Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#1317
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Elias Koteas represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 36 years in, and Elias is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Elias Koteas appears in 30 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Elias. Zodiac is the clearest case: a film rated 8.8 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for drama, action, crime. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Annie Baker, Tali Shalom-Ezer, Louis Leterrier and others, Elias Koteas helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Zodiac (2007) as Jack Mulanax · Shutter Island (2010) as Laeddis · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) as Monsieur Gateau
Career snapshot
Ranked #1317 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
30
1988–2024
Career length
36 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.8
Zodiac
Average Nutevio score
6.6
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
8.2
Shutter Island
Most frequent director
David Fincher
3 films together
Longest collaboration
3×
With David Fincher
Most common genre
Drama
22 titles
Average runtime
1h 54m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.0
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.9
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2010s
6.9 average MV
The 2010s are where the work and the material meet. My Days of Mercy, Now You See Me, Devil's Knot — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2010s
6.9
Across 7 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2010s
6.8
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1980s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. She's Having a Baby.
Most productive era
2000s
12 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 5.91 film | 7.05 films | 6.78 films | 6.86 films | 6.22 films |
| Action | — | 6.62 films | 6.14 films | — | 6.31 film |
| Thriller | — | 6.23 films | 6.46 films | 6.85 films | — |
| Comedy | 5.91 film | 6.12 films | 6.13 films | — | — |
| Crime | — | 6.12 films | 7.24 films | 6.43 films | 6.31 film |
| Romance | 5.91 film | 5.51 film | 6.93 films | 7.31 film | — |
| Horror | — | 6.51 film | 5.12 films | 6.81 film | — |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Elias Koteas (uncredited).
Highest rated performance · Career peak
2007Zodiac
8.8 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2024Janet Planet
The current state of the argument, as Avi.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
30 of 30 films
as Jack Mulanax
Directed by David Fincher
as Laeddis
Directed by Martin Scorsese
as Jack Mulanax
Directed by David Fincher
as Monsieur Gateau
Directed by David Fincher
as Capt. James Staros
Directed by Terrence Malick
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Showing 24 of 34 titles · 34 total credits · active 1988–2024
Janet Planet
2024 · Avi
The Baker
2023 · Vic
My Days of Mercy
2018 · Simon
Chicago Justice
2017 · TV · Alvin Olinsky
Goliath
2016 · TV · Tom True
Chicago P.D.
2014 · TV · Alvin Olinsky
Now You See Me
2013 · Lionel Shrike (uncredited)
Devil's Knot
2013 · Jerry Driver
Dream House
2011 · Boyce
The Killing
2011 · TV · James Skinner
Shutter Island
2010 · Laeddis
The Killer Inside Me
2010 · Joe Rothman
Let Me In
2010 · The Policeman
The Fourth Kind
2009 · Abel Campos
Defendor
2009 · Chuck Dooney
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2008 · Monsieur Gateau
Two Lovers
2008 · Ronald Blatt
Zodiac
2007 · Jack Mulanax
Shooter
2007 · Jack Payne
Skinwalkers
2006 · Jonas
CSI: NY
2004 · TV · Joe
Collateral Damage
2002 · Peter Brandt
S1m0ne
2002 · Hank Alano
Novocaine
2001 · Harlan Sangster
The defining work
#1
Jack Mulanax
Zodiac (2007)
Performance score8.7
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Jack Mulanax gives Elias Koteas a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Laeddis
Shutter Island (2010)
Performance score8.1
Shutter Island asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Laeddis is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Jack Mulanax
Zodiac (2007)
Performance score7.7
Zodiac asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Jack Mulanax is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Monsieur Gateau
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Performance score7.6
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Monsieur Gateau is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Jack Mulanax
Start here. Zodiac is the clearest statement of what Elias Koteas does — accessible, 157 minutes, and rated 8.8 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Elias at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Keeps the drama register of Zodiac but asks for a colder reading of it.
Zodiac (2007)
A deliberate change of key after The Thin Red Line — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Same director as Zodiac, different problem to solve. Watching them in order shows how much of the effect was the collaboration.
