Nikos Rizos was born on September 30, 1924, in Arta, Greece. More than a century later, his name remains closely associated with some of the country’s most beloved comedies from Greek cinema’s golden era.
Rizos did not begin his career expecting to become an actor. He came to Athens in 1946 intending to study law. Instead, a job copying theater scripts brought him into the world of entertainment.
From Law School to the Greek Stage
Rizos worked as a copyist at Oasi, a variety theater near the Zappeion. There, he met actor Nikos Ferma, who gave him an opportunity to appear on stage during a tour in Mytilene.
That chance changed his life.
During the tour, writers Alekos Sakellarios, Christos Giannakopoulos and composer Kostas Giannidis saw him perform. They invited him to join their theater group in Athens.
In 1948, Rizos appeared in the revue Anthropoi, Anthropoi (People, People) at the Metropolitan Theater. He performed alongside Sperantza Vrana in the number To Tram to Teleftaio (The Last Tram).
The production marked an important moment in the careers of several young performers. Finos Film also identifies it as the theatrical debut of Rizos, Vrana, Mimis Fotopoulos and Dino Iliopoulos, among others.
Then came a moment Rizos remembered for the rest of his life.
When Marika Kotopouli Recognized His Talent
During the interval of the performance, the celebrated actress Marika Kotopouli went backstage looking for the young actor she had just seen.
Years later, Rizos recalled the encounter in an interview for the ERT program Night Visitor. He remembered approaching Kotopouli nervously and standing before one of the most respected actresses of Greek theater.
She looked at him and praised the talent she had seen on stage.
Rizos considered the moment a turning point. The ERT Archive describes his recollection of Kotopouli’s comment as one of the important moments that shaped his early career.
The story became part of his legend. So did his height.
Rizos often joked about the contrast between his small stature and his powerful stage presence. Finos Film preserves one of his characteristic lines: “The stage makes me taller.”
From Theater to Beloved Greek Comedies
Rizos soon became much more than a supporting comedian.
In 1959, he formed a theater company with Giannis Gionakis and Takis Miliadis. Two years later, he joined forces with Vassilis Avlonitis and Georgia Vassiliadou, creating one of the memorable comedy trios of Greek theater.
Many of the stage comedies he performed later reached the cinema.
His film career also began in 1948, with a small appearance in Nikos Tsiforos’ Lost Angels. He went on to appear in more than 100 films, including The Treasure of the Deceased, Klearchos, Marina and the Short One, The Hunchback of Kypseli and Tis Kakomoiras. Finos Film lists 11 productions featuring Rizos in its own film catalogue.
His screen persona became instantly recognizable. He was fast, energetic and often mischievous, with a comic presence that could dominate a scene without necessarily being its central character.
Rizos also worked as a theater entrepreneur for decades, continuing his business activity until 1990. He received honors from the Municipality of Athens in 1994 and from the Greek Theater Museum in 1999.
He died on April 20, 1999, aged 74.
His birthday on September 30 offers a timely reason to remember an actor whose career began almost by accident. What started with copying theater texts eventually led to a place among the defining comedians of classic Greek cinema.
And perhaps his own words explain his enduring appeal best: the stage, he believed, could make a person taller.
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