Michael Constantine of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' dies at 94

Michael Constantine, an Emmy Award-winning quality histrion who reached worldwide fame playing the Windex bottle-toting begetter of the bride successful the 2002 movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” has died. He was 94.

Constantine died Aug. 31 astatine his location successful Reading, Pennsylvania, of earthy causes, his household said. The quality was confirmed to The Associated Press connected Thursday by his agent, Julia Buchwald.

Constantine made appearances connected specified TV shows arsenic “My Favorite Martian,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Bonanza,” “Hogan’s Heroes,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “The Fugitive,” “Quincy, M.E.,” “The Love Boat,” “Remington Steele,” “MacGyver” and “Murder, She Wrote.” His large interruption came successful the relation of a main connected “Room 222,” an ABC comedy-drama acceptable successful a racially divers Los Angeles precocious school, for which helium won an Emmy for outstanding show by an histrion successful a supporting relation successful 1970.

But helium became champion known for his enactment successful the indie drama “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” which centered connected a middle-class Greek American pistillate who falls successful emotion with an upper-middle-class White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. Constantine reprised his relation connected the TV bid “My Big Fat Greek Life” and successful the 2016 film, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.”

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“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” became the highest-grossing romantic-comedy of each clip with a $241.4 cardinal home gross. It was based connected writer-star Nia Vardalos’ one-woman play and produced by Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson for conscionable $5 million.

Constantine initially auditioned for the portion of Gus and told The Hollywood Reporter that helium was anxious to work Vardalos' script, leery astir however it mightiness correspond the Greek American experience.

"I was anxious astir idiosyncratic penning immoderate Greek thing. Was it going to beryllium baloney oregon was it going to beryllium thing by idiosyncratic who truly knows Greeks? So I work the publication and I said, ‘Yes, this idiosyncratic evidently knows Greeks,’” helium said.

Vardalos paid tribute to Constantine connected Twitter, writing: “Acting with him came with a unreserved of emotion and fun. I volition treasure this antheral who brought Gus to life. He gave america truthful overmuch laughter and deserves a remainder now.”

Constantine was the lad of Greek immigrants. He started his vocation connected signifier and was connected Broadway successful the precocious 1950s and aboriginal '60s successful specified shows arsenic “Arturo Ui,” “The Miracle Worker” and “Inherit the Wind.”

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He made his big-screen debut alongside Mickey Rooney successful “The Last Mile” and had roles successful “The Hustler,” “Don’t Drink the Water,” “Prancer,” “The Reivers,” “My Life” and “The Juror.”

Constantine was joined and divorced twice. Survivors see his sisters, Patricia Gordon and Chris Dobbs.

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