Eddie Kulukundis
Encyclopedia
Sir Eddie Kulukundis OBE (born 1932 in London
) is a member of a Greek shipping
family whose professional career has spanned shipping and the theatre
.
The well known philanthropist
has donated in excess of £2 Million to British
athletics
and theatre groups. Kulukundis was made in OBE for services to British sport in 1993, and Knighted for services to British theatre and sport in 1998. He is married to the popular British actress Susan Hampshire
.
shipping family who had made their home in London. Eddie was born at 26 Warbeck Street, W2 in 1932.
Kulukundis's parents moved to New York
when he was eight, and not being much of an active sportsman, Kulukundis became the next best thing: the statistician, the guy who would keep the score and carry the sweaters. He graduated from Salisbury School
in 1950, and is an Emeritus Trustee.
families had formed the shipping company London & Overseas Freighters
(LOF) in 1948. Kulukundis entered the shipping industry by working on tramp steamer
s in the Mediterranean. After the death of his uncle John Kulukundis in September 1978 Eddie joined the LOF board. The company suffered mounting losses, and after it had sold all but two of its ships and all shore side assets, Eddie resigned on 11 December 1985.
He rejoined the board of the much reduced company in 1988 following the death of company president Manuel Kulukundis, and the also death of his nephew, Minas Kulukundis, in the Lockerbie air disaster
while flying to attend the funeral of his uncle and godfather Captain Nicholas Kulukundis. On 1 November 1997 LOF was sold to Frontline Freighters AB of Sweden
and Eddie resigned from the board. He still holds positions with family company Company Rethymnis and Kulukundis Ltd, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1998.
. He co-produced the 1976 Tony award
winning play Travesties
by Tom Stoppard
.
Kulukundis later formed Knightsbridge Productions, with theatre artist/educator Jack Lynn.
In 1993, Kulukundis was part of a consortium which took over the struggling Duke of York's Theatre
on St Martin's Lane. The consortium became the Ambassador Theatre Group
, of which Kulukundis is presently Chairman and a major share holder.
, Linford Christie
, Sally Gunnell
, Roger Black
, and Denise Lewis
. Currently it is estimated that Kulukundis supports about 60 to 70 athletes.
The philanthropy started when he returned to the UK, and a chance meeting with David Hemery
. Through Harry Wilson, Steve Ovett's coach, Kulukundis received the names of several athletes who needed help. Every deal is recorded by his secretary because, theoretically, each one is only a loan. Among athletes Kulukundis has supported are:
In November 1998 Kulukundis was beaten by former Olympic
champion David Hemery
to become the first elected president of UK Athletics
. Kulukundis is currently: chairman of the London Coaching Foundation; the Midland Coaching Foundation and Athletes Youth Performance; vice-president of UK Athletics; chairman of the British Athletic Field Event Charitable Trust; chairman and patron of the Belgrave Harriers
athletics club
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) is a member of a Greek shipping
Greek shipping
The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience...
family whose professional career has spanned shipping and the theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
.
The well known philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
has donated in excess of £2 Million to British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
and theatre groups. Kulukundis was made in OBE for services to British sport in 1993, and Knighted for services to British theatre and sport in 1998. He is married to the popular British actress Susan Hampshire
Susan Hampshire
Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, OBE is an English actress, best-known for her many television and film roles.-Early life:Susan Hampshire was born in Kensington, London, the youngest of four children. She had two sisters and one brother...
.
Biography
Eddie is a member of the Kulukundis family, a GreekGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
shipping family who had made their home in London. Eddie was born at 26 Warbeck Street, W2 in 1932.
Kulukundis's parents moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
when he was eight, and not being much of an active sportsman, Kulukundis became the next best thing: the statistician, the guy who would keep the score and carry the sweaters. He graduated from Salisbury School
Salisbury School
Salisbury School is an all-boys, private college-preparatory boarding school founded in 1901 and located in Salisbury, Connecticut. Its school newspaper is The Cupola. Its mascot is the Crimson Knight. The School's motto is Esse quam videri, which translates to To be rather than to seem to...
in 1950, and is an Emeritus Trustee.
