Theodore Stephanides | |
|---|---|
 Theodore Stephanides visiting Corfu with the BBC in 1967 | |
| Born | Theodore Philip Stephanides 21 January 1896 |
| Died | 13 April 1983 (aged 87) |
| Nationality | Greece, United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | poet, author, translator, doctor, astronomer, naturalist, scientist, etc. |
| Spouse | Mary Alexander |
| Children | Alexia Stephanides-Mercouri |
| Parent(s) | Philip Stephanides and Caterina Ralli |
Theodore Philip Stephanides (Greek: Θεόδωρος Φίλιππος Στεφανίδης; 21 January 1896 – 13 April 1983) was a Greek-British doctor and polymath, best remembered as the friend and mentor of Gerald Durrell. He was also known as a naturalist, biologist, astronomer, poet, writer and translator.
Stephanides' autobiographical account of the Battle of Crete, Climax in Crete (1946), is still cited by military historians and his 1948 A Survey of the Freshwater Biology of Corfu and of Certain Other Regions of Greece is a definitive biological treatise on the freshwater life in Corfu.
He was portrayed in a number of books, including My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, Prospero's Cell by Lawrence Durrell, The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller as well as in several movies and TV productions, and has four biological species named after him.