Elias Destounis
Soloist, Baritone
He was born in Kefalonia in 1889 and passed away in Athens in 1948. After his first curriculum in Argostoli, he settled in Athens. There he studied elocution and recitation with Markos Sigalas, with the intent to get involved in theater. At the suggestion of his teacher he attended the theater group of the Athens Conservatory when it was directed by the filmmaker Thomas Oikonomou, where he distinguished himself in many characteristic comic roles. In 1922 he participated in the group of Emilios Veakis at the Athenaeum Theatre. In 1931 he was recruited by the Royal Theatre where he remained until his death. He was distinguished as a character actor in the roles, among others, of Moraitis in the play Babylonia by Demetrios Byzantios and as the Blind Man in Judas by Spyros Melas. In 1941 he participated in the GNO production The Land of Smiles [Das Land des Lächelns], where he appeared in the role of Tschang. He was also an amateur painter, poet and architect.