TV series
Lindenstrasse landlord Kostas Papanastasiou has died
The Greek actor Kostas Papanastasiou in his restaurant “Terzo Mondo”. He died at the age of 84. Photo: Jens Kalaene / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
He played the Greek landlord in “Lindenstrasse”: Kostas Papanastasiou is now dead. He never had a problem with his role, and he also had a bar in real life.
The actor and restaurateur Kostas Papanastasiou, known from “Lindenstrasse”, is dead. He died on Sunday at the age of 84, as his son Marc-Alexej Papanastasiou told the German Press Agency in Berlin on Wednesday.
The «Tagesspiegel» had previously reported. The native Greek played for many years the role of Panaiotis Sarikakis, the host of the «Akropolis» restaurant in the ARD series. He also had a bar in real life: he ran the “Terzo Mondo” in Berlin-Charlottenburg for 45 years, then his son took over.
His life was multifaceted. Papanastasiou studied architecture in Berlin and trained as an actor there. He was politically active and received the Cross of Merit in 2012. This honored his commitment to artists and those in need. For example, he organized collections for relief supplies to Georgia. He also campaigned for the Greek Orthodox community. As an actor, he was also seen in several other roles, including in Bernhard Wicki’s “The Spider’s Web” or “Tatort”.
In episode 559 he got out
He will never be forgotten by the spectators on “Lindenstrasse”: as the landlord and proud head of the family who upheld Greek traditions. Sarikakis has experienced some twists and turns in the history of the series: his son takes over the «Acropolis» and he falls in love with the young Tanja Schildknecht. In episode 559, the landlord says goodbye to “cold, xenophobic Germany”, according to the WDR chronicle.
His father didn’t mind the role he is still associated with today, says his son Marc-Alexej Papanastasiou. “He was already behind it.” In his last years he had dementia, the last time his kidneys had failed. According to his son, the four-time grandfather is to be buried in Greece.