Olympia Dukakis

Olympia Mary Dukakis (Greek: Ολυμπία Δουκάκη, born June 20, 1931) is a Greek American actress. She started her career in theater and won an Obie Award for Best Actress in 1963 for her off-Broadway performance in Bertolt Brecht's Man Equals Man. She later moved to film acting, and in 1987 she won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA nomination for her performance in Moonstruck. She received another Golden Globe nomination for Sinatra and Emmy Award nominations for Lucky Day, More Tales of the City, and Joan of Arc.

Olympia Dukakis
Dukakis in May 2019
Born	(1931-06-20) June 20, 1931 Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.
Education	Boston University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1962–present
Agent	Bonnie Low-Kramen (PA)[1]
Spouse(s)	Louis Zorich ​ ( m. 1962; died 2018)
Children	3
Relatives	Michael Dukakis (cousin)

Early life

Dukakis was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Alexandra "Alec" (née Christos) (1901–1994) and Constantine "Costa" S. Dukakis (1899–1975). Her parents were Greek emigrants, her father originally from Anatolia and her mother from the Peloponnese.[2][3] She has a brother named Apollo and is a cousin of Michael Dukakis, former Governor of Massachusetts and the Democratic nominee for President in 1988, for whom she was a delegate from New Jersey at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. She is an alumna of Arlington High School in Arlington, Massachusetts, and was educated at Boston University.

Career

Dukakis at the 1998 Emmy Awards

Dukakis has appeared in a number of films, including Steel Magnolias, Mr. Holland's Opus, Jane Austen's Mafia!, The Thing About My Folks, and Moonstruck, for which she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She also played the role of Anna Madrigal in the Tales of the City television mini-series, which garnered her an Emmy Award nomination, and appeared on Search for Tomorrow as Dr. Barbara Moreno, who romanced Stu Bergman. She appears as Dolly Sinatra in the mini-series of Frank Sinatra's life (1992). Her Broadway theatre credits include Who's Who in Hell and Social Security. She appeared in Martin Sherman's one-woman play Rose, about a woman who survived the Warsaw Ghetto, in London and then on Broadway[4][5] Her theater, film, and television work has also won her an Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, and a Golden Globe.

Dukakis at Malaparte for Norman Jewison and Friends with Moonstruck, August 2011

Dukakis won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Moonstruck and was nominated for the Canadian Academy Award for The Event. She provided the voice of Grandpa's love interest for The Simpsons episode "The Old Man and the Key". In 2003, Dukakis published her national bestselling autobiography Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress. Recent films include 3 Needles, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines, In the Land of Women, and Away From Her, the 2006 film which cast her alongside Gordon Pinsent as the spouses of two Alzheimers patients.

In 1998, she starred as Charlotte Kiszko in the British TV drama A Life for a Life: The True Story of Stefan Kiszko (ITV), based on the real-life story of Stefan Kiszko, a man wrongfully imprisoned for seventeen years for the murder of a child, Lesley Molseed, after police suppressed evidence of his innocence.[6][7]

In 2008, Dukakis directed the world premiere production of Todd Logan's Botanic Garden at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.[8] That same year she starred in the revival of Tennessee Williams' The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, opposite Kevin Anderson at the Hartford Stage, and co-adapted and starred in the world-premiere of Another Side of the Island, based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, at Alpine Theatre Project in Whitefish, Montana.

In 2011, Dukakis guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She played the role of Debby Marsh, an attorney.[9] In 2013 she starred in and executive-produced the 2013 film Montana Amazon, co-starring Haley Joel Osment; that same year, on May 24, she was honored with the 2,498th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard, in the category of Live Theater.

