Legendary Greek shadowplayer Eugenios Spatharis, the most prominent shadow theater artist in Greece, credited with having brought the traditional Karagiozis plays to mass audiences through television, recordings and cinema, was born on January 2 1924.

With his father, Sotiris, as his first teacher, Spatharis began his career with performances in Maroussi in 1942 and from 1945 to 1950 toured throughout Greece, appearing in theatres and cinemas. Before long, the name of Eugenios Spatharis began to become known outside the borders of Greece: as early as 1953, he appeared at the Carnegie Hall in New York, in Canada and in Cuba.

Among the most notable appearances of this great artist abroad were the ones in the Festival of Mediterranean Theatre in Lyon, Nuremberg and Marigny (France 1985 and 1986), in the Alps and in Ravenna (Italy 1987 and 1988), in Denmark (1988), in Nice, Toulouse, Cannes and other French cities (1989), at all the Festivals of Spain (1990), in Sweden (1991), in the events accompanying the World Basketball Championship in Rome-Italy (1992, International Festival of Shadow Theatre), at the Oberhausen Festival in Germany (1993), in the U.S.A., Canada and Teheran (1994), once more in Cyprus and at the Festival of Mediterranean Theatre in Stuttgart and Bordeaux (1995).

Eugenios Spatharis’ Karagiozis illustrations have appeared in comic book-form (1960 and 1970), while 1979 saw the publication of the book “Karagiozis by Spatharis Family”.

He also made a name for himself as a director and designer in the theatre: with the Greek Chorodrama in Alexander the Great (1950), a work that he produced with Sophia Vembo (well-known greek singer) in 1954.

This multi-talented artist appeared in many cinema films and tv commercials. He also participated in recordings of songs by S. Xarchakos, S. Fotiadis (well-known greek composers) and Modern Fears where he provided the voice for Karagiozis.

He created with his wife’s help the first International Museum of Shadow Theatre in Athens. Since 1995, the Museum of Shadow Theatre “Spathario” has been operating in Maroussi, after the decision of Spatharis and Spatharis’family to offer as a donation 406 pieces of Eugenios creations – shadow figures and other equipment – to the Municipality and it is open to the children and the people who are interested in this kind of art.

This great artist died in 2009.