Theo Angelopoulos's Real Name: Theodoros Angelopoulos
Theo Angelopoulos → Theodoros Angelopoulos
Quick answer: Theo Angelopoulos's real name was Theodoros Angelopoulos (Greek: Θεόδωρος Αγγελόπουλος). He was born on April 27, 1935, in Athens, Greece; "Theo" is the common short form used internationally.
[IMAGE: credited portrait of Theo Angelopoulos on set or at a festival, with credit]
Theodoros and Theo
Library of Congress and Greek film institutions catalog him as Thodōros / Theodoros Angelopoulos, known in world cinema as Theo (LOC; Greek Directors Guild). The "real name" search usually resolves to the full Greek given name behind the international credit Theo Angelopoulos—not a separate invented surname.
He studied law in Athens, then film in Paris, before returning to Greece as a critic and filmmaker. His features are known for long takes, political allegory, and meditations on Greek history and exile (Senses of Cinema; official materials at theoangelopoulos.gr).
Career highlights
Major films include Reconstruction (1970), the "Trilogy of History" (Days of '36, The Travelling Players, The Hunters), Landscape in the Mist (1988), Ulysses' Gaze (1995), and Eternity and a Day (1998), which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes (Greek Directors Guild; Senses of Cinema).
[IMAGE: credited still from The Travelling Players or Eternity and a Day, with credit]
Angelopoulos died January 24, 2012, in Piraeus after being struck by a motorcycle while scouting locations (LOC dates; contemporary obituaries).
Amazon note (tag realname1-20): Angelopoulos box sets and film-studies titles are natural slots.
Angelopoulos's films often run well over two hours and ask viewers to sit with landscape, weather, and political memory. The Travelling Players (1975) remains a touchstone of political modernism; Ulysses' Gaze starred Harvey Keitel in a Balkan odyssey after Yugoslavia's breakup (Senses of Cinema; Greek Directors Guild). Festival prizes across Europe cemented his reputation even when commercial distribution stayed limited. Theodoros vs. Theo is a language/short-form issue, not a hidden alias.
FAQ
What was Theo Angelopoulos's real name?
Theodoros (Thodōros) Angelopoulos; Theo is the short form.
When and where was he born?
April 27, 1935, Athens, Greece.
What is his most famous prize?
The Palme d'Or for *Eternity and a Day* (1998).
What defines his style?
Long takes, slow camera moves, and historical-political themes in Greek settings.
When did he die?
January 24, 2012, Piraeus, Greece.
Is Theo a stage alias?
It is the international short form of Theodoros, not a different family name.