Giorgio A. Tsoukalos | |
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Tsoukalos at AlienCon 2016 | |
Born | (1978-03-14) 14 March 1978 (age 46) Lucerne, Switzerland |
Education | Ithaca College |
Occupations |
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Website | thealiensguy |
Giorgio A. Tsoukalos (/ˈsuːkələs/, Greek: Γεώργιος Τσούκαλος; born 14 March 1978) is a Swiss-born writer, and television presenter and producer. He is a ufologist and a promoter of the ancient astronauts hypothesis. He is best known for his appearances on Ancient Aliens, a History Channel series of which he is also producer.
Career
Tsoukalos is of Greek-Austrian heritage. He is a 1998 graduate of Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, with a bachelor's degree in Communications. From 1999 to 2007, he worked as a promoter of IFBB-sanctioned bodybuilding contests, including Mr. Olympia. He was lead promoter and contest director of the IFBB San Francisco Pro Grand Prix from 2001 to 2005.
Since 2002, Tsoukalos has appeared in programs broadcast by Travel Channel, History Channel, Syfy, and National Geographic. He was the editor of Legendary Times magazine from 1999 to 2008. He is a co-executive producer of Ancient Aliens, and he has appeared in more than 200 episodes since 2009. He presented and co-produced the 2014 H2 series In Search of Aliens.
Ancient Aliens meme
Tsoukalos's appearances in Ancient Aliens inspired a meme highlighting his unusual hairstyle overlaid with the caption: "I'm not saying it was aliens … but …" Variations of the meme were uploaded by users as early as November 2010. According to Dictionary.com, the meme mimicked "the tone of conviction used by Tsoukalos to present unfounded far-fetched pseudo-logic as fact."
In a 2015 Reddit AMA, Tsoukalos said he loved the meme, adding "it's a great honor to have been embraced" by Internet users. During a 2016 appearance on CNN Philippines, Tsoukalos's meme-ification was discussed at length. A partial transcript of the interview was later published online as "Meet the Hair Guy from Ancient Aliens."
In 2021, Tsoukalos made a cameo appearance in the Resident Alien episode "Welcome Aliens". He was described by the lead character as "that high-haired gentleman". The episode included several references to the Ancient Aliens meme. Tsoukalos reprised his cameo in the 2022 episode "Best of Enemies".
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2002 | In Search of | Self | 1 episode; Credited as an Egyptologist |
2003 | Is It Real? | Episode: "Ancient Astronauts" | |
Is There a Stargate? | Documentary short | ||
2007 | Mysterious Journeys | 3 episodes | |
2008 | Indiana Jones and the Ultimate Quest | TV documentary | |
2008–2016 | Coast to Coast AM | Syndicated radio program; 9 episodes | |
2009 | Race to Witch Mountain | Giorgio (cameo) | Uncredited appearance |
UFO Hunters | Self | 3 episodes | |
2009–2024 | Ancient Aliens | Self / Producer |
|
2010 | Extreme Universe | Self | Episode: "Star Gates" |
2011 | The Mo'Nique Show | 1 episode; Archive footage appeared in later episodes | |
2011–12 | The Joe Rogan Experience | Podcast; Episodes #125 and #232 | |
2013 | Contacto Extraterrestre | Episode: "Caídos a Tierra" | |
America's Book of Secrets | Episode: "The Ancient Astronaut Cover-Up" | ||
2014 | In Search of Aliens | Self / Presenter | 10 episodes; Credited as co-executive producer |
2017 | Ancient Aliens Declassified | Self | 6 episodes; Highlights from Ancients Aliens |
Next Week with Jeff Durbin | Episode: "Conspiracy Theories and Sam McClure"; Archive footage | ||
2018 | BuzzFeed Unsolved Supernatural | Episode: "The Unexplained Phoenix Lights Phenomenon" | |
The Noite com Danilo Gentili | Episode: "Ufólogos" | ||
2019 | Truth-Seekers | Giorgio Tsoukalos (cameo) | Short film |
2020 | The UnXplained | Self | Episode: "The Truth About UFO's" |
2021–22 | Resident Alien | Giorgio Tsoukalos (cameo) | 2 episodes |
2022 | Les Secrets du miracle de Fatima | Self | TV documentary; Archive footage |
References
- Childress, David Hatcher (30 July 2009). Lost Cities and Ancient Mysteries of the Southwest. Kempton, IL: Adventures Unlimited Press. p. 400. ISBN 978-1-931882-94-1.
- Wood, Jennifer M. (18 April 2015). "10 Things We Learned About Aliens (and Hairspray) from Giorgio Tsoukalos' AMA". MentalFloss. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- Birnes, William J. (23 February 2016). UFO Hunters Book Two. New York: Tor Books. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-7653-2521-1.
- ^ "10 Facts About the Ancient Aliens Guy". History Channel. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- ^ "Giorgio A. Tsoukalos". www.legendarytimes.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- Colavito, Jason (30 December 2005). The Cult of Alien Gods: H.P. Lovecraft and Extraterrestrial Pop Culture. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-1-59102-352-4.
- Teper, Lonnie (3 March 2003). "Cutler Repeats as Schwarzenegger Classic Champion". Iron Man. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- "Uspto Issues Trademark: Legendary Times". US Fed News Service. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- "Giorgio A. Tsoukalos: Short Biographical Sketch". Legendary Times. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- Card, Jeb J.; Anderson, David S. (2016). Lost City, Found Pyramid: Understanding Alternative Archaeologies and Pseudoscientific Practices. University of Alabama Press. ISBN 978-0817319113.
- "Giorgio A. Tsoukalos - Ancient Aliens Cast". History. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- "In Search of Aliens". History. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Ancient Aliens". Know Your Meme. 15 May 2011. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ "ancient aliens". Dictionary.com. March 2018. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- Tsoukalos, Giorgio (17 April 2015). "I am Giorgio Tsoukalos. You may know me from the show ANCIENT ALIENS. AMA!". r/IAmA. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- Juacian, Don (26 August 2016). "I want to believe: Meet the hair guy from "Ancient Aliens"". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- "Welcome Aliens". Resident Alien. Season 1. Episode 9. 24 March 2021. Syfy.
- Sagers, Aaron (21 April 2021). "Resident Alien: Inside That Hair-Raising Cameo". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- "Giorgio Tsoukalos". Coast to Coast AM. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
External links
Categories:- 1978 births
- Ancient astronauts proponents
- Internet memes
- Ithaca College alumni
- Living people
- Mythographers
- People from Lucerne
- Swiss editors
- Swiss conspiracy theorists
- Swiss emigrants to the United States
- Swiss people of Greek descent
- Swiss people of Austrian descent
- Ufologists
- Pseudohistorians
- Swiss television producers