Stathis Giallelis (Greek: Στάθης Î"ιαλελής; born January
21, 1941) is a Greek actor. He won brief international renown in the
early 1960s as the star of Elia Kazan's Academy Award-nominated epic
America America, a role which brought him the Golden Globe Award for
New Star of the Year â€" Actor, as well as a nomination for Golden
Globe Award for Best Actor â€" Motion Picture Drama.Stathis Giallelis'
entire prominence revolves around his central role in America America.
He appears in nearly every scene of the 174-minute film and gives what
some critics described at the time as a "towering performance". He has
not, however, faced a camera since 1980 and his biographical details
remain sketchy. The date of his birth is generally accepted as
correct, although two sources indicate 1939 as the year. All listings
agree that he was born in Greece, but none specify the location. The
medium-height, slightly built Giallelis was twenty-one years old in
mid-1962, upon Elia Kazan's arrival in Greece to meet the future star
of his long-planned cinematic representation of his uncle's life in
1890s Anatolia and the eventual fulfillment of his determined dream of
immigrating to the United States. Kazan wanted an unknown actor in
whom the audience would see the character rather than the familiar
face. In his autobiography, Elia Kazan: A Life, the director describes
the details of his search for "a ferret, not a lion", someone who,
like his uncle, did not always behave honorably, but had "my boy's
single redeeming quality, devotion to his father and family".Kazan
first tried to find his leading actor in England and, subsequently, in
France, where a likely candidate was found, tested and rejected as
"too handsome" and "lacking desperation" (although the actor was never
named, circumstantial evidence points to Alain Delon). Even the Actors
Studio proved deficient in providing the ideal aspirant. Finally, as
he described it, "I did the obvious, went to Athens, and in the office
a film director found an apprentice sweeping the floor so he could be
near production work". This was the office of Greek producer/director
Daniel Bourla. Unfortunately, Stathis Giallelis was severely limited
in both acting experience and knowledge of English. The only son in a
family with four daughters, he nevertheless impressed Kazan with his
sincerity and deeply felt reminiscences of his Communist father's
martyrdom in the aftermath of the Communistâ€"centrist/rightist
struggle in the Greek Civil War. Kazan continued to insist over the
following decades that had the central role been played by a
contemporary actor of the caliber of Marlon Brando or Warren Beatty
(both of whom became stars under Kazan's direction) or one of the
1970s stars such as Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino or Robert De Niro, the
project would have lacked verisimilitude, even while enjoying much
greater financial success. He compared Giallelis' performance to that
of the protagonist in Vittorio De Sica's 1949 neorealist classic The
Bicycle Thief.Giallelis perfected his English-language skills as he
spent nearly 18 months preparing for and filming his role, and the
result was evident in the critical notices. The New York Times' Bosley
Crowther, in his December 16, 1963 review of the film, noted that
"Greek lad Stathis Giallelis (pronounced STAH-this-Ya-lah-LEASE) is
incredibly good as the determined hero, putting fire and spirit into
the role". Other critics called his performance "mesmerizing",
"heartbreaking" and "unforgettable". America America earned three
Oscar nominations for Elia Kazan (Best Picture, Best Director and Best
Original Screenplay), but its only win on Oscar night, April 13, 1964,
was for Gene Callahan's black-and-white Art Direction. Eleven
additional nominations came from other awards, including Golden
Globes, which, a month earlier, March 11, named Elia Kazan "Best
Director" and Stathis Giallelis "Most Promising Male Newcomer/New Star
of the Year", an award he shared with two of the remaining five
nomineesâ€"Albert Finney and Robert Walker, Jr.. He was also nominated
for "Best Actor in a Drama", but lost to Sidney Poitier in his
Oscar-winning Lilies of the Field role.
21, 1941) is a Greek actor. He won brief international renown in the
early 1960s as the star of Elia Kazan's Academy Award-nominated epic
America America, a role which brought him the Golden Globe Award for
New Star of the Year â€" Actor, as well as a nomination for Golden
Globe Award for Best Actor â€" Motion Picture Drama.Stathis Giallelis'
entire prominence revolves around his central role in America America.
He appears in nearly every scene of the 174-minute film and gives what
some critics described at the time as a "towering performance". He has
not, however, faced a camera since 1980 and his biographical details
remain sketchy. The date of his birth is generally accepted as
correct, although two sources indicate 1939 as the year. All listings
agree that he was born in Greece, but none specify the location. The
medium-height, slightly built Giallelis was twenty-one years old in
mid-1962, upon Elia Kazan's arrival in Greece to meet the future star
of his long-planned cinematic representation of his uncle's life in
1890s Anatolia and the eventual fulfillment of his determined dream of
immigrating to the United States. Kazan wanted an unknown actor in
whom the audience would see the character rather than the familiar
face. In his autobiography, Elia Kazan: A Life, the director describes
the details of his search for "a ferret, not a lion", someone who,
like his uncle, did not always behave honorably, but had "my boy's
single redeeming quality, devotion to his father and family".Kazan
first tried to find his leading actor in England and, subsequently, in
France, where a likely candidate was found, tested and rejected as
"too handsome" and "lacking desperation" (although the actor was never
named, circumstantial evidence points to Alain Delon). Even the Actors
Studio proved deficient in providing the ideal aspirant. Finally, as
he described it, "I did the obvious, went to Athens, and in the office
a film director found an apprentice sweeping the floor so he could be
near production work". This was the office of Greek producer/director
Daniel Bourla. Unfortunately, Stathis Giallelis was severely limited
in both acting experience and knowledge of English. The only son in a
family with four daughters, he nevertheless impressed Kazan with his
sincerity and deeply felt reminiscences of his Communist father's
martyrdom in the aftermath of the Communistâ€"centrist/rightist
struggle in the Greek Civil War. Kazan continued to insist over the
following decades that had the central role been played by a
contemporary actor of the caliber of Marlon Brando or Warren Beatty
(both of whom became stars under Kazan's direction) or one of the
1970s stars such as Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino or Robert De Niro, the
project would have lacked verisimilitude, even while enjoying much
greater financial success. He compared Giallelis' performance to that
of the protagonist in Vittorio De Sica's 1949 neorealist classic The
Bicycle Thief.Giallelis perfected his English-language skills as he
spent nearly 18 months preparing for and filming his role, and the
result was evident in the critical notices. The New York Times' Bosley
Crowther, in his December 16, 1963 review of the film, noted that
"Greek lad Stathis Giallelis (pronounced STAH-this-Ya-lah-LEASE) is
incredibly good as the determined hero, putting fire and spirit into
the role". Other critics called his performance "mesmerizing",
"heartbreaking" and "unforgettable". America America earned three
Oscar nominations for Elia Kazan (Best Picture, Best Director and Best
Original Screenplay), but its only win on Oscar night, April 13, 1964,
was for Gene Callahan's black-and-white Art Direction. Eleven
additional nominations came from other awards, including Golden
Globes, which, a month earlier, March 11, named Elia Kazan "Best
Director" and Stathis Giallelis "Most Promising Male Newcomer/New Star
of the Year", an award he shared with two of the remaining five
nomineesâ€"Albert Finney and Robert Walker, Jr.. He was also nominated
for "Best Actor in a Drama", but lost to Sidney Poitier in his
Oscar-winning Lilies of the Field role.
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