Shipping
The Kulukundis and MavroleonMavroleon family
The Mavroleon family is a Greek family of shipping magnates with strong United Kingdom connections. They also own a large amount of land in Greece...
families had formed the shipping company London & Overseas Freighters
London & Overseas Freighters
London & Overseas Freighters Ltd. was an ocean-going merchant shipping company that for most of its history was based in the United Kingdom.-Counties Ship Management:...
(LOF) in 1948. Kulukundis entered the shipping industry by working on tramp steamer
Tramp steamer
A ship engaged in the tramp trade is one which does not have a fixed schedule or published ports of call. As opposed to freight liners, tramp ships trade on the spot market with no fixed schedule or itinerary/ports-of-call...
s in the Mediterranean. After the death of his uncle John Kulukundis in September 1978 Eddie joined the LOF board. The company suffered mounting losses, and after it had sold all but two of its ships and all shore side assets, Eddie resigned on 11 December 1985.
He rejoined the board of the much reduced company in 1988 following the death of company president Manuel Kulukundis, and the also death of his nephew, Minas Kulukundis, in the Lockerbie air disaster
Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport...
while flying to attend the funeral of his uncle and godfather Captain Nicholas Kulukundis. On 1 November 1997 LOF was sold to Frontline Freighters AB of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Eddie resigned from the board. He still holds positions with family company Company Rethymnis and Kulukundis Ltd, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1998.
Theatre
A theatre impresario, Kulukundis started producing plays while resident in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He co-produced the 1976 Tony award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
winning play Travesties
Travesties
Travesties is a play by Tom Stoppard.The play centres on the figure of Henry Carr, an elderly man who reminisces about Zürich in 1917 during the First World War, and his interactions with James Joyce when he was writing Ulysses, Tristan Tzara during the rise of Dada, and Lenin leading up to the...
by Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
.
Kulukundis later formed Knightsbridge Productions, with theatre artist/educator Jack Lynn.
In 1993, Kulukundis was part of a consortium which took over the struggling Duke of York's Theatre
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End Theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre, until her death in 1935. It opened on 10 September 1892 as the Trafalgar Square Theatre, with Wedding...
on St Martin's Lane. The consortium became the Ambassador Theatre Group
Ambassador Theatre Group
The Ambassador Theatre Group is an independent operator of theatres in the United Kingdom. Formed in 1992, by Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire,OBE, it acquired the Live Nation theatre group in November 2009.-List of theatres:...
, of which Kulukundis is presently Chairman and a major share holder.
Athletics
Kulukundis has given more than £2 million to British athletes over the last 25 years, including Steve OvettSteve Ovett
Stephen Michael James "Steve" Ovett OBE , is a former middle distance runner from England. He was gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, U.S.S.R., and set world records for 1500 metres and the mile run...
, Linford Christie
Linford Christie
Linford Cicero Christie OBE is a former sprinter from the United Kingdom. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games...
, Sally Gunnell
Sally Gunnell
Sally Jane Janet Gunnell OBE is a former British Olympic champion in the 400 m hurdles...
, Roger Black
Roger Black
Roger Anthony Black MBE is a retired British athlete. During his athletics career, he won individual silver medals in the 400 metres sprint at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, two individual gold medals at the European Championships, and 4x400 metres relay gold medals at both the...
, and Denise Lewis
Denise Lewis
Denise Lewis OBE is a retired British athlete who specialised in the heptathlon. She won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.-2000 Olympics:...
. Currently it is estimated that Kulukundis supports about 60 to 70 athletes.
The philanthropy started when he returned to the UK, and a chance meeting with David Hemery
David Hemery
David Peter Hemery, CBE, is a British former athlete, winner of the 400m hurdles at the 1968 Summer Olympics.He was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, but his father's work took the family to the United States, where he attended school and graduated from Boston University.Hemery's first...
. Through Harry Wilson, Steve Ovett's coach, Kulukundis received the names of several athletes who needed help. Every deal is recorded by his secretary because, theoretically, each one is only a loan. Among athletes Kulukundis has supported are:
- Roger BlackRoger BlackRoger Anthony Black MBE is a retired British athlete. During his athletics career, he won individual silver medals in the 400 metres sprint at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, two individual gold medals at the European Championships, and 4x400 metres relay gold medals at both the...
