Michael Constantine - Overview

Date of Birth: May 22, 1927

Place of Birth: Reading, Pennsylvania, USA

Nationality: United States

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Full Biography

A ruddy-complexioned, burly character player of TV and films whose work has run the gamut from comedy to Mafia dons, Michael Constantine is best recalled for playing Seymour Kaufman, principal of Walt Whitman High School, on "Room 222" (ABC, 1969-1974), as well as other agita-afflicted characters and ethnic types. He began his career on the New York stage and in the mid-1950s as understudy to Paul Muni in "Inherit the Wind". (While in the cast, he met and married actress Juliana McCarthy.) By the late 50s, Constantine had broken into feature films, playing a convict in "The Last Mile" (1959), a Mickey Rooney vehicle. He was memorable as Big John in "The Hustler" (1961), and as a former G.I. searching for a long-lost love in Italy in "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium" (1969). Constantine was a Jew fleeing the Nazis in "Voyage of the Damned" (1976), and more recently was a judge in "The Juror" and the gypsy who places a curse on the driver who killed his daughter in "Stephen King's Thinner" (both 1996).

Television offered consistently more work. Constan... Read More

Filmography (21)

The Promise of Tomorow 1940-1960 (2009)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

The Juror (1996)

My Life (1993)

Deadfall (1993)

Prancer (1989)

Milestones (14)

2002
Played the patriarch of a Greek family in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"

1996
Played judge in "The Juror"

1996
Portrayed gypsy who places a curse on a hit-and-run driver in "Stephen King's Thinner"

1994
Reprised role of defense attorney in an episode of "Law & Order"

1992
Appeared on the NBC legal series "Law & Order" as defense attorney

1979
Had cameo in the ABC miniseries "Roots: The Next Generations"

1971
TV-movie debut in "Suddenly Single" (ABC)

Photos From Last Movie