Tony Nikolakopoulos

Tony Nikolakopoulos
Born
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
EducationDeakin University
OccupationsActor, writer, director
Years active1986–present
Known forThe Wog Boy
The Wannabes
Scooter: Secret Agent
Head On
Alex & Eve
SpouseJulia Hosie

Tony Nikolakopoulos is an Australian film, theatre[1] and television actor.

Early life

Nikolakopoulos was born in Melbourne, Victoria to parents hailing from southern Greece. He attended Rusden College (now Deakin University) for five years, where he completed a Bachelor of Education.[2][3] The year after he graduated, he was asked to return to the school to teach drama classes and direct several productions for six years.[2]

Career

Nikolakopoulos has appeared in many television series, feature films and short films. He is best known for his work in the comedy films of Nick Giannopoulos, including The Wog Boy franchise (2000, 2010 and 2022), in which he starred as Theo[4] and The Wannabes (2003) as Stewie, alongside Isla Fisher.[5] He is also known for his role as Attilio in the television series Scooter: Secret Agent.[6]

After leaning towards a career in directing after his teaching stint at Deakin University, Nikolakopoulos' passion for acting was reignited when he landed a role in his first feature film, the critically-acclaimed 1998 drama Head On. He appeared opposite Alex Dimitriades, playing the role of his 55-year old father, Dimitri, when he was only 31.[2][7] In 2000, he then originated the role of neck-brace wearing Theo in the first of The Wog Boy films, alongside Nick Giannopoulos and Vince Colosimo.[8]

Further film appearances came with 2003 buddy action-comedy film Kangaroo Jack, with Jerry O’Connell and Christopher Walken.[9] Then in 2005, he acted alongside Jimeoin in comedy feature The Extra[10] and with Sigrid Thornton in television film Little Oberon.[11]

In 2010, Nikolakopoulos reprised his role as Theo in the second installment of The Wog Boy movie franchise, The Kings of Mykonos.[12] He later played the lead role of Alan Figg in 2014 crime drama The Legend Maker.[13] That same year, he appeared in sci-fi film Predestination, opposite Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook and Noah Taylor.[14] Following this, were roles in Alex & Eve (2015) as George,[15] Joe Cinque’s Consolation (2016) as Nino Cinque[16] and West of Sunshine (2017) as Banos.[17] The third film in The Wog Boy trilogy, Wog Boys Forever, allowed Nikolakopoulos to reprise his role as Theo once more in 2022.[18]

Nikolakopoulos also has numerous television credits to his name. After making guest appearances in series including Blue Heelers,[19] SeaChange,[20] State Coroner,[21] Stingers[22] and Pizza,[23] he landed the regular role of Attilio in children's series Scooter: Secret Agent in 2005.[6][24] An ongoing role as Cannonball Bob in children's series Pirate Islands: The Lost Treasure of Fiji followed in 2007,[25] before he played the recurring role of Andrew 'Benji' Veniamin’s father in the first season of Underbelly.[26]

More television guest roles followed, in All Saints,[27] East West 101,[28] City Homicide,[29] Tangle,[30] Rush,[31] American war drama miniseries The Pacific, Killing Time,[32] Small Time Gangster,[33] Offspring,[34] Reef Doctors,[35] The Doctor Blake Mysteries,[36] The Time of Our Lives[37] and Please Like Me.[38] Nikolakopoulos then appeared in another Underbelly spin-off – the miniseries Fat Tony & Co. playing Stavros Makrakanis,[39] before landing a recurring role in prison drama Wentworth from 2014 to 2016, as Nils Jesper.[40][41]

Nikolakopoulos made further guest appearances in Here Come the Habibs,[42] 2018 miniseries Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You,[43] Utopia, Jack Irish with Guy Pearce[44] and The Tourist, playing Nico, opposite Jamie Dornan.[45] His most recent recurring roles include playing Fat George in autobiographical underworld crime drama Last King of the Cross in 2023[46] and a voice role as Grandpa in animated children's series Tales From Outer Suburbia, which began airing in January 2026.[47]

Nikolakopoulos has also acted in numerous theatre productions, beginning with a performance in Ignatious Rodney Timms at Victoria College, Melbourne in 1986.[1] Over the course of his career, he has appeared for La Mama, Melbourne Theatre Company and State Theatre Company of South Australia and has performed in productions of the classics including The Crucible, Waiting for Godot and Hamlet.[1]

