Thaao Penghlis

Actor / Author / Podcast Host

When Thaao Penghlis looks in the mirror, he sees different faces. During his remarkable run over the last four decades on the NBC daytime drama “Days of Our Lives”, the Australian-born actor has played both the seductively villainous Count Tony DiMera and the count’s evil look-a-like impersonator Andre DiMera. The double roles are on top of a wide-ranging collection of characters on two other daytime series, “General Hospital” and “Santa Barbara”, as well as television series, movies and plays.

The grandson of Greek immigrants to Australia in the 1940s, Penghlis celebrates his heritage in his acting, writing, cooking, travels. He started his career acting on stage, performing in “Jockeys” under Milton Katselas's direction. He first appeared to daytime audiences in 1981 on “General Hospital” during the Ice Princess saga when he played the role of Victor Cassadine, brother of Mikkos and Anthony Cassadine. After his character was written out of the show by being taken to prison, he was cast as the villainous Count Tony DiMera, the son of villain Stefano DiMera in the NBC daytime drama “Days of Our Lives”. His long-running work on Days, has earned him three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Leading Actor and a Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Return.

In 1989, Penghlis played master-of-disguise Nicholas Black on the prime-time revival of “Mission: Impossible”. He also starred in the miniseries "Sadat", appeared opposite Omar Sharif and Jane Seymour in the miniseries adaptation of Sydney Sheldon’s “Memories of Midnight”, played a terrorist in the television film “Under Siege” with Peter Strauss and Hal Holbrook, and starred with Joanna Cassidy in the miniseries “Tribe”. One of his more unusual roles was playing the lover of Dame Edna as Colonel Godowni in the cult classic “Les Patterson Saves the World”.

In 2010 Penghlis returned to stage acting, performing in New Jersey's Cape May Stage theatre. He starred in Charles Evered's play “Class” with Heather Matarazzo. He also played the role of Haman in the 2013 film “The Book of Esther”.

He has also written two books. His travels inspired his first book, the deeply personal “Places: The Journey of My Days, My Lives” (2014), which delves into his Greek and Australian heritage and recounts his escapades from his entertainment career. His second book, “Seducing Celebrities One Meal at a Time” (2015), presents recipes for what would be his dream Hollywood dinner parties.

But one thing has remained constant for Thaao Penghlis: his Greek identity. He is currently the host of the popular podcast “The Lost Treasures”. This new project channels his passion for Greek history and culture by exploring the Trilogy of Homer through the life of German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who himself changed history by uncovering the real-life locations and treasures in the ancient epic poems.

Narrated by the actor, “The Lost Treasures” draws on his extensive research into Schliemann, including exclusive access to his papers, as well as his frequent travels to Greece, Egypt and Troy. Among his most memorable travels was to Greece’s Mount Athos, a center for monks from the Eastern Orthodox church.