Achilleas Venos was destined to a life herding sheep at his father’s farm in Igoumenitsa in northwestern Greece. His father had a farm and put Achilleas at work milking cows and tending to poultry from a very young age. After finishing high school he was torn between continuing the life as a shepherd on his family’s farm or becoming a butcher at the family’s butchery.

Naturally endowed with good looks and a muscular body, he caught the attention of an agent who happened to pass by Igoumenitsa. Before he knew it, Donatella Versace was knocking on his door. From tending to his stock he found himself on the international runways of Europe.