Costas Mandylor Biography

Australian actor (born 1965)

Costas Mandylor (born Costas Theodosopoulos; 3 September 1965) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his roles as Kenny Lacos in Picket Fences and Mark Hoffman in the Saw films.

Early life

Costas Theodosopoulos was born on 3 September 1965 in Melbourne, Australia to Greek immigrants Louise Theodosopoulos, and Yannis Theodosopoulos, a taxi driver. His brother is actor Louis Mandylor. Mandylor grew up in St Kilda and South Melbourne, and moved to the United States in 1987 where he started taking acting lessons. He was initially unable to find any work acting and had to work any job available. He took a version of his mother's maiden name, citing his real name in Greek being too long.

Career

Mandylor's first major role was in the 1989 film Triumph of the Spirit playing a European Jew, which was filmed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. He returned to Los Angeles meeting director Oliver Stone and auditioned and got the role of an Italian count in The Doors (1991). Mandylor landed a leading role in Mobsters playing Mafia boss Frank Costello. He went mentally prepared for the role, telling the Los Angeles Times, "It was interesting that I got that part, because I felt tuned in to gangsters, it was a genre I'd read a lot. When I was 13, I got a job as a dishwasher in a Melbourne nightclub and saw everything there, real gangsters, and had met characters who were dangerous people from an underground world." In 1992, he had a lead role on the CBS television drama, Picket Fences, playing officer Kenny Lacos until the show ended in 1996. Mandylor also had a lead role in the Saw films as Detective Mark Hoffman, in Saw III (2006), Saw IV (2007), Saw V (2008), Saw VI (2009) and Saw 3D (2010). He also made a cameo appearance in Saw X (2023).

Personal life

Mandylor played professional football/soccer in Europe until suffering shin splints. In 1991, he was chosen by People as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the world".

Mandylor married Talisa Soto in May 1997; they divorced in 2000.

Credits

Film

Television

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Costas Mandylor.

• Costas Mandylor at IMDb:
• Costas Mandylor at Rotten Tomatoes