Michael Constantine

Michael Constantine
Constantine (right) with Lloyd Haynes in Room 222 (1969)
Born	Gus Efstration (1927-05-22) May 22, 1927 (age 89) Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1953–present
Spouse(s)	Julianna McCarthy (1953-69; divorced; 2 children)

Michael Constantine (born May 22, 1927) is an American actor of Greek descent.

He is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, the Windex bottle-toting Greek father of Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos), in the surprise hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). Earlier, he earned much acclaim for his extensive television work, especially as the long-suffering high school principal, Seymour Kaufman, on ABC's sitcom, Room 222, for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1970; he was again recognized by the Emmys, as well as the Golden Globes, the following year. After the conclusion of Room 222, Constantine portrayed night court magistrate Matthew J. Sirota on the 1976 sitcom Sirota's Court, receiving his second Golden Globe nomination. Constantine reprised his role as Gus Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016).

Constantine was born Gus Efstration in Reading, Pennsylvania, the son of Andromache Efstratiou (Ανδρομάχη Ευστρατίου; née Fotiadou [Φωτιάδου]) and Theoharis Ioannides [Θεοχάρης Ιωαννίδης] (a steel worker), both immigrants from Greece.

He began his career on the New York stage and in the mid-1950s as understudy to Paul Muni in Inherit the Wind. While in the cast, he met and married actress Julianna McCarthy on October 5, 1953; they had two children, Thea Eileen and Brendan Neil. The marriage ended in divorce in 1969, the same year that Constantine began his role on Room 222.