The Greek Tycoon (1978)

The life of the Greek tycoon Aristotelis Onassis.

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Nico Mastorakis (story), Win Wells (story)

Stars:

Anthony Quinn, Jacqueline Bisset, Raf Vallone

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Quinn	...	Theo Tomasis
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Liz Cassidy
Raf Vallone	...	Spyros Tomasis
Edward Albert	...	Nico Tomasis
James Franciscus	...	President James Cassidy
Camilla Sparv	...	Simi Tomasis
Marilù Tolo	...	Sophia Matalas (as Marilu Tolo)
Charles Durning	...	Michael Russell
Luciana Paluzzi	...	Paola Scotti
Robin Clarke	...	John Cassidy
Kathryn Leigh Scott	...	Nancy Cassidy
Roland Culver	...	Robert Keith
Tony Jay	...	Doctor
John Bennett	...	Servant
Katherine Schofield	...	Helena

Storyline

Theo Tomasis, from humble beginnings, is an aging Greek shipping magnate who works on his own moral (or amoral as the case may be) code, both professionally and personally, to get what and who he wants in life. The "who"s include a bevy of bed partners who don't generally include his wife, Simi Tomasis. He dotes on his son, Nico Tomasis, who he wants to follow in his footsteps in all aspects, Nico, a daredevil, especially in the air, also enjoying the high life in the process. He ends up divorcing Simi in order to marry Liz Cassidy, the grieving widow of US President James Cassidy, who was assassinated while he and Liz were walking on a beach. Liz's marriage to Theo is in part to escape the spotlight not only of being the widow of a President, but part of a high profile and powerful American political family, James' brother, John Cassidy, who was the Attorney General in James' administration. Theo had been attracted to Liz on first sight, meeting her and James when James was still a ...

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Plot Keywords:

yacht | widow | wedding | wedding night | u.s. president | 

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Taglines:

She was the most famous woman in the world. He was a peasant, a pirate, a shark. What he couldn't buy with money he stole with charm.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Franciscus played the real John F. Kennedy in a TV movie with Jaclyn Smith, as well as this fictionalized version.

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Quotes

Liz Cassidy: You're an animal! How dare you! You bastard!
Theo Tomasis: God, what a woman! Let's go and make love.

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Crazy Credits

(Because this is so obviously inspired by Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy) "The characters in this film are fictitious and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental".

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Alternate Versions

Video release features six minutes of additional footage.

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Connections

Spoofed in Movie Madness (1982)

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Soundtracks

Cupid
(uncredited)
Written by Sam Cooke

User Reviews

Rich Greek marries a rich American widow

Anthony Quinn is perfectly cast in the role of a wealthy Greek aristocrat to Jacqueline Bisset's rich American widow. Set in the 1970s, the acting is passable though not fantastic. Quinn's turn is the best, though, as he plays an emotional, powerful man who is used to having his way in and out of the boardroom. Thinly veiled plot, you can figure out what is going to happen in the movie during the first few minutes, but it is worth sitting through for the scenery of the Greek islands. Even if the volume is turned to mute, it is nice to see how rich and famous frolic aboard yachts, in pools and on the beach. Serious film critics might just see this film as a glorified television movie of the week.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Greek Japanese

Release Date:

24 August 1978 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

L'empire du Grec

Filming Locations:

Vouliagmeni, Greece

Box Office

Gross USA:

$14,672,713

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,672,713

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1