Taki Theodoracopulos
Taki Theodoracopulos | |
|---|---|
| Παναγιώτης Θεοδωρακόπουλος | |
| File:Taki Theodoracopolous appearing on "After Dark" on 23 February 1991.jpg Theodoracopulos featured on the television programme After Dark in 1991 | |
| Born | Panagiotis Theodoracopulos 11 August 1936 Greece |
| Education | |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia |
| Occupations |
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Panagiotis "Taki" Theodoracopulos (; ; born 11 August 1936) is a Greek author and publisher, known for founding Taki's Magazine and co-founding The American Conservative. His "High Life" column was featured in the British weekly The Spectator from 1977 until 2023. He has resided in cities including New York, London, and Gstaad.
Early life and education
Born to a Greek shipping tycoon, Theodoracopulos received private schooling in the United States at Lawrenceville School and Blair Academy, followed by higher education at the University of Virginia.
In his youth, he was an athlete representing Greece at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1962, having also competed in tennis tournaments such as the 1961 French Championship.
Career
From 1977 to 2023, Theodoracopulos penned the "High Life" column for the British weekly The Spectator, which occasionally included contentious viewpoints, notably assertions regarding racial IQ differences that prompted an apology from editor Boris Johnson. His writings have also appeared in various American and British outlets including Esquire, Hamptons Magazine, Newsweek, The Sunday Times, and Vanity Fair.
In 1984, he was detained at Heathrow Airport on charges of cocaine possession and subsequently served a three-month sentence at HM Prison Pentonville. He recounted this period in his book Nothing to Declare: Prison Memoirs (1991) and discussed it during an appearance on the television show After Dark.
Theodoracopulos co-established The American Conservative magazine in 2002 alongside Pat Buchanan and Scott McConnell. He also published the UK magazine Right Now! and currently serves as publisher and contributor to Taki's Magazine. Notably, the far-right organisation Proud Boys was initiated through an article published in Taki's Magazine by Gavin McInnes in 2016.
In 2004, he faced criticism from The Guardian over racially charged comments directed at West Indians, Puerto Ricans, and Jewish communities. His language has included racial slurs against black individuals and offensive references to Saudi royalty.
He appeared as himself in the documentary film Seduced and Abandoned released in 2013. That year, he attracted controversy for endorsing the Greek far-right party Golden Dawn, describing its members as "good old-fashioned patriotic Greeks" in a piece for Spectator. The publication’s editor defended including diverse perspectives. However, following the 2021 conviction of Golden Dawn leaders for criminal activities, Spectator chairman Andrew Neil condemned Theodoracopulos’s column as unacceptable and requested he refrain from addressing that subject.
His persistent critiques of Israel led media figure Conrad Black to accuse him of antisemitism. In 2018, he authored a provocative article marking D-Day, wherein he praised the Wehrmacht and called for empathy towards German soldiers.
Attempted rape conviction
On 5 October 2023, Theodoracopulos was sentenced to a 12-month suspended term related to an attempted rape incident that occurred in 2009 at his chalet located in Gstaad, Switzerland. His legal representative announced plans to challenge the ruling issued by the Swiss judiciary.
Personal life
Theodoracopulos is a black belt holder in karate and has shown a keen enthusiasm for martial arts originating from Asia. He was once the owner of a 37.5-metre yacht called Bushido, which was put up for sale in 2012.
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.
- Taki, Princes, Playboys & High-Class Tarts, foreword by Tom Wolfe, illustrations by Blair Drawson. Princeton: Karz-Cohl Publishers, 1984.
- Taki, High Life, selected by Andrew Cameron, illustrated by Michael Heath. London: Viking, 1989.
- Taki, Nothing to Declare: Prison Memoirs, London: Viking, 1991.
- Glass, Charles (ed.), Taki: The Spectator Columns, 2001–2009, London: Quartet, 2010.