- "'When I was out of action for two years and earning nothing, it was Eddie who helped me with my mortgage." - Nick BuckfieldNick BuckfieldNicholas Jean Buckfield is an English pole vaulter. His personal best jump is 5.80 metres, achieved in May 1998 in Chania. He has 5.81 metres on the indoor track, achieved in February 2002 in Bad Segeberg.-Achievements:...
- Dwain ChambersDwain ChambersDwain Anthony Chambers is an English sprinter of Afro-Caribbean descent. He has won medals on the international stage numerous times and is one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of recorded athletics. His primary event is the 100 metres sprint, in which he has the second...
- who had to move out of home, so Kulukundis funded his flat - Linford ChristieLinford ChristieLinford Cicero Christie OBE is a former sprinter from the United Kingdom. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games...
- Sally GunnellSally GunnellSally Jane Janet Gunnell OBE is a former British Olympic champion in the 400 m hurdles...
- David Jenkins - the disgraced 400m runner returned the $800 lent to him in 1978, when Kulukundis visited IndianapolisIndianapolisIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
in 1998 for the US trials - Du'aine LadejoDu'aine LadejoDu'aine Ladejo is an English-born athlete and television personality. In his sports career, he was best known for winning the 400 metres sprint gold medal at the 1994 European Championships and being a member of the United Kingdom and England 400 metre relay squads at the European Championships,...
- Denise LewisDenise LewisDenise Lewis OBE is a retired British athlete who specialised in the heptathlon. She won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.-2000 Olympics:...
- Dean MaceyDean MaceyDean Macey is an English athlete from Canvey Island. He is best known for competing in the decathlon, which he did from 1995 to 2008, winning World Championship and Commonwealth Games medals, as well as twice finishing fourth in the Olympic Games...
- Kulukundis provided Macey with an inexhaustible supply of free motor transport - Macey returned what remained of the car a few months later. On one occasion, the timelag between provision and destruction was no more than an afternoon. After three crashes, Macey gave up and Kulukundis funded his warm winter training instead - Steve OvettSteve OvettStephen Michael James "Steve" Ovett OBE , is a former middle distance runner from England. He was gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, U.S.S.R., and set world records for 1500 metres and the mile run...
- Fatima WhitbreadFatima WhitbreadFatima Whitbread MBE is a British former javelin thrower and multiple medal-winner.-Early life:...
- Janine WhitlockJanine WhitlockJanine Whitlock is an English pole vaulter.Her personal best is 4.47 metres, achieved in July 2005 at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, in the same meet that Yelena Isinbayeva became the first woman to clear 5 metres....
- Eugene Gilkes "It was Eddie's support that made it possible for me to continue through the trials and tribulations of injury for long enough to hobble to a Commonwealth Decathlon medal. And so many of the good things in life that have happened since have been as a direct result of this achievement. I will always be grateful"
In November 1998 Kulukundis was beaten by former Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
champion David Hemery
David Hemery
David Peter Hemery, CBE, is a British former athlete, winner of the 400m hurdles at the 1968 Summer Olympics.He was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, but his father's work took the family to the United States, where he attended school and graduated from Boston University.Hemery's first...
to become the first elected president of UK Athletics
UK Athletics
UK Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for overseeing the governance of athletics events in the UK as well as athletes, their development, and athletics officials....
. Kulukundis is currently: chairman of the London Coaching Foundation; the Midland Coaching Foundation and Athletes Youth Performance; vice-president of UK Athletics; chairman of the British Athletic Field Event Charitable Trust; chairman and patron of the Belgrave Harriers
Belgrave Harriers
Belgrave Harriers, founded in 1887, are one of the leading athletics clubs in Britain, with headquarters located in Wimbledon, close to Wimbledon Common....
athletics club
Quotations
- "My luck is that my parents were very wealthy."
- "If you don't run a business with one eye open for the costs, it's a disaster. So I have to say I'm a very poor businessman."
External links
- Interview with Independent re Sports philanthropy
- Kulukundis Family at London & Overseas Freighters news site
- London & Overseas Freighters history 1948-1992