In 2018 Olympia Dukakis starred in Eleftheromania, which follows an Auschwitz survivor as she recites a true story about a group from the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp[10]. The following year, Dukakis reprised the role of Anna Madrigal, which she had first played in 1993, in a Netflix update of Armisted Maupin's Tales of The City.[11][12]

Personal life

Dukakis was married to actor Louis Zorich from 1962 until his death on January 30, 2018. They have three children. She is the cousin of Michael Dukakis, the 1988 Democratic nominee for president.[13] She is a "sudoku fanatic."[14]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1964	Twice a Man	Young mother
1964	Lilith	Patient	Uncredited
1969	Stiletto	Mrs. Amato	Uncredited
1969	John and Mary	John's mother
1971	Made for Each Other	Mrs. Panimba
1973	Sisters	Louise Wilanski	Uncredited
1974	Death Wish	Cop at precinct	Listed in opening credits only
1974	The Rehearsal
1979	The Wanderers	Joey's Mom
1979	Rich Kids	Lawyer
1980	The Idolmaker	Mrs. Vacarri
1982	National Lampoon Goes to the Movies	Helena Naxos	Segment: "Success Wanters"
1985	Walls of Glass	Mary Flanagan
1987	Moonstruck	Rose Castorini	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Female Performer – Motion Picture or TV Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
1988	Working Girl	Personnel Director
1989	Look Who's Talking	Rosie
1989	Steel Magnolias	Clairee Belcher	Nominated—American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
1989	Dad	Bette Tremont
1990	In the Spirit	Sue
1990	Look Who's Talking Too	Rosie
1992	Over the Hill	Alma Harris
1993	The Cemetery Club	Doris Silverman
1993	Digger	Bea
1993	Look Who's Talking Now	Rosie
1994	Dead Badge	Dr. Doris Rice
1994	The Naked Gun 33 ⅓: The Final Insult	Herself	Uncredited
1994	I Love Trouble	Jeannie
1995	Jeffrey	Mrs. Marcangelo
1995	Mighty Aphrodite	Jocasta
1995	Mr. Holland's Opus	Principal Helen Jacobs
1996	Mother	Mrs. Jay
1996	Jerusalem	Mrs. Gordon
1996	Milk & Money	Goneril Plogg
1997	Balkan Island: The Last Story of the Century	Mother
1997	Picture Perfect	Rita Mosley
1998	Mafia!	Sophia Cortino
1998	Better Living	Nora
2000	Brooklyn Sonnet	Helen Manners
2002	The Intended	Erina
2003	The Event	Lila	Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film Nominated—Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
2003	Charlie's War	Charlie
2005	The Great New Wonderful	Judy Hillerman	Segment: "Judy's Story"
2005	The Thing About My Folks	Muriel Kleinman
2005	3 Needles	Hilde
2005	Whiskey School	Ellen Haywood
2005	Jesus, Mary and Joey	Sophia Vitello
2006	Away from Her	Marian
2006	Day on Fire	Dr. Mary Wade
2006	Upside Out	Dr. Walker
2007	In the Land of Women	Phyllis
2011	Cloudburst	Stella	Nominated—Seattle International Film Festival Award for Best Actress
2011	Outliving Emily	Emily Hanratty	Short film
2013	Montana Amazon	Ira Dunderhead	Also executive producer
2013	The Last Keepers	Rosmarie Carver
2013	A Little Game	YaYa
2015	7 Chinese Brothers	Grandma
2015	Emily & Tim	Emily	Segment: "6"
2016	The Infiltrator	Aunt Vicky
2016	Broken Links	Arlene
2018	Change in the Air	Margaret Lemke
2019	Olympia	Herself	Best Documentary Award at Hunter Mountain Film Festival[15]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1951	Search for Tomorrow	Dr. Barbara Moreno	Television series
1962	The Nurses	Ioana Chiriac	Episode: "Frieda"
1962	Dr. Kildare	Anna Nieves	Episode: "The Legacy"
1974	Nicky's World	Irene Kaminios	Television film
1975	Great Performances	Pauline	Episode: "The Seagull"
1977	The Andros Targets	Marina Angelis	Episode: "The Beast of Athens"
1980	FDR: The Final Years		Television film
1980	Breaking Away		Episode: "The Cutters"
1982	American Playhouse	Mama Nicola	Episode: "King of America"
1982	One of the Boys	Professor	Episode: "His Cheatin' Heart"
1982	The Neighborhood	Mrs. St. Paul	Television film
1986	The Equalizer	Judge Paula G. Walsh	Episode: "Shades of Darkness"
1991	Lucky Day	Katherine Campbell	Television film Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
1991	The General Motors Playwrights Theater	Laura Cunningham	Episode: "The Last Act Is a Solo"
1991	Fire in the Dark	Emily Miller	Television film
1992	Sinatra	Dolly Sinatra	Television miniseries 4 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
1993	Tales of the City	Anna Madrigal	Television miniseries 6 episodes Nominated—British Academy Television Award for Best Actress
1995	Young at Heart	Rose Garaventi	Television film
1996	Touched by an Angel	Clara	Episode: "A Joyful Noise"
1997	Heaven Will Wait	Diana	Television film
1997	A Match Made in Heaven	Helen Rosner	Television film
1998	Scattering Dad	Molly	Television film
1998	The Pentagon Wars	Madam Chairwoman	Television film
1998	More Tales of the City	Anna Madrigal	Television miniseries 6 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
1998	A Life for a Life	Charlotte Kiszko	Television film
1999	Joan of Arc	Mother Babette	Television miniseries 3 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
2000	The Last of the Blonde Bombshells	Dinah	Television film
2001	And Never Let Her Go	Marguerite Capano	Television film
2001	Ladies and the Champ	Sara Stevens	Television film
2001	Further Tales of the City	Anna Madrigal	Television miniseries 3 episodes
2001	My Beautiful Son	Esther Lipman	Television film
2002	Guilty Hearts	Amanda Patterson	Television film
2002	The Simpsons	Zelda (voice)	Episode: "The Old Man and the Key"
2002	Frasier	Caller #3 (voice)	Episode: "Frasier Has Spokane"
2003	Mafia Doctor	Rose	Television film
2003	It's All Relative	Coleen O'Neil	Episode: "Thanks, But No Thanks"
2004	The Librarian: Quest for the Spear	Margie Carsen	Television film
2004–2005	Center of the Universe	Marge Barnett	12 episodes
2006	Numbers	Charlotte Yates	Episode: "Hot Shot"
2006	The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines	Margie Carsen	Television film
2008	Worst Week	June	Episodes: "The Ring", "The Wedding"
2010–2011	Bored to Death	Belinda	4 episodes
2011	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Debby Marsh	Episode: "Pop"
2013	The Christmas Spirit	Gwen Hollander	Television film
2013–2015	Sex & Violence	Alex Mandalakis	Television miniseries Also executive producer 12 episodes
2013–2015	Forgive Me	Novalea	9 episodes
2013	Mike & Molly	Narrator on TV	Episode: "The Princess and the Troll"
2014	F to 7th	Marie	Television series Episode: "Down to Zero"
2014	Big Driver	Doreen	Television film
2016	TripTank	Ma / Caller (voice)	4 episodes
2019	Tales of the City	Anna Madrigal	Main cast

