Acting
Dec 1, 1944
Thessaloniki, Greece
Dionysis Savvopoulos
Acting
Biography
Dionysis Savvopoulos (Greek: Διονύσης Σαββόπουλος, 2 December 1944 - October 22, 2025) was a prominent Greek singer - songwriter. Savvopoulos was born in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece (December 1944) in a middle-class family. He passed his university entrance exams and enrolled in the Aristotle University to study law, but after his first year of his studies, his passion for music and politics led to an argument with his father and he dropped out in 1963. Savvopoulos then hitchhiked on a truck to Athens and took various odd jobs, including working as a nude model for students in the Athens School for Fine Arts and as a journalist in a newspaper. In Athens, he began singing and playing guitar in various night clubs and became closely associated with the so-called Greek New Wave. Although Savvopoulos was not famed for his voice, his talent in songwriting impressed Alekos Patsifas, the director of LYRA record company in Greece which was specializing in artists of the Greek New Wave, who signed him. Savvopoulos remained with this label until 1983. Savvopoulos debut album To Fortigho ("The truck" alluding to his hitchhiking experience) came out in 1966. Although critically well-received, it failed to chart, allegedly selling only 3,000 copies. Despite this, he was kept on the label's roster and continued with a string of highly successful albums, with self-penned songs combining arrangements reminiscent of early Frank Zappa and politically incisive lyrics in the style of Bob Dylan, with folk tunes from Macedonia, Thrace, and Rebetiko music. Savvopoulos had been noted for being politically active throughout his career in music. In 1967, Savvopoulos was briefly imprisoned and beaten for his political convictions by the Greek military junta of 1967-1974, led by the dictator George Papadopoulos. Most of his songs were written by himself (both lyrics and music). Until his death, he was singing but no longer composing (since his last studio album as a songwriter, O chronopios). Throughout his career, he sang Greek rock, Laïko (Greek folk music) and Rebetika. Savvopoulos died from a heart attack in Athens, on 21 October 2025, at the age of 80. At the time of his death, he had also been suffering from cancer. Source: Article "Dionysis Savvopoulos" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Feature Films (10)
The games of the 28th summer olympiad returned to the birthplace of the Olympics - Athens, Greece. The games ran from August 13 to 29th 2004.
Athens 2004: Olympic Closing Ceremony (Games of the XXVIII Olympiad)
One evening close to Christmas, the tree, having seen the splendidly trimmed Christmas trees standing in the windows of nearby houses, and longing to be as beautiful as they are, begs the boy to trim it too. But the boy has neither ornaments nor money to buy any, in fact he has nothing. How can he make this withered, shriveled tree look beautiful, there in the middle of a filthy, freezing pavement? And yet this night will prove to be a very different night from every other. It will be a night when dreams come true, a night of enchantment and magic.
The boy and the tree
A discovery of the incredible musical journey of Yannis Spanos, setting off from small-town Kiato to major collaborations in Paris, and ultimately his huge success in Greece. With rare documents and interviews and through the eyes of a devoted fan, we explore why Spanos chose to stay behind the scenes, letting his music steal the spotlight.
Yannis Spanos: Behind the marquee
Television & Series (2)
This special six-episode tribute focuses on the discography of Dionysis Savvopoulos, presenting ten of his emblematic albums - a turning point in Greek music. Six total "eras" of musical creation and history. In this documentary, which was to be the last legacy of Dionysis Savvopoulos, he himself tells stories that marked his life and the lives of everyone, from 1965, when he released his first album, to the present day, while for the last time he sings, with his guitar and unique voice, songs that we loved from his discography. In his unique way - the one that sweetly mixes myth with reality - he talks about the "lives" he lived, the people he met, his songs that were loved and left their indelible mark over time. The visual part, is by Alexis Kyritsopoulos, a companion and friend of Savvopoulos from the beginning, with works that he designed especially for this particular tribute, which also come to life through animation.
