Nikos Panayotopoulos was born on November 6, 1941, in Mytilene, Greece. He studied film making in Athens and started his career as an assistant director in Greek and foreign productions.

In 1960-1973 he lived in Paris where he attended film courses at the filmology institute of Sorbonne.

In 1973 he returned to Athens. His first film The Color of Iris (1974) ("The Colours of Iris") was the most unexpected creation of the New Greek Cinema. Since then he lived and worked there, and his beloved wife Marianna Spanoudakis, always by his side, participated faithfully in all of his productions, mainly as a costume designer and also as producer and actress. Since 1974 he wrote and directed films, with a special narrative style in a thematic approach that deals with issues such as erotic delusion and deterioration of human relations.

His films have participated in national and international festivals and have received important distinctions and prizes.

His death came just a few weeks after the release of his film Rembrandt's Daughter (2015) ("Rembrandt's Daughter").