Georgios Karatzaferis
A provocative Greek media mogul turned politician who founded a right-wing party and consistently challenged the country's political establishment.
Born 1947 (age 79)·Greek politician·Birthday: August 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
Georgios Karatzaferis entered public life through journalism, founding the television channel TeleAsty and the newspaper A1, platforms he would later use to amplify his political voice. Initially a member of the center-right New Democracy party, his nationalist and populist views eventually put him at odds with its leadership. In 2000, he broke away to found the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS), a party that blended social conservatism, Greek Orthodox identity, and skepticism of globalization and immigration. Karatzaferis, with his forceful oratory and media savvy, secured a place in parliament, proving that LAOS could attract a persistent, if minority, share of the vote. His political journey reflected the tensions in modern Greece, as he positioned himself as a defender of traditional Hellenic values against both the left and the centrist political class, leaving a mark on the nation's political discourse.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Georgios was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Georgios Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Georgios's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded and served as president of the right-wing Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) political party.
- Elected as a Member of the Hellenic Parliament multiple times, both with New Democracy and later with LAOS.
- Founded the private TV channel TeleAsty and the weekly newspaper A1, which became mouthpieces for his political movement.
- Served as a Member of the European Parliament and was vice-president of the Independence and Democracy group.
Did You Know?
Before politics, he was a journalist and worked for the Greek national broadcaster ERT.
He is a licensed helicopter pilot.
His party, LAOS, was the first from the right-wing fringe to enter the Greek parliament in decades when it succeeded in 2007.
He named his political party after a historical Byzantine military term meaning 'the people's army'.
“Greece for the Greeks, first, last, and always.”
