One of Greece most famous comedians and satirical actor, Harry Klynn, passed away on Monday at the age of 78. He was long suffering from respiratory problems and in the last years he was bound to a wheel chair. On Sunday night he suffered a seizure, he was taken to hospital but it was too late.
His real name was Vasilis Triantafyllidis. He was born into a poor family of Pontus Greek migrants and started started to work at the age of 5.
He continued to work but at the same time he was attending school.
He was discovered at a young talents’ competition and moved to Athens from Thessaloniki.
He studied acting in Athens and at the same time he worked at nightclubs and entertainment facilities in Athens.
In 1964, Harry Klynn took the decision to move to Toronto where he lived for a decade. He worked as stand up comedian in diaspora facilities in Canada and USA and started to write satirical texts.
He returned to Greece in 1974 where he launched a new career as singer and actor and later had his own show in TV.
Album cover: Glorify Me
He was the top comedian in Greece in the 1980’s.
Most of his satire would mock the stereotype of a rude, smartypants, blusterous Greek man.
Next to acting and satire he was also a painter.
In an interview he said he had adopted the nickname “Harry Klynn” (Clean) in contrast to “Dirty Harry” movies with Clint Eastwood.
Harry Klynn was active in local politics and was elected for the City Council in Kalamaria, Thessaloniki.
He had a blog and would often criticize the political developments in Greece with a sharp tongue.
His last tweet referred to the resignation of the President of The Council of State last week.
“Οι δικηγόροι είναι τόσο ακριβοί που είναι φθηνότερο να προσλάβεις ένα δικαστή” Τι δεν καταλαβαίνεις; https://t.co/HccaPGkV6r
— Harry Klynn (@harryklynn) May 16, 2018
“Lawyers are so expensive, it is cheaper to hire a judge,” he commented on a another tweet listing the role of the CoS in approving a series of austerity measures incl sharp pension cuts as ‘Constitutional.”
His health problems had deteriorated after his first born, Nikos, died of cancer at the age of 49 in 2016.