Shutter Island (2010)
Keeps the drama register of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
David Fincher
Director
3 films together
Notably Zodiac
Andrew Niccol
Director
2 films together
Notably Gattaca
Atom Egoyan
Director
2 films together
Notably Exotica
John Hughes
Director
1 film together
Notably She's Having a Baby
Steve Barron
Director
1 film together
Notably Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Michael Cimino
Director
1 film together
Notably Desperate Hours
Amy Heckerling
Director
1 film together
Notably Look Who's Talking Too
Gregory Widen
Director
1 film together
Notably The Prophecy
Gregory Hoblit
Director
1 film together
Notably Fallen
Terrence Malick
Director
1 film together
Notably The Thin Red Line
Janusz Kamiński
Director
1 film together
Notably Lost Souls
Andrew Davis
Director
1 film together
Notably Collateral Damage
Antoine Fuqua
Director
1 film together
Notably Shooter
Peter Stebbings
Director
1 film together
Notably Defendor
Olatunde Osunsanmi
Director
1 film together
Notably The Fourth Kind
Matt Reeves
Director
1 film together
Notably Let Me In
Martin Scorsese
Director
1 film together
Notably Shutter Island
Jim Sheridan
Director
1 film together
Notably Dream House
Louis Leterrier
Director
1 film together
Notably Now You See Me
Tali Shalom-Ezer
Director
1 film together
Notably My Days of Mercy
Annie Baker
Director
1 film together
Notably Janet Planet
Zach Grenier
Actor
1 film together
Notably Zodiac
Richmond Arquette
Actor
1 film together
Notably Zodiac
Bob Stephenson
Actor
1 film together
Notably Zodiac
Jake Gyllenhaal
Actor
1 film together
Notably Zodiac
Mark Ruffalo
Actor
1 film together
Notably Zodiac
Anthony Edwards
Actor
1 film together
Notably Zodiac
Robert Downey Jr.
Actor
1 film together
Notably Zodiac
Chloë Sevigny
Actor
1 film together
Notably Zodiac
John Carroll Lynch
Actor
1 film together
Notably Zodiac
Brian Cox
Actor
1 film together
Notably Zodiac
Dermot Mulroney
Actor
1 film together
Notably Zodiac
Charles Fleischer
Actor
1 film together
Notably Zodiac
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
David Fincher
Director
3 films together · 8.1 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
ZodiacAndrew Niccol
Director
2 films together · 6.8 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
GattacaAtom Egoyan
Director
2 films together · 6.4 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
ExoticaMartin Scorsese
Director
1 film together · 8.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Shutter IslandTerrence Malick
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Thin Red LineTali Shalom-Ezer
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
My Days of MercyLouis Leterrier
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Now You See MeAntoine Fuqua
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ShooterMatt Reeves
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Let Me InGregory Hoblit
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
FallenSteve Barron
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesGregory Widen
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The ProphecyOlatunde Osunsanmi
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Fourth KindPeter Stebbings
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DefendorJim Sheridan
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Dream HouseAnnie Baker
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Janet PlanetJohn Hughes
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
She's Having a BabyAndrew Davis
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Collateral DamageAmy Heckerling
Director
1 film together · 5.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Look Who's Talking TooMichael Cimino
Director
1 film together · 5.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Desperate HoursJanusz Kamiński
Director
1 film together · 5.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Lost SoulsSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Zodiac
as Jack Mulanax
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
as Monsieur Gateau
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Zodiac
as Jack Mulanax
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Now You See Me
as Lionel Shrike (uncredited)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Zodiac
as Jack Mulanax
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Elias Koteas has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
| Nutevio Performer Score | 7.9 | 9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Career ranking | #504 of 681 | #1 of 681 |
| Awards on file | Unknown | 3 recorded |
| Oscar wins | Unknown | 1 |
| Oscar nominations | Unknown | 5 |
| Average Nutevio score | 8.8 | 9.1 |
| Genres | Crime, Mystery, Drama | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, History |
| Directors | David Fincher | Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese |
| Performance DNA | Quiet performance, Intensity, Screen presence | Transformation, Drama, Screen presence |
| Career timeline | 2007–2007 | 2006–2026 |
| Most iconic role | Jack Mulanax — Zodiac | Odysseus — The Odyssey |
| Most rewatchable film | Zodiac | Interstellar |
| Filmography | 1 catalogue film | 4 catalogue films |
Films together
Nothing in common in the library yet.
Shared directors
Nothing in common in the library yet.
Shared collections
Top 100 Crime Movies, Crime Movies, Drama Movies
Collaborators in common
Robert Downey Jr.
Matt Damon edges ahead here — a higher floor across a comparable body of work.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
36 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Drama Legend
Awarded
22 catalogue titles in drama, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Zodiac
as Jack Mulanax
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Zodiac
as Jack Mulanax
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
My Days of Mercy
as Simon
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Shutter Island
as Laeddis
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Zodiac
as Jack Mulanax
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
as Casey Jones
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Defendor
as Chuck Dooney
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Zodiac
as Jack Mulanax
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
Across the library
Every Nutevio collection this name turns up in, and how high they rank there.
Collection footprint
Appears in 6 Nutevio collections
Keep reading
genre
Best Detective Movies
Features Zodiac at #1
Read the collectiongenre
Best Psychological Thrillers
Features Zodiac
Read the collectiongenre
Top 100 Crime Movies
Features Zodiac
Read the collectiongenre
Mystery Movies
Features Zodiac
Read the collectiongenre
Crime Movies
Features Zodiac
Read the collectiongenre
Drama Movies
Features Zodiac
Read the collectionFrom the magazine
If you like this performer
Matt Damon
Works with the same directors — Martin Scorsese
Morgan Freeman
Works with the same directors — David Fincher
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Robert Downey Jr.
Works with the same directors — David Fincher
Edward Norton
Works with the same directors — David Fincher
Brad Pitt
Works with the same directors — David Fincher
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