Veteran Greek actor; Born Cyprus, 1940; Died June 4, 2007. The veteran Greek stage and film actor Sotiris Moustakas, who came to international attention more than 40 years ago in the award-winning Zorba the Greek, has died.

Moustakas, who was 67, was primarily a comedian whose acting career spanned more than four decades. He collapsed while rehearsing a production at a local theatre, and died after being transferred to an Athens hospital.

Moustakas appeared in 76 films and numerous stage plays, and was a popular television actor. He was "one of the most significant comic actors who has emerged from Greece and Cyprus," said Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

Born in Limassol, Cyprus, in 1940, Moustakas graduated from the National Theatre of Greece and was known for his portrayal of offbeat, neurotic yet likable characters. He appeared primarily in modern films and plays, although he also performed several roles in classical works. Moustakas was shortly to join in a national tour of a play by the ancient comic Aristophanes, known for his biting social satire.

Moustakas's international film debut came in 1964 in the Oscar-winning movie Zorba the Greek, starring Anthony Quinn, in which he played Mimithos, the village idiot. Although his recent work was mainly in the theatre, he also had a role in the 2007 film El Greco.

Moustakas is survived by his actress wife Maria Bonelou and one daughter.