Taki Theodoracopulos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 85.255.234.31 (talk) at 19:19, 12 August 2020 (→‎Career: Corrected the stating of a disputed opinion as fact). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Taki Theodoracopulos
Παναγιώτης Θεοδωρακόπουλος
Appearing on TV show After Dark in 1991
Born
Panagiotis Theodoracopulos

(1936-08-11) 11 August 1936 (age 87)
Greece
Education
Alma materUniversity of Virginia
Occupation(s)Journalist, publisher, writer

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]

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![citation needed] 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[by whom?] 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

  • Theodoracopulos, Taki (1976). The Greek Upheaval : Kings, Demagogues and Bayonets. London: Stacey International. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |authormask= (help)
  • 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Taki_Theodoracopulos&oldid=972568029"