Aimilios Veakis (Greek: Î'ιμίλιος Î'εάκης; December 13,
1884 â€" June 29, 1951) was a Greek actor. An active member of the
National Liberation Front during the Axis occupation of Greece, he was
persecuted for his leftist beliefs during the White Terror.Aimilios
Veakis was the grandson of the scholar and theatrical author Ioannis
Venakis, but was orphaned at a very early age, and was raised by
childless relatives. Over the objections of his guardians, in 1900, at
the age of 16, he enrolled in the Royal Drama School. The school
abruptly stopped functioning though, and Veakis enrolled in the School
of Fine Arts, where he studied painting. Eventually, however, he broke
off his studies and began working as an actor in Volos in the company
of Evangelia Nika. His career was interrupted due to his drafting into
the army during the Balkan Wars of 1912â€"13, where he received a
field promotion to sergeant for valour.Returning from the war, Veakis
went on to cooperate with the most famous companies of the time
(Lepeniotis, Kalogerikou, Kotopouli, Kyveli, Oikonomou) and
distinguished himself in all theatrical genres, especially in classic
tragedy and drama. His performance of the title role in Oedipus Rex
under the direction of Fotos Politis with the Greek Theatre Society
was considered a landmark in his career. From 1932 he reached the
apogee of his career in the National Theatre of Greece, serving both
as company director and as a professor of acting in the National
Theatre's drama school.During the Axis occupation of Greece in World
War II he became a member of the National Liberation Front, fleeing to
the mountains with other actors, where they gave theatrical
performances for the Resistance. Following the Varkiza Agreement and
the White Terror that followed, he was persecuted for his leftist
beliefs, with his health suffering as a result. He retired in 1947 but
performed sporadically thereafter, including his final farewell
performances in the National Theatre in April and May 1951. He died
lonely and poor and he was buried at the Athens First Cemetery.
1884 â€" June 29, 1951) was a Greek actor. An active member of the
National Liberation Front during the Axis occupation of Greece, he was
persecuted for his leftist beliefs during the White Terror.Aimilios
Veakis was the grandson of the scholar and theatrical author Ioannis
Venakis, but was orphaned at a very early age, and was raised by
childless relatives. Over the objections of his guardians, in 1900, at
the age of 16, he enrolled in the Royal Drama School. The school
abruptly stopped functioning though, and Veakis enrolled in the School
of Fine Arts, where he studied painting. Eventually, however, he broke
off his studies and began working as an actor in Volos in the company
of Evangelia Nika. His career was interrupted due to his drafting into
the army during the Balkan Wars of 1912â€"13, where he received a
field promotion to sergeant for valour.Returning from the war, Veakis
went on to cooperate with the most famous companies of the time
(Lepeniotis, Kalogerikou, Kotopouli, Kyveli, Oikonomou) and
distinguished himself in all theatrical genres, especially in classic
tragedy and drama. His performance of the title role in Oedipus Rex
under the direction of Fotos Politis with the Greek Theatre Society
was considered a landmark in his career. From 1932 he reached the
apogee of his career in the National Theatre of Greece, serving both
as company director and as a professor of acting in the National
Theatre's drama school.During the Axis occupation of Greece in World
War II he became a member of the National Liberation Front, fleeing to
the mountains with other actors, where they gave theatrical
performances for the Resistance. Following the Varkiza Agreement and
the White Terror that followed, he was persecuted for his leftist
beliefs, with his health suffering as a result. He retired in 1947 but
performed sporadically thereafter, including his final farewell
performances in the National Theatre in April and May 1951. He died
lonely and poor and he was buried at the Athens First Cemetery.
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