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Demis Roussos

Known For
Acting

Known Credits
45

Gender
Male

Birthday
June 15, 1946 (80 years old)

Place of Birth
Alexandria, Egypt

Demis Roussos

Biography

Artemios "Demis" Ventouris-Roussos (15 June 1946 – 25 January 2015) was a Greek singer, songwriter and musician. As a band member he is best remembered for his work in the progressive rock music act Aphrodite's Child, but as a vocal soloist, his repertoire included hit songs like "Goodbye, My Love, Goodbye", "From Souvenirs to Souvenirs" and "Forever and Ever".

Roussos sold over 60 million albums worldwide and became "an unlikely kaftan-wearing sex symbol".

Roussos was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, in a Greek family. His father, George (Yorgos) Roussos, was a classical guitarist and an engineer, and his mother, Olga (1923–2019), participated with her husband in an amateur theatrical Greek group in Alexandria (there were three such groups in the Greek community); her family originally came from Greece. His maternal grandparents were from Chios and immigrated to Alexandria after the Asia Minor Catastrophe. His paternal grandparents were from Chania. His grandfather moved to Egypt in the early 1900s along with his future wife who was underaged. He changed his surname from Ventouris to Roussos to hide from her family.

As a child, Roussos studied music and joined the Greek Church Byzantine choir in Alexandria. His formative years in the ancient port city's cosmopolitan atmosphere were influenced by jazz, but also traditional Arabic and Greek Orthodox music. His parents lost their possessions during the Suez Crisis in 1956 and consequently decided to move to Greece.

After settling in Greece, Roussos participated in a series of musical groups beginning with the Idols when he was 17, where he met Evángelos Papathanassíou (later known as Vangelis) and Loukas Sideras, his future bandmates in Aphrodite's Child. After this, he joined the Athens-based band We Five, another cover band which had limited success in Greece.

Roussos's operatic vocal style helped propel the band to international success, notably on their final album 666, based on passages from the Book of Revelation, which became a progressive rock cult classic.

After Aphrodite's Child disbanded, Roussos continued to record sporadically with his former bandmate Vangelis. In 1970, the two released the film score album Sex Power (the album has also been credited to Aphrodite's Child), and later recorded the 1977 album Magic together. Their most successful collaboration was "Race to the End" (also sung in Spanish as "Tu Libertad"), a vocal adaptation of the musical theme from the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire (scored by Vangelis). Roussos also guested on Vangelis' soundtrack to Blade Runner (1982), on the tracks "Tales of the Future", "Damask Rose", "Taffey's Snake Pit Bar", and "On the Trail of Nexus 6" (several only available in non-bootleg form on the 29th Anniversary Limited Edition CD set released in 2011). ...

Source: Article "Demis Roussos" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Known For

Acting

2022La tournée triomphale des idolesas Self
2022Il était une fois Champs-Élyséesas Self (archive footage)
2020Numéro un - Demis Roussosas Self
2013A Greek Type of Problemas Le pope
2009Demis Roussos: Greatest Hits Live At Bratislavaas Self
2009O Melhor do Flash Back - 92 Clipes Para Recordaras Self (archive footage)
2007Demis Roussos: Rain And Tearsas Self
2006Demis Roussos: Greatest Hitsas Self
2006Demis Roussos: Live In Brazilas Self
2004Demis Roussos: Live In Concertas Self
2004Willkommen bei Carmen Nebelas Self
2001Boom! Boom! The Best of the Original Basil Brush Showas Self (archive footage)
2000Demis Roussos: The Phenomenonas Self
1991Demis Roussos: Live In Bratislavaas Self
1987Na siehste!as Self
1987Le monde est à vousas Self
1987The Dame Edna Experienceas Self
1987Sacrée soiréeas Self
1987Nulle part ailleursas Self
198740° à l'ombreas Self
1982Woganas Self
1982Champs-Elyséesas Self
1981Bananasas Self
1977Please Turn the Pageas Self
1977Fan Schoolas Self
1975Numéro unas Self
1975Numéro unas Self - Host
1975Système 2as Self
1975Les Rendez-vous du dimancheas Self
1975Midi Premièreas Self
1974Demis Roussos: Live At The Royal Albert Hallas Self
1972Midi trenteas Self
1972Ein Kessel Buntesas Self - Musician
1971Cadet Rousselleas Self
1971Discoas Self
1971Samedi soiras Self
1969Die ZDF-Hitparadeas Self
1969L'homme qui venait du Cheras Le chanteur dans l'église
1968À bout portantas Self
1968Starparadeas Self
1966To Be or Not To Beas Singer
19664-3-2-1 Hot and Sweetas Self
1964Die Drehscheibeas Self
1961Musik aus Studio Bas Self
1959Discoramaas Self

Production

1975Late Night Trains...Theme Song Performance