Panagiotis "Taki" Theodoracopulos (/ˌθiːədɔːrəˈkɒpələs/; Greek: Παναγιώτης "Τάκης" Θεοδωρακόπουλος [panaˈʝotis ˈtacis θeoðoraˈkopulos]; born 11 August 1936)[1] is a Greek writer and publisher who founded Taki's Magazine and co-founded The American Conservative. His column "High Life" appeared in British weekly The Spectator from 1977 to 2023. He has lived in New York City, London, and Gstaad.[2]
Taki Theodoracopulos | |
|---|---|
| Παναγιώτης Θεοδωρακόπουλος | |
![Thumb](#/media/File:Taki_Theodoracopolous_appearing_on_"After_Dark"_on_23_February_1991.jpg) Theodoracopulos on TV show After Dark in 1991 | |
| Born | Panagiotis Theodoracopulos 11 August 1936 Greece |
| Education | |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia |
| Occupation(s) | 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 Championship.[7]
Career
Theodoracopulos's column "High Life" has appeared in British weekly The Spectator since 1977, where he wrote a series of controversial articles, including one claiming that black people had lower IQs than other people, for which Boris Johnson, made editor in 1999, later apologised.[8][9] He has also written for other US and UK publications, including Esquire, Hamptons Magazine, Newsweek, the New York Press, The Sunday Times, and Vanity Fair.[10]
In 1984, Theodoracopulos 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) and discussed them in an extended appearance on the British television programme After Dark.
In 2002, Theodoracopulos founded The American Conservative magazine with Pat Buchanan and Scott McConnell.[11] He was also the publisher of the British magazine Right Now![citation needed] He currently publishes and writes for Taki's Magazine. In 2016, the organization Proud Boys was launched with an article in Taki's Magazine by Gavin McInnes.[12][13][14]
Theodoracopulos appeared in the 2013 James Toback film Seduced and Abandoned as himself.[15][16]
He received criticism for writing in support of Greek ultranationalist political party Golden Dawn, describing them as "good old-fashioned patriotic Greeks" in a 2013 editorial. The editor of The Spectator, Fraser Nelson, defended Theodoracopulos by tweeting that "Our readers like diversity and well-written pieces that they disagree with. We have no party line."[17][18] In a 2021 interview, months after many Golden Dawn leaders were convicted by Greek courts for heading a criminal organisation, the chairman of The Spectator, Andrew Neil, who does not have influence over the magazine editorially, condemned the column, stating it was "beyond the pale". He further added that he had requested the editor to inform Theodoracopulos that he should not return to that topic following its publication.[19]
His frequent criticism of Israel[20] led Conrad Black to accuse him of antisemitism.[21][third-party source needed] In 2018, he wrote an article commemorating D-Day in which he praised the Wehrmacht and asked readers to sympathize with them.[22][23][24]
Racism
Theodoracopulos is described as having expressed racist views directed against West Indians, Puerto Ricans, and Jews, among others.[25] He has used the racial epithets "nigger" and "Sambo" to describe black people[26] and he referred to Saudi royal family members as "ruling towelheads".[10]
Attempted rape conviction
On 5 October 2023, Theodoracopulos received a 12-month suspended sentence for an attempted rape that occurred in 2009 in his chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland. His lawyer indicated that he would appeal the verdict by a Swiss court.[27]
Personal life
Theodoracopulos has an interest in Asian martial arts, and holds a black belt in karate.[28] He owned a 37.5-metre yacht named Bushido that was put up for sale in 2012.[29]
Bibliography
 |
- Theodoracopulos, Taki, The Greek Upheaval: Kings, Demagogues and Bayonets. London: Stacey International, 1976.
- 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
External links
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