Stelios

Stelios is the deuteragonist of Joe Camp's 1977 film For the Love of Benji. He is a Greek secret agent who wants to save Benji and a top scientist from a phony CIA agent named Chandler Dietrich.

He was portrayed by the late Art Vasil.

Role
Stelios is first seen when he goes to an outdoor café where the waiter gives him newspapers and a package. The newspapers reveal that a German scientist is missing in Greece and the package contains a photo of the dog Benji with his family.

After a crooked couple named Ronald and Elizabeth claim Benji, Stelios comes to their home and tries to claim Benji, but Elizabeth stalls him and sends him away before Mary does the same thing. However, Benji manages to escape them.

The next morning, Benji notices the butcher talking to Stelios, but before Benji can get their attention, Chandler grabs the dog at gunpoint. However, Stelios and Yiannis release the Doberman, whom Dietrich tied up outside the shop, and Stelios follows the Doberman to find Dietrich and Benji. As the Doberman leaps at Chandler, Benji escapes once more. The Doberman chases Benji to the ruins, but the stray dog chases him away. Benji then returns to the hotel, sneaks inside on a luggage cart, and reunites with his family. However, Stelios arrives to announce that he has to take Benji away for a few days. Before Stelios can explain, Chandler over the head with a gun, knocking him unconscious. Dietrich lies the family that he is a U.S. agent who must take Benji because the dog holds the key to important information. Instructing Mary to call the police and hold Stelios at gunpoint, Dietrich leaves with Benji. Stelios awakens and tells Mary that Dietrich is an impostor; the real Dietrich was found murdered in New Jersey and the man is impersonating him for his own gain. Stelios explains he is a real secret agent, not Dietrich, and he has orders to save the life of a top scientist and to preserve a project of worldwide significance. Mary is reluctant to believe him, though.

After Chandler's arrest, Stelios explains to Mary that the impostor used Benji to smuggle the coordinates for a meeting with the German scientist, who had created a formula for turning one barrel of oil into ten or twelve. The charlatan aimed to steal the formula and sell it to highest bidder.