Taki Theodoracopulos

Panagiotis "Taki" Theodoracopulos (/ˌθiːədɔːrəˈkɒpələs/; Greek: Παναγιώτης "Τάκης" Θεοδωρακόπουλος, [panaˈʝotis ˈtakis θeoðoraˈkopulos]; born 11 August 1936)[1] is a Greek journalist and writer. He lives in New York City, London and Gstaad, Switzerland.[2]

Taki Theodoracopulos
Παναγιώτης Θεοδωρακόπουλος
Appearing on TV show After Dark in 1991
Born	Panagiotis Theodoracopulos (1936-08-11) 11 August 1936 Greece
Education	Lawrenceville School Blair Academy
Alma mater	University of Virginia
Occupation	Journalist, publisher, writer

Early life and education

The son of a Greek shipping magnate,[3] Theodoracopulos was privately educated in the United States at Lawrenceville School and Blair Academy[4] before attending the University of Virginia.[5]

Theodoracopulos was a sportsman early in life. He represented Greece at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1962[6] having been a tennis player beforehand, including playing at the 1961 French Open.[7]

Career

Theodoracopulos's column "High Life" has appeared in The Spectator since 1977, where he wrote a series of controversial articles, including one claiming that black people had lower IQs, for which Boris Johnson, made editor in 1999, later apologised.[8][9][10] He has also written for other US and UK publications. In 1984, he was arrested for the possession of cocaine, after attempting to board a plane at Heathrow Airport, and served three months in HMP Pentonville.[3][5] He documented his prison experiences in Nothing to Declare: Prison Memoirs (1991).

In 2002, Theodoracopulos founded The American Conservative magazine with Pat Buchanan and Scott McConnell. He was also the publisher of the British magazine Right Now! He currently publishes and writes for Taki's Magazine, described as a libertarian webzine of "politics and culture."

Theodoracopulos appeared in the 2013 James Toback film Seduced and Abandoned as himself.[11][12]

He has received criticism for writing in support of Greek ultranationalist political party Golden Dawn,[13] and as a frequent critic of Israel,[14] leading to accusations of anti-semitism.[15] In 2018, he wrote an article commemorating D-Day in which he praised the Wehrmacht and asked readers to sympathize with them.[16][17][18]

Personal life

Theodoracopulos has an interest in Asian martial arts, holds a black belt in karate[19] and owned a 37.5-metre yacht named Bushido. The yacht was put up for sale in 2012.[20]

Bibliography

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Theodoracopulos, Taki (1976). The Greek Upheaval : Kings, Demagogues and Bayonets. London: Stacey International.
• Taki and Jeffrey Bernard, High Life, Low Life, introduction by Richard West, edited by Cosmo Landesman. London: Jay Landseman, 1981. ISBN 0-905150-27-9
• Taki, Princes, Playboys & High-Class Tarts, foreword by Tom Wolfe, illustrations by Blair Drawson. Princeton: Karz-Cohl Publishers, 1984. ISBN 0-943828-61-9
• Taki, High Life, selected by Andrew Cameron, illustrated by Michael Heath. London: Viking, 1989. ISBN 0-670-82956-0
• Taki, Nothing to Declare: Prison Memoirs, London: Viking, 1991. ISBN 0-670-83276-6
• Glass, Charles (ed.), Taki: The Spectator Columns, 2001–2009, London, Quartet, 2010. ISBN 978-0-7043-7192-7

References

1. "Taki". The Spectator.
2. Eaton, Phoebe (31 October 2014). "Gstaad: The Last Resort". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
3. Bell, Matthew (15 May 2010). "What's the point of Taki if he isn't offensive any more?". The Independent. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
4. "Taki Speaks at Skeptics". Blair Academy. 9 April 2008. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
5. Byrne, Ciar (12 June 2006). "The Indestructible Journos". The Independent. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
6. http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/19th-march-2005/40/skiing-for-pleasure
7. https://www.gstaadlife.com/2008/02/taki-tennis-circuit.html
8. Purnell, Sonia (2011). Just Boris: Boris Johnson: The Irresistible Rise of a Political Celebrity. London: Aurum Press Ltd. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-84513-665-9.
9. Byrnes, Sholto (1 February 2003). "A racist rant too far? Police investigate Taki the playboy pundit". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
10. "Boris says sorry over 'blacks have lower IQs' article in the Spectator". Evening Standard. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
11. Theodoracopulos, Taki (25 May 2013). "What's Cannes all about? Seducing someone important". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
12. Ross, Deborah (9 November 2013). "Ryan Gosling couldn't play Taki better than Taki". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
13. "Should The Spectator Have Published An Article Defending Golden Dawn?". Huffington Post. 23 July 2013.
14. "High seas and high horses - Opinion - Jerusalem Post". 5 October 2018. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018.
15. "MY FRIEND TAKI HAS GONE TOO FAR » 3 Mar 2001 » The Spectator Archive". 31 July 2018. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018.
16. Respected British magazine publishes defense of Nazi German troops, by JTA, in The Times of Israel; published 18 May 2018; retrieved 7 June 2019
17. Spectator editor Fraser Nelson claims power of editors 'comically overstated' in 500th issue under his editorship, by James Walker, in Press Gazette; published 5 April 2019; retrieved 7 June 2018
18. Spectator removes Harvey Weinstein quotes from interview, by Jim Waterson, in the Guardian; published 17 July 2018; retrieved 7 June 2019
19. Theodoracopulos, Taki (19 July 2013). "Black Belts and Golden Dawn". Taki's Magazine. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
20. Coletti, Paul (28 June 2012). "Taki's Yacht Bushido for Sale". Paul Coletti. Retrieved 8 November 2015.

External links

• Taki's Magazine
• Appearances on C-SPAN