Thaao Penghlis was born and raised in Sydney, Australia to Greek parents. After high school, he moved to New York City, where he began studying with the great acting coach, Milton Katselas. There, Thaao made his stage debut in the critically-acclaimed play, "Jockeys".

He has appeared in several movies, television shows (most notably General Hospital (1963) and Yaşadığımız Günler (1965)), and travels all over the world, including such places as Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and back home to Australia.

Thaao now resides on the West Coast.