Thaao Penghlis Biography

When Thaao Penghlis looks in the mirror, he sees different faces. During his remarkable run over the last four decades on the NBC daytime drama Days of Our Lives, the Australian-born actor has played both the seductively villainous Count Tony DiMera and the count’s evil look-a-like impersonator Andre DiMera.

The double roles are on top of a wide-ranging collection of characters on two other daytime series, General Hospital and Santa Barbara, as well as television series, movies and plays.

But one thing has remained constant for Thaao Penghlis: his Greek identity. The grandson of Greek immigrants to Australia in the 1940s, Penghlis celebrates his heritage in his acting, writing, cooking, travels, and now, in a new podcast.

In The Lost Treasures, Penghlis channels his passion for Greek history and culture by exploring the Trilogy of Homer through the life of German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who himself changed history by uncovering the real-life locations and treasures in the ancient epic poems.

“We follow his life like a detective, through a trail of literary, geological, and archaeological clues,” says Penghlis. “My purpose in telling these stories of The Lost Treasures is to romance my audience, inspire them with the notion that ‘Gods of Men’ once walked in these lands of my ancestors.”

Narrated by the actor, “The Lost Treasures” draws on Penghlis’ extensive research into Schliemann, including exclusive access to his papers, as well as Penghlis frequent travels to Greece, Egypt and Troy. Among his most memorable travels was to Greece’s Mount Athos, a center for monks from the Eastern Orthodox church. “I was stunned when a group of monastic monks from Australia recognized me,” he says. “It turns out they were big Mission-Impossible fans.”

His travels inspired his first book, the deeply personal Places: The Journey of My Days, My Lives (2014), which delves into his Greek and Australian heritage and recounts his escapades from his entertainment career, including an afternoon tea with Jacqueline Kennedy that was life changing – for him and, he wonders for her. Fascinated with his Greek heritage, she asked him many questions. “And she later married a Greek!” he says – shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

His second book, “Seducing Celebrities One Meal at a Time” (2015), presents recipes for what would be his dream Hollywood dinner parties. “With all the celebrities that crossed my path, I asked myself; How would I embrace and seduce them with food?” he says. “Through my imagination and experiences, I have put together recipes that would resonate with these wonderful talents.”

While the cookbook imagines the perfect meals for the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and George Clooney, Penghlis’ real-life dinner parties in his home in the hills above Hollywood are

legendary. After one evening, actress Doris Roberts sent him a gushing note: “The table is so beautiful that you hate to sit down to mess it up.”

And time and again, his menus inevitably include family dishes he grew up on.

Born in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills, with a large population of Greek immigrants and the landmark Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Thaao Penghlis grew up, not surprising, as “a good Greek boy,” whose life revolved around family, food, and stability.

“Everyone I knew were like my parents. They would stay home until they got married and live good Greek lives where there are few choices,” he says. “I always felt like I wanted something else.”

In his 20s, he visited a psychic, who told him he would move to New York and become an actor. After first laughing it off, he impulsively decided to give it a try, even knowing that his parents would disapprove. But while his mother told him he was “crazy,” one uncle took him aside and said: “Go. Go find out who you are and what you want to do.”

An apprenticeship with an artist brought him into the New York art and fashion world, which opened doors into acting. He first became a student of renowned acting instructor (and son of Greek immigrants) Milton Katselas, then served as his assistant for ten years. “He was my savior,” says Penghlis.

Penghlis made his New York stage debut in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway play . Jockeys and starred in the films Slow Dancing in the Big City, Altered States with director by Ken Russell, The Bell Jar, and The Mirror.

A role on General Hospital led to his long-running work on Days of Our Lives, which has earned him three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Leading Actor and a Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Return.

In 1989, Penghlis played master-of-disguise Nicholas Black on the prime-time revival of Mission: Impossible. He also starred in the miniseries Sadat, appeared opposite Omar Sharif and Jane Seymour in the miniseries adaptation of Sydney Sheldon’s Memories of Midnight, played a terrorist in the television film Under Siege with Peter Strauss and Hal Holbrook, and starred with Joanna Cassidy in the miniseries Tribe. One of his more unusual roles was playing the lover of Dame Edna as Colonel Godowni in the cult classic Les Patterson Saves the World.

But one of his most memorable appearances was early in his career, when he did a remote television interview from Los Angeles with Australia’s popular Morning Show. Wanting to show his parents that his crazy dream of becoming an actor finally came true, he wished his father a happy birthday. Soon everybody on the show’s set was singing Happy Birthday. “My mum said it was the first time she ever saw my father cry,” he says.

As a renowned expert and highly sought-after speaker, Thaao Penghlis's expertise is in high demand. To book Thaao Penghlis for your next event, conference, or workshop, please contact our speaker booking agency. Our experienced team will work closely with you to understand your specific needs and help secure Thaao Penghlis's participation. With our professional guidance and seamless booking process, you can ensure a memorable and impactful experience for your audience. Don't miss the opportunity to engage your audience with Thaao Penghlis's compelling insights and inspire positive change within your organization. Fill out the booking request form to take the first step in securing Thaao Penghlis for your next speaking engagement.