He was born in Katerini to Haralambos and Anthoula Sidiropoulos, and attended high school locally.
From 1949 to 1954, he was municipal registrar for the City of Katerini, and in December 1954, he migrated to Australia, where he was a factory worker until 1956.
Hence the beginning of a string of milk bars over the years as a small business owner.
He joined the Labor Party in 1957, and in 1968 was elected to Collingwood City Council, serving as mayor from 1977 to 1978.
In 1977, he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the member for Richmond, serving until his retirement in 1988.