Funny People - Nick Giannopolous

Nick Giannopolous

The Australian stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer and director took the word "wog" (referring to Southern Europeans in Australia) from an ethnic slur to a new brand of comedy. In the late 1980's, he co-wrote and produced the stage show Wogs Out of Work and toured the country with some of Australia's biggest name comedians including Simon Palomares, George Kapiniaris and Mary Coustas. Wogs Out of Work went on to become one of the highest grossing Australian live shows of all time. The success of the show led to one of the most successful Australian sitcoms of all time, Acropolis Now, which he co-starred with the cast of Wogs Out of Work. Giannopolous toured Australia in the 1990's and 2000's with stage shows including Wog Boys, Wog-A-Rama and Wog Story. In 2000, he co-wrote, co-produced and starred in the Australian hit comedy film The Wog Boy. The Wog Boy went on to become the 18th highest grossing Australian film of all time and spawned a sequel in 2010. 

Memorable quotes / jokes

The Wog Boy -

(Steve the bingo host awarding the winner with the prize)

Steve (Giannopolous) : Congratulations Mr. Lee, you have won an authentic plaster lion courtesy of Mannolis Plaster Emporium alright.
Mr. Lee : But Vietnamese have elephant not lion.
Steve : Elephant. Lion. The same.
Mr. Lee : They is?
Steve : Yeah, you see Mr.Lee, in Australia...eh...same, same everything's same. My father came to Australia on a boat. And you came on a boat too, the only difference is your boat...was a little bit smaller.

Acropolis Now -

(Jim makes a statement to his co-workers)

Jim (Giannopolous) : Wherever there's trouble, that's where you'll find me. Wherever there's injustice, that's where I am. Mate, for my friend Memo here I would climb every mountain, forward every stream. Look up in the sky...it's a bird, it's a plane...
Memo (Kapiniaris) : It's your eyebrow.
Jim : No, it's Superwog! Yes Superwog, who disguised as souvlaki shop owner Clark Kentopolous, fights a never ending battle for truth, justice and the Hellenic way. Up, up and Tzatziki!

(Meeting Lars for the first time)

Lars : Allow me to introduce myself. Lars Larsen, Swedish from Stockholm.
Jim : Jim Stephanidis, Aussie from Athens.