Sensuously handsome and full-lipped, this actor quickly established himself in a handful of featured roles in films and as a regular on the acclaimed drama series "Picket Fences" (CBS, 1992-96). Born in Australia of Greek descent, Mandylor abandoned a professional soccer career after sustaining injuries and relocated to Hollywood to pursue acting. He quickly won a co-starring role as Willem Dafoe's younger brother in the Holocaust drama "Triumph of the Spirit" (1989). Director Oliver Stone cast him as a drugged-out Italian aristocrat in his biopic "The Doors" (1991) and Mandylor went on to star as a young Frank Costello in "Mobsters" (1991), another Hollywood picture romancing the image of Chicago gangsters and Prohibition. He also played an actor in the soap opera spoof "Soapdish" (1991). On "Picket Fences" Mandylor made his small screen debut as Officer Kenny Lacos, whose sometimes quirky behavior led to run-ins with his female partner (Lauren Holly). The ambivalence in both their private and professional relationships provided much of the tension between the two characters. He went on to appear in a 1993 episode of "Tales from the Crypt" (HBO) and had a villainous role in the TV-movie "Falling for You" (CBS, 1995). Other credits include the post-nuclear "Fist of the North Star" (HBO, 1996), the suspense thriller "Almost Dead" (HBO, 1996) and the futuristic sci-fi "Last Exit to Earth" (Showtime, 1996). Mandylor has appeared in several movies since his "Picket Fences" fame, but none have really caught on with critics or audiences. He was bodyguard to a mobster's moll in "Fatal Past" (1994), a mysterious stranger in the appallingly bad soft-porn "Delta of Venus" (1995) and Denzel Washington's doomed partner in a virtual reality world in the big-budget sci-fi actioner "Virtuosity" (also 1995). He then returned to low-budget dramas and thrillers like "Crosscut" (1995), as a good-natured criminal, the sci-fi film noir "Venus Rising" and as a murder suspect in "Portraits of a Killer" (both 1996). He has completed work on three films awaiting release in 1997: the courtroom thriller "Double Take", the 1930s Hollywood drama "Stand-Ins" and a welcome return to comedy, "Just Write".
- Also Credited As:
Costas Theodosopoulos
- Born:
September 3, 1965 in Melbourne, Australia
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Job Titles:
Actor, Professional soccer player
Family
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Brother: Louis Mandylor. born on September 13, 1966; appeared in the sitcoms Down the Shore and Can t Hurry Love
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Father: Yannis Theodosopoulos.
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Mother: Louise Theodosopoulos.
Milestones
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1987 Shin splint injuries forced him to abandon his professional soccer career
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1989 Feature film debut, opposite Willem Dafoe in Triumph of the Spirit
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1991 Appeared in the comedy feature Soapdish
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1991 Had a cameo as an Italian count in Oliver Stone s rock biopic The Doors
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1991 Marked first co-starring role in a feature with a turn as Frank Costello in the stylized organized crime drama Mobsters
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1992 TV series debut as regular Officer Kenny Lacos, on the acclaimed CBS drama, Picket Fences
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1994 Again played a mobster named Costello, this time in the erotic thriller Fatal Past
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1995 Starred in the action drama Crosscut as a man doomed to a life on the lam after accidentally killing the son of a Mafia don in a barroom brawl
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1995 TV-movie debut, Falling for You (CBS)
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1996 Appeared in the HBO-debuted post-apocalyptic adventure film Fist of the North Star (debuted on HBO)
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1996 Featured in an installment of the Roger Corman Presents Showtime series entitled Last Exit to Earth
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1996 Played a suspected murderer whose lawyer falls in love with him in the thriller Portraits of a Killer
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1997 Featured in the acclaimed festival screened feature Just Write
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1997 Played the adult incarnation of Cupid in the Family Channel movie Love-Struck
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1997 Returned to series TV as co-star of the NBC drama series Players
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1998 Starred opposite Ally Sheedy in the paranormal thriller The Fury Within
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1999 Co-starred as Salvatore Bonnano in the Showtime two-part biopic Bonanno: A Godfather s Story
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1999 Starred with Ice-T and Ernie Hudson in the adventure film Stealth Fighter , aired on HBO in lieu of theatrical release
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2000 Returned to series teleivison with a regular starring role in UPN s Secret Agent Man
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2001 Co-starred with Melissa Gilbert in the CBS movie Nora Roberts Sanctuary
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2001 Had featured role in the Sean Penn-directed The Pledge
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2004 Had a recurring role on the WB s 7th Heaven
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2006 Played Forensic Hoffman in Saw III the third installment in the Saw horror film series
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2007 Reprised role of Forensic Hoffman in Saw IV the fourth installment of the Saw film series
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Acted in television commercials in his native Australia
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Moved to Greece to play professional soccer as part of European League
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Moved to the United States to pursue an acting career
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Returned to Australia and played soccer for the National League