In 1996, Nikolakopoulos toured nationally in Wog and His Mates and between 2000 and 2005, he performed in Roulette, across both Australia and in Portugal with Ranters Theatre Company.[1] From 2007 to 2008, he was part of the cast in a production of The Spook that toured Victoria.[1] He played the role of Stavrakis in Cafe Rebetika in 2009 and again in 2011.[48] From 2019 to 2020, he appeared in a national touring production of Anthem.[1]

Nikolakopoulos has also directed over a hundred theatre productions for Stage School Australia, Victorian Youth Theatre and his own production company KT Productions. In 2023, he wrote and directed the play Life of Byron.[49]

In 2025, together with his brother Peter, Nikolakopoulos co-founded the Performing Star Academy, a children's creative arts, performance, and sports academy, with Nikolakopoulos overseeing performance and Peter running the AllStars Academy sports division.[50]

In addition to his teaching stint at Deakin University, Nikolakopoulos has worked as an acting and drama lecturer/teacher at University of Melbourne's Victorian College of the Arts.[51]

Personal life

Nikolakopoulos is married to clinical psychologist, Dr Julia Hosie.[52]

Awards

Year Work Award Category Result Ref
296 Smith Street Melbourne International Film Festival Won [53]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref
1995 Janus Lou De Luca 1 episode [54]
1997–2002 Blue Heelers Trevor / Stavros 2 episodes [19]
1998 SeaChange Rodney 1 episode [20]
State Coroner Theo 1 episode [21]
1999–2003 Stingers Milos / Stipanic 2 episodes [22]
2001 Pizza 1 episode [23]
2002 White Collar Blue Stavros TV movie
2004 The Brush-Off Mavramoustakides TV movie [55]
2005 The Glenmoore Job Sergeant TV movie
Little Oberon Baker TV movie [11]
Holly's Heroes Franco's Dad 2 episodes
Scooter: Secret Agent Attilio 24 episodes [24]
2007 Kick Hakim 1 episode
Pirate Islands: The Lost Treasure of Fiji Cannonball Bob 13 episodes [25]
2008 Underbelly Veniamin father 3 episodes [26]
All Saints Dominic 2 episodes [27]
2009 East West 101 Omar 2 episodes [28]
Whatever Happened to That Guy? Nick 1 episode
City Homicide Jackson Pittman 1 episode [29]
2009–2010 Tangle Gordon 3 episodes [30]
2010 Rush Edward 1 episode [31]
Lowdown George 1 episode
The Pacific Baba Karamanlis Miniseries, 1 episode
2011 Killing Time Manny the Mutt 2 episodes [32]
Small Time Gangster Glen 1 episode [33]
2013 Offspring Harry 1 episode [34]
Reef Doctors Barry 1 episode [35]
The Doctor Blake Mysteries Nick Manos 1 episode [36]
2013–2014 The Time of Our Lives Anton 2 episodes [37]
2014 Please Like Me Cleaner 1 episode [38]
Fat Tony & Co. Stavros Makrakanis 3 episodes [39]
Altruman Miniseries [56]
2014–2016 Wentworth Nils Jesper 9 episodes [41][40]
2016 Here Come the Habibs Jiddo 2 episodes [42]
2017 Fancy Boy Alfonse 1 episode
2018 True Story with Hamish & Andy Brother Michaels 1 episode [57]
Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You Artie Mogull Miniseries, 1 episode [43]
Drama Club Faruk Miniseries
2019 Utopia Mr Papagenous 1 episode
2020 AussieWood Hakim Khan TV series
2021 Jack Irish Stavros 1 episode [44]
2022 The Tourist Nico Miniseries, 1 episode [58][45]
2023 Last King of the Cross Fat George 3 episodes [59][46]
2026 Tales From Outer Suburbia Grandpa 7 episodes [60][47]

