Known Greek Actresses

Katina Paxinou was born in 1900, in Piraeus, Greece. She first appeared on stage in 1928, in an Athens production of Henry Bataille's "La femme nue". In the early 1930's she was one of the founding members of the National Theatre of Greece (previously named Royal Theatre) and performed several major roles in Sophocles' "Electra", Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts" etc, often co-starring with her husband, Alexis Minotis. The outbreak of the Second World War found her in UK; she later managed to arrive at the US, where she was offered her first film role in 1943 in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). For her superb portrayal of the Spanish revolutionary Pilar in this classic film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's novel, she won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award and a Golden Globe in 1944. She made a few more Hollywood movies, before returning to Greece in the early 1950's. During 1950 - 1971, some of her great performances were as Jocasta in Sophocles's "Oedipus Rex" (1951, 1952, 1955 and 1958, also staged at that time on Broadway with enormous success), as Countess Rosmarin Ostenburg in Christopher Fry's "The Dark Is Light Enough" (1957), as Clara Zachanassian in Friedrich Dürrenmatt's "The Visit" (1961), as Mary Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night" (1965) and in the title roles of Euripides' "Hecuba" (1955) and Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage" (1971). She also starred in some other movies; she was particularly touching as the Italian matriarch in the Luchino Visconti masterpiece Rocco and His Brothers (1960). She died of cancer in 1973 and is justly considered as the greatest Greek actress of the 20th century.

Despo Diamantidou was born on 13 July 1916 in Piraeus, Greece. She was an actress, known for Love and Death (1975), Topkapi (1964) and Sapila kai aristokratia (1967). She was married to Andreas Filippides. She died on 18 February 2004 in Athens, Greece.

Aliki Vougiouklaki was born in 1934 (or 1933, according to some sources), in Maroussi Attikis, Greece. She studied at the Drama School of the Greek National Theater and made her stage debut in a 1953 Athens production of Molière's "Le malade imaginaire". Around the same time she made her movie debut in To pontikaki (1954). The late 1950's was her breakthrough period: she starred in a successful revival of George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" (as Eliza Doolittle) and took the leading part in a very popular movie, Maiden's Cheek (1959). She instantly became Greece's most popular star, created her personal stage group (with a repertory including Aristophanes' "Lysistrata", Tennessee Williams' "Sweet Bird of Youth" and Sophocles' "Antigone") and starred in many films, light comedies and melodramas (in many of them she co-starred with Dimitris Papamichael, who was her husband and theater partner during 1965-1974). Her film Ypolohagos Natassa (1970) has been the biggest moneymaker in the history of Greek cinema.

Eleni was a Greek actress. A unique woman, a complex and charismatic personality, full of sensitivities and tenderness but also brave, determined, strong and risky. She had a legion of followers but also an army of enemies. Many attempts to upstage her were often made over the years by people who had the power and/or connections in the theatrical business; she was often the subject of bitter jealousy from her fellow actors and actresses; her rivalry with the Oscar-winning Katina Paxinou was well-known back in the days. During the Axis occupation of Greece in World War II the rumor that she was having an affair with collaborationist Prime Minister Ioannis Rallis resulted to a new kind of hatred. The truth is that Eleni Papadaki had saved many people from the Germans during the War. The Greek Actor's Association finally expelled her from its ranks. A few months after the liberation of Athens she was arrested by members of the Greek partisan army and was executed without a trial as a war criminal. Shortly after her murder was admitted to be "a big mistake" and "an idiocy" even by the leaders of the Greek partisans.

Melina Mercouri was born in Athens, Greece on October 18, 1920. An early woman activist, she was elected to the Greek Parliament in 1977. Later Miss Mercouri was to become the first woman to hold a Senior cabinet post "Minister of Culture" in the Greek government. In 1971 she wrote her autobiography titled "I Was Born Greek." Melina wed actor Jules Dassin in 1966 and remained married to him until her death in 1994. Melina Mercouri died of lung cancer in New York City, on March 6, 1994.

She studied theatre at Marika Kotopouli's drama school. She worked with Karolos Koun Art Theatre. She played at "Blood Wedding" (Federico García Lorca) and "The Glass Menagerie" (Tennessee Williams) in the late forties. She also worked with Mrs. Katerina (famous Greek actress at that time) and with Kostas Mousouris's group in the early fifties. In the mid fifties she created a group with two Greek actors, Dimitris Horn and Giorgos Pappas. In the sixties she gave unforgettable performances with her own group. One of these performances was "A Streetcar Named Desire" where she played Blanche du Bois. In 1967 she suffered the onset of cancer. Although she was seriously ill, she continued to appear on stage until 1982 (one year before her death). Her last appearance was as Sarah in a play which is widely known from the movie Children of a Lesser God (1986). At that time she no voice at all, the cancer having deprived her of it.

Irene Papas was born on 3 September 1929 in Chilimodion, Corinth, Greece. She was an actress and director, known for The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Message (1976) and Electra (1962). She was married to José Kohn and Alkis Papas. She died on 14 September 2022 in Chiliomodion, Corinthia, Greece.

Marika Kotopouli was born on 3 May 1887 in Athens, Greece. She was an actress, known for The Wrong Road (1933). She was married to Giorgos Helmis. She died on 11 September 1954 in Athens, Greece.

Smaroula Giouli was born in 1930 in Thessaloniki, Greece. She was an actress and director, known for The Taxi Driver (1953), Come to Daddy... (1950) and The Last Mission (1949). She was married to Evaggelos Livadas. She died on 7 March 2012 in Athens, Greece.

