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George Kapiniaris

George Kapiniaris

Acting

Biography

George Kapiniaris (born 27 February 1961) is an Australian-born stage, television and film actor and comedian.

Known For

The Flying Doctors
6.6

The Flying Doctors is an Australian drama series produced by Crawford Productions that revolved around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the real Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. It was initially a 1985 mini-series based in the fictional outback town of Cooper's Crossing starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. Tom Callaghan. The success of the mini series led to its return the following year as an on-going series with McFarlane being joined by a new doctor, Chris Randall, played by Liz Burch. McFarlane left during the first season and actor Robert Grubb came in as new doctor Geoff Standish. The series' episodes were mostly self-contained but also featured ongoing storylines, such as Dr. Standish's romance with Sister Kate Wellings. Other major characters included pilot Sam Patterson, mechanic Emma Plimpton, local policeman Sgt. Jack Carruthers and Vic and Nancy Buckley, who ran the local pub/hotel, The Majestic. Andrew McFarlane also later returned to the series, resuming his role as Dr. Callaghan. The popular series ran for nine seasons and was successfully screened internationally.

The Flying Doctors

1986Series
Acropolis Now
7.5

Acropolis Now was an Australian sitcom set in a Greek cafe in Melbourne of the same name that ran for 63 episodes from 1989 to 1992 on the Seven Network. It was created by Nick Giannopoulos, George Kapiniaris and Simon Palomares, who also starred in the series. They were already quite well known for their comedy stage show, Wogs out of Work. The title is a play on the film Apocalypse Now. Each episode was 30 minutes in length and filmed in front of a live audience. Jim's father asks him to run the family business, the Acropolis café, when he suddenly leaves Australia to return to his homeland Greece. The series centres around the activities of the cafe staff. Greek Jim Stephanidis, is the immature owner and his best friend, Spaniard Ricky Martinez is the sensible manager. Memo is the traditional Greek waiter, Liz is the liberated Australian waitress. Skip is the naïve new cook from the bush and Manolis is the stubborn cook from the old cafe. 'Hilarity' prevails from the clash of cultures and beliefs. Jim's hairdresser cousin Effie, played by Mary Coustas, became a hugely popular and enduring character during the run of the show. Coustas later reprised the role for several TV specials and series including Effie, Just Quietly, an SBS comedy / interview show, and Greeks on the Roof, a short-lived Greek-Australian version of the British talk show The Kumars at No. 42.

Acropolis Now

1989Series
Kick
3.0

Kick is an Australian television series that was first broadcast on 9 June 2007 on SBS TV. It is set in Brunswick in Melbourne, Australia. The series follows the adventures of wild twenty-something Miki Mavros who is forced to move back in with her Greek-Australian parents on Hope Street after a failed attempt to "make it big". Miki begins work as a secretary for suave Anglo-Indian Dr. Joe Mangeshkar, who has a girlfriend named Jan, and things spiral out of control. Miki manages a local neighbourhood soccer team, hence the series title Kick. The show also follows the adventures of Miki's neighbours on Hope Street, including the Salim family, a Lebanese-Australian Muslim family with siblings Amen, Osama "Ozzie", Taghred and Layla. Amen is an aspiring businessman with questionable ethics. Osama is going through typical teenage angst and has a crush on Taghred's friend Tatiana. Taghred is an aspiring soccer star. Layla is a university student arranged to be married to Sharif, but everything changes when Layla falls for fellow fencer Jackie. The first season of the show is available on DVD.

Kick

2007Series
Il Dago: Live at the Metro

Il Dago captures the hilarious stand up routines of some of Australia's best and most loved comedians. Never before have so many stars of Australian ethnic comedy been on the one stage at the one time. Along with rising star, Sri Lankan Australian comic Nish, are three of the most influential and prominent comedians Australia has produced. This recording features the hilarious stand up of George Kapiniaris, star of stage and screen best remembered most for his lovable character Memo on Acropolis Now. It also features another star of Acropolis Now, Simon Palomares, Ricky who, as one of the creators of the hit sage show Wogs out of Work, changed the fabric of Australian comedy forever. Hosting this historic event is Joe Avati, not only one of the biggest draw cards in Australian comedy who went on to become one of Australia's biggest comedy exports, taking ethnic comedy to Europe and North America where his comedy albums have become chart toppers.

Il Dago: Live at the Metro

2007Movie