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1996 Life Prison Officer 3 Feature film [61]
1998 Head On Dimitri Feature film [7]
2000 Nameday Short film
The Wog Boy Theo Feature film [4][8]
2001 Beggar Short film [62]
2002 Magda Short film
2003 Kangaroo Jack Sal's Capo Feature film [9]
The Wannabes (aka Criminal Ways) Stewie Feature film [5]
Alice Computer Service Man Short film
2004 Tom White Sergeant Feature film [61]
2005 The Extra Tony (bouncer) Feature film [10]
The Drop The Driver Short film [63]
2006 Forged Sargon Short film [64]
2007 The Independent Tony Bentakis Feature film [65]
2008 296 Smith Street Ahmed Short film [66]
2009 Imprint Bus Driver Short film
One Night Taxi Driver Short film
Beware of Black Dog! Max / Wolf / Landlord (voices) Animated short film
Bad Language Kosta Short film [67]
2010 Wog Boy 2: Kings of Mykonos Theo Feature film [4][12]
2011 Absence Father Short film
Joey Tony Short film
Exit Shopkeeper Feature film [68]
Big Mamma's Boy Butcher Feature film [69]
2012 Mother's Day Alex Short film
2013 Let Go Peter Short film
2014 Predestination Driver Feature film [14]
The Rack and the Screw Lucas Short film
Rigor Mortis Chris Short film
The Legend Maker Alan Figg Feature film [13]
2015 Alex & Eve George Feature film [15]
Match Tony Short film [70]
2016 Dream of a Shadow Tony Feature film [71]
Joe Cinque’s Consolation Nino Cinque Feature film [16]
2017 West of Sunshine Banos Feature film [17][72]
Theodore's Gift Theodore Short film [73]
2018 Sad Sachs Tony Varoufakis Short film [74]
2021 Container Short film [75]
2022 Wog Boys Forever Theo Feature film [4][18]
2023 Finally Me Mr Mitsos Feature film [76]
2025 Repose Short film [62]

Theatre

As actor

Year Title Role Venue / Company Ref.
1986 Ignatious Rodney Timms Victoria College, Melbourne [1]
1988 The Bride of Gospel Place [1]
1990 The Crucible [1]
1991 Let Gypsies Tom St Martins Theatre, Melbourne
Beat the Savage Drum Executioner
1992 Deathwatch Marcel La Mama, Melbourne [1]
1993 Waiting for Godot Pozzo
1996 Wog and His Mates M.C. Gianni Australian national tour
1996–1997 Honeymoon in Hellas Joshua / MC
1998 Legacy La Mama, Melbourne [1]
1999 The Courtyard of Miracles Stelios Playhouse Adelaide with STCSA [1]
2000–2005 Roulette Theo / Terri Australia & Portugal tour with Ranters Theatre Company [1]
2001 Wog Story Various characters Enmore Theatre, Sydney [1]
Blue Absence Yeltza Bar, Melbourne with Theatre Camaleon [1]
2007 Brother Boy Greek father Dog Theatre, Melbourne [1]
2007–2008 The Spook George VIC tour [77][1]
2008 Las Vegas (Confidential) The Musical Tony the Tool State Theatre, Sydney [1]
2009 August: Osage County Sheriff Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC [1]
2009; 2011 Cafe Rebetika! Stavrakis Arts Centre Melbourne, Sydney Opera House [53][1]
2011 Hamlet Southbank Theatre, Melbourne with MTC [1]
2012 Pompeii, L.A. Various characters Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne [1]
2018 Astroman Alex Pavlis Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with MTC [78][1]
2019–2020 Anthem Store Owner Australian tour with MTC [1]
2024 The Big Fat Greek Comedy & Music Variety Show Sydney & Melbourne tour [79]

As director

Year Title Role Venue / Company Ref.
1991 Troy is Burning Director Victoria College, Melbourne [1]
1992 Lysistrata Director / Choreographer Deakin University, Melbourne [1]
The Skin of Our Teeth Director [1]
1993 Rhinoceros Director [1]
Here Comes a Chopper Director / Teacher [1]
1994 5 A Season of Plays: Deathwatch Director Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne with Wintercourt Productions [1]
2010 Baraki 2010 Director Take Away Theatre Theatre, Sydney [1]
The Last Proxy Director / Producer Australian tour
2023 Life of Byron Producer / director / writer Alex Theatre, Melbourne, Fusebox, Sydney [80]
Borneo Plus 3: Borneo, Legacy, Petroleum, Night Director Victorian College of the Arts [81]

References

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