Biography

Thaao Penghlis was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, the son of Greek parents. Upon graduating high school, he moved to New York to study art history and fashion.

His plans changed, when he met legendary acting coach Milton Katselas and began working as his assistant. Soon, Penghlis was appearing in Katselas’ stage productions. He made his debut in an off-Broadway production of Jockeys.

Before long, Penghlis was appearing in films like Slow Dancing in the Big City, Altered States and cult classic Les Patterson Saves the World, as well as landing nighttime guest spots on Kojak, Police Woman, Hart to Hart and more.

He segued to soap opera in 1981, when he was cast as Victor Cassadine on General Hospital.

After being written off the show, he went onto his most prominent daytime television roles — Count Antony DiMera and later his villainous cousin-turned-brother Andre, on Days of our Lives. He also appeared as on Santa Barbara as Micah DeAngelis.

Penghlis also starred in the 1980s revival of Mission: Impossible, which was filmed in Australia, and starred in miniseries Sadat, Sidney Sheldon’s Memories of Midnight and Tribe.

The single actor resides in Los Angeles and spends his free time traveling and exploring archaeology and history.

Fast Facts

• December 15, 1945 — Birthdate
• Landed in New York in September of 1967 to become an actor.
• First “star” he ever met was Claudette Colbert, when she strolled through the art gallery where he worked.
• Made his daytime television debut as Victor Cassadine on General Hospital in 1981.
• Has written two books: Places: The Journey of My Days, My Lives in 2014 and Seducing Celebrities One Meal at a Time in 2015.
• Loves to travel, write screenplays, cook for friends, dance, read, and collect art.

Relationships

• Peter Penghlis – Father
• Eva Penghlis – Mother
• Bill – Uncle
• Pauline Penghlis – Sister
• George Penghlis – Brother
• Constance Penghlis – Sister

Summary

Thaao Penghlis juggled multiple iconic soap roles on two shows from 1981 – 2017 as Tony/Andre DiMera on Days of Our Lives and Victor Cassadine on General Hospital.

Penglis peppered other credits along the way such as Police Woman, Kojak, Hart to Hart, Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, Altered States, Nero Wolf, Magnum P.I., Mission Impossible, Santa Barbara, and Memories of Midnight.