References

1. Cohen, Patricia (June 8, 2004). "When Their Wish Is Your Command; Celebrity Assistants Keep the Stars Twinkling". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
2. "Olympian heights". The Guardian. London. June 12, 1999.
3. An Interview with Olympia Dukakis (BroadwayWorld.com)
4. "A CurtainUp Review, Rose". www.curtainup.com. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
5. Weber, Bruce (April 13, 2000). "THEATER REVIEW; In 'Rose,' A Survivor Living on the Other Hand". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
6. "A Life for a Life The True Story of Stefan Kiszko (1998)". BFI. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
7. "A Life for A Life". Celtic Entertainment. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
8. "Olympia Dukakis: The newest fan of the Chicago way". Chicago Tribune. January 30, 2008.
9. "Keck's Exclusives: SVU Secures Oscar Winner Olympia Dukakis". TV Guide. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
10. Pappas, Gregory (December 9, 2016). "Eleftheromania: A Film that Gives a Voice to Those Who Were Silenced". The Pappas Post. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
11. "How Armistead Maupin's 'Tales of the City' Evolves in Netflix Return". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
12. Longo, Joseph (June 6, 2019). "How Tales of the City Avoided a Trans Casting Controversy". Vanity Fair. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
13. IMDb — Biography for Michael Dukakis. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
14. Twitter — Via interview with close family member. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
15. "The Critically Acclaimed Documentary Feature About Academy Award Winning Actress Olympia Dukakis Will Have Its Los Angeles Premiere at the Egyptian Theatre". PRNewswire. Retrieved July 29, 2019.

External links

• Olympia The Film

• Olympia Dukakis on IMDb
• Olympia Dukakis at the Internet Broadway Database
• Olympia Dukakis at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Olympia Dukakis at the TCM Movie Database