Martha Vourtsi was born in 1937, in Athens, Greece. She studied acting at the Drama School of "Theatro Technis" and made her professional stage debut in a 1958 Athens production of Carlo Goldoni's "Locandiera". She collaborated with many important stage groups, appearing in diverse roles: she played Sarah Muller in Lillian Hellman's "Watch on the Rhine", Hecuba in Euripides' "The Trojan Women", Mother Superior in Rogers - Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music", Asta in Iakovos Kabanellis' "I Avli ton Thavmaton" etc. She also became very popular appearing in more than 30 films during the 1960's; most of them were melodramas, in which she was typecast as a poor girl who falls in love with an upper-class man.

Ilia Livykou was born in 1919 in Heraklio Crete, Greece. She was an actress, known for Sta synora tis prodosias (1968), Enas delikanis (1963) and Antigone (1961). She was married to Agisilaos Kozyris. She died on 6 September 2002.

Eleni Hajiargyri was born in 1923, in Athens, Greece. She studied acting under the supervision of gifted theater director Carolos Koun and made her stage debut in a 1942 Athens production of Ibsen' s "Rommerscholm". She quickly became one of the top actresses of the first post-war generation, often collaborating with the National Theater of Greece and excelling in plays like Euripides' "Medea" (title role), Shakespeare's "Macbeth" (as Lady Macbeth), Edward Albee's "Three Tall Women", Lorca's "Blood Wedding" (as The Mother) etc. She also appeared in some films during the 1950s; most of them were heavy melodramas, like the archetypal Lily of the Harbor (1952).

Antigoni Valakou was born in 1930 in Kavala, Greece. She was an actress, known for Golfo, Girl of the Mountains (1955), Heaven Is Ours (1953) and The Road with the Acacias (1954). She died on 11 November 2013 in Greece.

Rena Vlahopoulou was born in 1923 in Corfu, Greece. She was an actress and producer, known for The Girl from Corfu (1956), A Greek Woman in the Harem (1971) and I Rena einai 'off-side' (1972). She was married to Giorgos Lafazanis, Giannis Kostopoulos and Kostas Vasileiou. She died on 29 July 2004 in Athens, Greece.

Anna Synodinou was born on 21 November 1927 in Loutraki, Greece. She was an actress, known for The 300 Spartans (1962), Ilektra (1962) and Dollars and Dreams (1956). She was married to George Marinakis. She died on 7 January 2016 in Athens, Greece.

Zorz Sarri was born in May 1925 in Athens, Greece. She was an actress and writer, known for Happy Day (1976), Murder Backstage (1960) and The Protectors (1973). She was married to Marcel Karakosta. She died on 9 June 2012 in Athens, Greece.

Reni Pittaki is known for Miss Violence (2013), Love Me Not (2017) and I nyhta tis mystikis synantisis (1990).

Mary Xenoudaki is known for Melodrama? (1980), My Head Hurts (2000) and To theatro tis Defteras (1970).

Betty Valassi was born in 1937 in Thessaloniki, Greece. She is an actress and producer, known for Agapi sta 16 (2004), Haireta mas ton platano (2004) and O proestos tou horiou (1973). She was previously married to Titos Vandis.

Vasiliadou was born in 1897, in Athens, Greece. Her real name was Georgia Athanasiou. She was obliged to leave school early and work as a shop girl, in order to help her family. She made her stage debut in 1918, but began her studies at the Gennadeios Phonetic School in 1923 and appeared in some operas. She then worked with the major theater companies of the period (Kyveli , Marika Kotopouli, Dimitris Myrat), playing a wide range of parts. In the mid-1930s she decided to retire, but Alekos Sakellarios offered her a small part in the 1939 musical comedy "Koritsia tis pantreias"; that was the genesis of a second career for the middle-aged actress, who went on to star in many comedies and revues and created personal stage groups until the late 1960s. She also made a tentative movie debut in 1930, but became one of the all-time greats of the Greek cinema during the 1950s, when she starred in extremely popular comedies like I oraia ton Athinon (1954), in which Nikos Tsiforos played with her unconventional external appearance, and The Auntie from Chicago (1957), in which director-writer Alekos Sakellarios cast her as a wealthy Greek-American who returns to Greece after thirty years and brings a fresh lifestyle to the family of her conservative brother. She died in 1980, but is always fondly remembered by Greek audiences.

Mary Aroni was born in 1914, in Athens, Greece. She studied at the Drama School of the National Theater of Greece and made her stage debut in 1935, opposite legendary Greek actress Marika Kotopouli. She was soon hailed as a major actress, created personal groups and collaborated with the National Theater of Greece, excelling in, among others, Aristophanes' "Lysistrata" (title role), Schiller's "Mary Stewart" (as Elizabeth), O'Neill's "Mourning Becomes Electra" (as Christine Mannon) and Chekhov's "The Seagull" (as Arkadina). She starred in only a handful of movies, but two of them have been extremely successful:Youngsters and Adults in Action! (1963),as a middle-aged widow in love with a businessman, and Mia trelli... trelli oikogeneia (1965), as Jenny Karezi's crazy mama. She died in 1992.

Anna Fonsou was born on 4 July 1939 in Kaissariani, Athens, Greece. She is an actress, known for Her Private Life (1971), The Tomboy (1959) and The Boy I Love (1960).

Margarita Papageorgiou was born on 1 January 1935 in Greece. She was an actress, known for The Happy Beginning (1954), The Ogre of Athens (1956) and Windfall in Athens (1954). She died on 24 January 2021 in Greece.

Hristina Sylva was born in 1936 in Athens, Greece. She was an actress, known for Jane Eyre (1968), The Shepherdess' Lover (1955) and Ola, kai ti zoi mou akoma (1963). She was married to Loukis Akritas. She died in 1994.

Nena Menti was born in 1945. She is an actress, known for Holy Boom (2018), To theatro tis Defteras (1970) and I Eliza kai oi alloi (1992).