Greek actor Spiros Focas, who starred in a string of Italian and Hollywood films including "Rambo 3” and "Jewel of the Nile”, died Friday at the age of 86, his family said. Focas died in a rehabilitation center near Athens, his wife said in a Facebook post. Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni paid tribute, saying Focas was one of the country’s "best known and most loved” actors.
Born Spyros Androutsopoulos in the port city of Patras in 1937, Focas began his movie career in 1959 before relocating to Italy for a four-decade career in film and television. A lookalike of Egyptian star Omar Sharif, Focas worked for prominent directors Vincente Minnelli and Luchino Visconti, starring in the latter’s 1960 classic "Rocco and his Brothers”. — AFP
His most iconic appearances were in the 1980s as an Afghan mujaheddin warrior in "Rambo 3”, and the villain Omar in "Jewel of the Nile” opposite Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito.
In recent years he lived in the city of Corinth, battling ill health and struggling to pay his bills. He was forced to flee wildfires near his home in July and was later hospitalized. "Fate was good to me, but in the end I did not get to roll double sixes,” he told Star TV three years ago. Focas is survived by his wife and daughter. - AFP