2007-06-04 14:02:00 -

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Veteran Greek stage and film actor Sotiris Moustakas has died at the age of 67, authorities said Monday.

Moustakas, primarily a comedian whose acting career spanned more than four decades, collapsed while rehearsing a production at a local theater, and died early Monday after being transferred to an Athens hospital, the

prime minister's office said in a statement. The exact cause of death was not released.

Moustakas appeared in 76 films and numerous stage plays, and was a popular television actor.

Moustakas was «one of the most significant comic actors who has emerged from Greece and Cyprus,» said Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis in a tribute to the comic.

Born in Limassol, Cyprus, in 1940, Moustakas graduated from the National Theater of Greece and was known for his portrayal of offbeat, neurotic yet likable characters. He appeared primarily in modern films and plays, although he also performed several roles in classical works. Moustakas was shortly to participate in a national tour of a play by the ancient comic Aristophanes, known for his biting social satire.

Moustakas' international film debut came in 1964 in the Oscar-winning movie Zorba the Greek starring Anthony Quinn, in which he played Mimithos, the village idiot. Although his recent work was mainly in the theater, he also had a role in the 2007 film El Greco.

Moustakas is survived by his actress wife Maria Bonelou and one daughter. No funeral details were immediately available.