May 2024[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDMSa29P9j0 Mad Max: Creating the Apocalypse - In Conversation with George Miller | Digital Season] Sydney Opera House. 2021
Life and career
Lathouris is a second generation Greek Australian, and born to Greek parents in Melbourne.
In 1977, he performed on stage with the Nimrod Theatre Company for David Hare's play, Fanshen."Fanshen". Theatre Australia. Sep/Oct 1977
Lathouris has worked on the television series Police Rescue. At the 1991 Australian Film Institute Awards he was nominated for the AFI Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama.[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0490147/awards/?ref_=nm_awd Awards] IMDB. Retrieved on 13 July 2024
He also appeared in George Miller's film Mad Max (1979) as a car mechanic. He also ran film and drama workshops for the Australian Film Commission.
He is best known for his roles as George Polides in the 1993 romantic comedy film The Heartbreak Kid and as George Poulos in the 1994 television teen drama spin-off Heartbreak High. In both, he plays a Greek Australian patriarch, father of the protagonist, Nick (Alex Dimitriades). Lathouris was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film at the 1993 Australian Film Institute Awards.
He is also credited by Dimitriades as his mentor on the film and credited the success of the TV series for Lathouris' role as dramaturge, coaching the younger cast members.[https://www.newidea.com.au/celebrity/alex-dimitriades-heartbreak-high/ EXCLUSIVE: Alex Dimitriades: ‘I’ll always be The Heartbreak Kid’] New Idea. 15 March 2021[https://www.nowtolove.com.au/entertainment/heartbreak-high-30th-anniversary/ Original cast members of Heartbreak High, Salvatore Coco and Scott Major remember the best of times] Now to Love. 3 June 2024 He helped to develop realistic characters from a whole variety of ethnic backgrounds. The series marked a big shift in the way that life in Australia is represented in TV drama. In the past, many shows had not reflected all the different cultures which exist side-by-side in Australia's big cities, and Heartbreak High broke the mould by acknowledging and celebrating the country's cultural mix.
Lathouris is co-screenwriter (alongside George Miller and Brendan McCarthy) of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024). At the 42nd Saturn Awards he was nominated with Miller and McCarthy for the Saturn Award for Best Writing. The trio were also nominated by the Film Critics Circle of Australia for Best Script/Screenplay.
Selected filmography
- Journey Among Women (1977) - Soldier
- Mad Max (1979) - Grease Rat
- Desolation Angels (1982) - Nightman
- Where the Green Ants Dream (1984) - Arnold
- The Young Wife (1984, TV Movie) - Yannis
- Wrong World (1985) - Rangott
- Rikky and Pete (1988) - Con Ionides
- Georgia (1988) - Bystander #2
- Belinda (1988) - Benny Rose
- Against the Innocent (1989) - Tim McKenzie
- Father (1990) - Amos
- Death in Brunswick (1990) - Mustafa
- Heaven Tonight (1990) - Hot dog man
- Jigsaw (1990) - Ed Minter
- The Heartbreak Kid (1993) - George Polides
- Only the Brave (1994) - Laslo
- Gino (1994) - Rocco Petri
- Heartbreak High (1994) - George Poulos
- What I Have Written (1996) - Claude Murnane
- Serenades (2001) - Mullah Jalal-Shah
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015, Writer)
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024, Writer)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0490147|Nico Lathouris}}
{{Nebula Award for Best Script/Bradbury Award}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lathouris, Nico}}
Category:Australian male television actors
Category:Australian male film actors
Category:Australian male stage actors
Category:Australian screenwriters
Category:Australian male screenwriters
Category:Australian people of Greek descent