Born in Kissamos, Cretan State, he was the youngest of five children of Haralambos Katrakis and Irini Katraki. When Manos was 10 years old, his family moved from Crete to Athens, where his father searched for work. His brother, Giannis, emigrated to North America. Manos played soccer during his youth for the Athinaikos football team and others.
Along with actor/director Kostas Leloudas, he acted in his first movie To Lavaro tou '21 in 1928. He later performed in the Ethniko Theatro (the National Theatre) in 1931. During the 1930s, he continued acting in theatrical plays (he was friends with the maestro Dimitris Mitropoulos). He married Anna Lori in 1943.
He took part in the resistance as a member of EAM/ELAS[citation needed] and after refusing to sign a declaration of repentance during the Greek Civil War of 1946–49,[citation needed] he was exiled to Makronisos, along with such other well-known figures as Yiannis Ritsos, Nikos Koundouros, Mikis Theodorakis and Thanasis Veggos.[citation needed]
In the 1950s he returned to Athens from Makronisos but there was little acting work. He was handed both small and big roles in plays and films.
In 1954, he met the dancer Linda Alma (real name Eleni Malioufa). Since then they lived together until his death, while in 1979 they got married. Shortly before his death, he filmed his last and best movie Taxidi sta Kythira, the Journey to Kythera/Kythira, with director Theo Angelopoulos.
Death and legacy
Katrakis died at the age of 76 on 2 September 1984, from lung cancer; he had been an avid smoker for most of his life. He was survived by his wife, Linda Alma. Alma died in 1999 at the age of 72. In 2009 the Greek Post Office issued a €0,01 postage stamp in honor of Katrakis.
