Spiros Vondas
| Spiros Vondopoulos Σπύρος Βονδόπουλος |
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| First appearance | "Ebb Tide" (episode 2.01) |
| Last appearance | "–30–" (episode 5.10) |
| Created by | David Simon |
| Portrayed by | Paul Ben-Victor |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Vondas |
| Aliases | Kirko Skaddeng, János Kovats |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | International smuggling/Organized Crime underboss |
Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos (Greek: Σπύρος Βονδόπουλος) is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Paul Ben-Victor.
Vondas is The Greek's second-in-command and acted as a buffer between The Greek and his illegal activities, using a small cafe as his base of operations. The name Spiros Vondopolous is one of a range of identities that he has available to him. He holds Hungarian and Croatian passports but it is unclear if he is really a citizen of these countries. He is later shown destroying his Hungarian passport during a meal with The Greek. His Hungarian name is Janos Kovats and he comes from Budapest. His Croatian identity is Kirko Skaddeng and he is ostensibly a medical assistant from Osijek. He tells Nick Sobotka that he has "many names, many passports." Vondas's actual name and nationality are unknown, though his alias is Greek in origin.
Vondas manages all aspects of the Greek's illicit shipping business, but keeps a low, surveillance-conscious profile. He is Frank Sobotka's point of contact for his smuggling with The Greek. He was even-tempered and patient, often having to soothe an increasingly angry and frightened Sobotka as the Baltimore police began a serious investigation into Sobotka's union. He also handled much less savory tasks: when a sailor in the Greek's employ, Sam, murdered fourteen girls meant for work as prostitutes Vondas killed the man once the Greek had interrogated him. Vondas managed the Greek's drug dealing through their Israeli lieutenant Eton Ben-Eleazer. His own personnel involved in the smuggling operation included driver and enforcer Sergei "Serge" Malatov and organization fence George "Double G" Glekas.
He often met with Nick Sobotka, who frequently served as Frank's go-between, and Vondas took an almost paternal interest in the younger man. Impressed with Nick's intelligence, he gave him the task of stealing a shipment of chemicals. He intervened in a dispute over a debt between Nick's cousin Ziggy Sobotka and a drug dealer supplied by the Greek, Cheese Wagstaff. Despite a personal dislike for Ziggy he ordered Serge to argue his case to Proposition Joe, Cheese's uncle and superior. Vondas' distrust of Ziggy proved correct when Ziggy killed Glekas in an argument over payment for stolen goods. Ziggy was arrested soon afterwards and Vondas distanced the murder from the rest of the operation by removing all evidence of the business from the warehouse.
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Wikipedia