Thaao Penghlis
Encyclopedia
Thaao Penghlis is an Australia
n actor
. He is better known for roles in the U.S.
daytime soap opera
s such as Days of our Lives
, Santa Barbara
, and General Hospital
, but he has also guest-starred on a number of crime
drama
s, such as Kojak
, Cannon
, Tenspeed and Brown Shoe
, Hart to Hart
, Nero Wolfe
, and Magnum, P.I.
. Penghlis has studied under Hollywood acting teacher Milton Katselas
.
of Greek parentage. Penghlis started his career in acting on stage, performing in Jockeys under Milton Katselas
´s direction. Penghlis first appeared to daytime audiences in 1981 on General Hospital
during the Ice Princess saga when he played the role of Victor Cassadine, brother of Mikkos Cassadine and Anthony Cassadine. After his character was written out the show by being taken to prison, he was cast as the villainous Count Tony DiMera, the son of villain Stefano DiMera
in the NBC
daytime drama ays ofjvifjvijvijvirffihedjeoe8d9wom2wgeeg7parity between him and co-star Joseph Mascolo
of only 15 years. This eventually became a double-role with producers created the more villainous character of Andre, Tony's look-alike cousin. The role of Tony was gradually downgraded to a nice-guy role.
Penghlis appeared in the 1980s revival
of Mission: Impossible
, which was filmed in Australia
. Thaao Penghlis' role in the revival was a counterpart to Martin Landau
's "Rollin Hand" and Leonard Nimoy
's the "Amazing Paris".
In 2003, Penghlis was nominated for the Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Return for his return to the cast of Days of our Lives. He left the show in fall 2005. Penghlis returned to Days on 24 May 2007 to reprise the role of the dastardly Andre DiMera. He also began reprising the role of nice guy Tony DiMera
on 17 July 2007. Penghlis was nominated for "Outstanding Leading Actor" at the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2008. In 2009, Penghlis' character was once again written out by having him die. In 2010 Penghlis returned to stage acting, performing in New Jersey's Cape May Stage
theatre. He starred in Charles Evered
´s play Class with Heather Matarazzo
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is better known for roles in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
daytime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
s such as Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara (TV series)
Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on July 30, 1984, and last aired on January 15, 1993. The show revolved around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California...
, and General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
, but he has also guest-starred on a number of crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
s, such as Kojak
Kojak
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
, Cannon
Cannon (TV series)
Cannon is a CBS detective television series produced by Quinn Martin which aired from March 26, 1971 to March 3, 1976.The primary protagonist was the title character, Frank Cannon, played by William Conrad....
, Tenspeed and Brown Shoe
Tenspeed and Brown Shoe
Tenspeed and Brown Shoe is an American detective/comedy series originally broadcast by the ABC network between January through June 1980. The series was created and executive produced by Stephen J. Cannell.-Synopsis:...
, Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...
, Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective, created in 1934 by the American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe's confidential assistant Archie Goodwin narrates the cases of the detective genius. Stout wrote 33 novels and 39 short stories from 1934 to 1974, with most of them set in New York City. Wolfe's...
, and Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
. Penghlis has studied under Hollywood acting teacher Milton Katselas
Milton Katselas
Milton Katselas was an American film director and famous Hollywood coach for The Beverly Hills Playhouse...
.
Life and career
Penghlis was born in urry Hills, New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
of Greek parentage. Penghlis started his career in acting on stage, performing in Jockeys under Milton Katselas
Milton Katselas
Milton Katselas was an American film director and famous Hollywood coach for The Beverly Hills Playhouse...
´s direction. Penghlis first appeared to daytime audiences in 1981 on General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
during the Ice Princess saga when he played the role of Victor Cassadine, brother of Mikkos Cassadine and Anthony Cassadine. After his character was written out the show by being taken to prison, he was cast as the villainous Count Tony DiMera, the son of villain Stefano DiMera
Stefano DiMera
Stefano DiMera is a fictional character, a villain on the American soap opera Days of our Lives. Created by head writer Pat Falken Smith, he is portrayed by Joseph Mascolo...
in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
daytime drama ays ofjvifjvijvijvirffihedjeoe8d9wom2wgeeg7parity between him and co-star Joseph Mascolo
Joseph Mascolo
Joseph Mascolo is an American musician and dramatic actor. During his long career, he has acted in numerous motion pictures and television series. He is best known for playing Stefano DiMera, a role he originated in 1982 on NBC's long running Days of our Lives.-Early life:Mascolo was born and...
of only 15 years. This eventually became a double-role with producers created the more villainous character of Andre, Tony's look-alike cousin. The role of Tony was gradually downgraded to a nice-guy role.
Penghlis appeared in the 1980s revival
Mission: Impossible (1988 TV series)
Mission: Impossible is an American television series that chronicles the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The show is a revival of the 1966 TV series of the same name...
of Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
, which was filmed in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Thaao Penghlis' role in the revival was a counterpart to Martin Landau
Martin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
's "Rollin Hand" and Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
's the "Amazing Paris".
In 2003, Penghlis was nominated for the Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Return for his return to the cast of Days of our Lives. He left the show in fall 2005. Penghlis returned to Days on 24 May 2007 to reprise the role of the dastardly Andre DiMera. He also began reprising the role of nice guy Tony DiMera
Tony DiMera
Count Antony "Tony" DiMera is a fictional character from the American soap opera Days of our Lives, played by actor Thaao Penghlis on and off from 1981 until 2009. One of the character's main storylines includes being impersonated by fellow character André DiMera, at various points in the...
on 17 July 2007. Penghlis was nominated for "Outstanding Leading Actor" at the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2008. In 2009, Penghlis' character was once again written out by having him die. In 2010 Penghlis returned to stage acting, performing in New Jersey's Cape May Stage
Cape May stage
The Cape May Stage is a theatre company that performs in the Robert Shackleton Playhouse located at the corner of Bank and Lafayette Streets in downtown Cape May, New Jersey.-Mission:...
theatre. He starred in Charles Evered
Charles Evered
Charles Evered is an American-born playwright, screenwriter and film director. Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Evered grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey, the fifth child of Marie and Charles J. Evered...
´s play Class with Heather Matarazzo
Heather Matarazzo
Heather Amy Matarazzo is an American actress. Her breakthrough role was as a geeky girl in the film Welcome to the Dollhouse . She played Lilly in The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement...
.
