Gus Trikonis

Gus Trikonis (born November 21, 1937) is an American actor, dancer, and director.

Gus Trikonis
Born (1937-11-21) November 21, 1937
Manhattan, New York, New York, U.S.
OccupationActor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, television director
Years active1961–2003
Spouse(s)
​
(
m. 1969; div. 1976)

Career

He began his career as an actor and dancer, notably appearing in the hugely successful 1961 film West Side Story as Indio, one of the "Sharks",[1] as well as dancing with Debbie Reynolds and Grover Dale to the frantic "He's My Friend" in 1964's The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Although originally unbilled, on December 3, 1968, Trikonis got his second biggest exposure in front of any audience (the first being in the aforementioned West Side Story, seen at US theatres by about 61 million moviegoers) as one of two main (out of five) male dancers who do Elvis Presley's choreography as he sings a Gospel medley as part of a widely watched NBC-TV Special entitled "Elvis".

As a director, Trikonis handled several projects from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, mostly low-budget "exploitation films". He made several films for Roger Corman at New World Pictures; Corman called Trikonis one of the best young directors he had ever worked with.[2]

From the 1980s to the mid-1990s Trikonis mostly directed television series. He directed episodes of television series including Baywatch, Quantum Leap, Hunter and Wiseguy.[1]

Personal life

Trikonis was married to actress Goldie Hawn from 1969 to 1976; he was her first husband and they have the same birthday. His sister is Gina Trikonis, an actress who also appeared in West Side Story, as Graziela, Riff's girlfriend.[3]

Filmography

Director
Year Title Notes
1969Five the Hard Way / The Sidehackers
1975Supercock
1975The Swinging Barmaids
1978The Evil
1979She's Dressed to KillTV Movie
1980Touched by Love
1981Elvis and the Beauty QueenTV Movie
1981Take This Job and Shove It

Actor
Year Title Role Notes
1961West Side StoryIndio
1964The Unsinkable Molly BrownJoe
1964Pajama PartyPajame Boy #13
1966The Sand PebblesRestorff
1967The St. Valentine's Day MassacreRio
1968The HellcatsScorpio(final film role)
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References
  1. Gus Trikonis Biography, Film Reference
  2. Ed. J. Philip di Franco, The Movie World of Roger Corman, Chelsea House Publishers, 1979 p 213
  3. The Great American Playwrights on the Screen: A Critical Guide to Film ..., page 321
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