Grigoris Bithikotsis
Date of birth: 1922-12-11
Place of birth: Peristeri, Athens Prefecture, Greece
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Γρηγόρης Μπιθικώτσης, Γρηγορης Μπιθικωτσης
Biography
Grigoris Bithikotsis (Greek Γρηγόρης Μπιθικώτσης, December 11, 1922 – April 7, 2005) was a Greek folk singer/songwriter with a career spanning five decades. He is considered one of the most important figures in Greek popular music. Bithikotsis was born in Peristeri, Athens, in 1922 to a poor family. He became interested in music at an early age, and acquired a bouzouki as soon as he was able. At first, he had to hide the instrument at a friend's house and practice in secret, as his father disapproved of the new rembetiko style that had captured his son's interest. He met composer Mikis Theodorakis in 1959 and the two collaborated producing folk songs. Bithikotsis composed over 80 songs, including: Stu Belami to ouzeri and Tou Votanikou o magas. He possessed a rich singing voice with which he performed his own compositions and those of Theodorakis, who frequently chose his friend Grigoris to perform his masterpieces. The two contributed greatly to the then-emerging laika style of Greek music. A leftist, he was exiled to the island of Makronisos in the 1950s during the reign of King Paul. Throughout his life, Bithikotsis performed frequent concerts at numerous venues, including one in Athens upon the occasion of his eightieth birthday. He died in Athens, in 2005, following three months of hospitalization. His funeral was attended by thousands, including representatives of all the Greek political parties.
Movie Credits
The steps of life
1962-10-21
At the top of his class, a diligent architecture student, and son of a poor bouzouki player dreams o
Folk Bards - Moments of their lives and ours
2023-09-30
The late Panos Geramanis talks to the forgotten heroes of the Greek Folk Song and retrieves moments
The Dressmaker
1964-01-01
The son of a shipowner is in love with a poor seamstress. When his father reacts to their love, he a
The False
1974-01-01
Tired life
1964-09-10
Athens by Night
1962-01-01
Wandering Athens by night. A grand parade with actors, singers, composers, orchestras, attractions a
The Harbor Bum
1961-09-05
Accused of stabbing his nightclub singer mistress to death, unscrupulous dockhand Christos is on the
Modern Cinderella
1965-03-08
Katerina, a poor girl, finds a job as a secretary and falls in love with her boss on a trip to Rome.
I stole my wife
1964-01-01
A self-assured and extremely rich business entrepreneur who is convinced that money is everything ha
Angels Without Wings
1965-01-01
The tragic story of a woman who divorces her rich husband after the intrigues of her mother-in-law.
We without money
1963-01-01
A poor young man leaves the city that lives and works to go to Athens. On the way he will meet one m
Sometimes even the strong cry
1967-01-01
A poor young man, working hard, manages and becomes a captain on a ship of the shipowner, in whose h
The Stupid Face
1965-01-01
Two persons try to become rich using an... armchair.
Those who forgot God
1964-01-01
The son of a ruthless moneylender loves a girl whose mother was his father's first love. When he ref
Synoikia to Oneiro
1961-10-15
A poor neighborhood of Athens, Asyrmatos, is the center of the world for the people who live there a
Liar Wanted
1961-04-17
A sharp altercation will pave the way for a brilliant career when a shameless liar meets his future
The Underdog
1960-03-21
A young woman asks from a ship magnate to help her immigrate to Australia but he falls in love with
Rolled in the mud
1955-01-01
An impecunious young woman is lured into prostitution, trying to survive and provide for her ailing,
The Wastrels
1961-01-01
Exarhos is persuaded by his two lazy brothers to sell their shipyard, and they buy a factory in whic
The Red Lanterns
1963-12-02
The inextricably intertwined stories of five sex workers who live in a brothel at Pireas harbor.
Grooms Wanted with Dowry
1970-01-01
Zizi is a poor young woman who wants to get married to a wealthy man. When she finds out that her fo
Official sweetheart
1969-01-01
An unexpected secret dating back to WWII unites a beautiful woman with two men who vie for her affec
The Devastated
1966-01-01
The honest laborer falls into disfavour and is undermined by his factory's son because they both lov
The man who returned from pain
1966-01-01
Nikos Liosis returns to his homeland, with the wounds of the Korean War still fresh in his mind and
Atonement
1965-01-01
The son of a rich industrialist is in love with a poor girl, but his father wants to marry him to th
Play my sweety bouzouki
1965-01-01
Two bosom buddies who've won the lottery have a chance encounter with two beautiful but equally poor
I leave with Bitterness in Foreign Countries
1964-02-01
After years abroad, a naval officer reunites with his mother, who has planned an arranged marriage t
It is a great pity
1964-01-30
Mr. Anastasis, an elderly bouzoukis who suffers from his heart, forbids Liza's daughter to become a
Κατατρεγμένοι της μοίρας
1964-01-01