Olympia Dukakis

 

 

 

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Olympia Dukakis (Ολυμπία Δουκάκη) (born June 20, 1931) is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck. She received another Golden Globe nomination for Sinatra, and Emmy nominations for Lucky Day, More Tales of the City, and Joan of Arc.

Olympia Dukakis

Personal life

Dukakis was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Alexandra (née Christos) and Constantine S. Dukakis. Her parents were Greek immigrants to the United States, her father from Anatolia and her mother from the Peloponnese.[1][2] She has a brother, Apollo, and is a cousin of Michael Dukakis, a 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.

Dukakis has been married to actor Louis Zorich since 1962. They have three children.

Career

Dukakis has held a lengthy career in a diverse range 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 (Frank's mother) in the mini-series of Frank Sinatra's life (1992). Her Broadway theatre credits include Who's Who in Hell, Social Security, and the one-woman play Rose. 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 won a BAFTA 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 Kisko in the British TV drama A Life for a Life (ITV), based on the real-life story of Stefan Kisko, a man wrongfully imprisoned for seventeen years for the murder of a child, Lesley Molseed, after police suppressed evidence of his innocence.

Olympia Dukakis

She recently directed the world premiere production of Todd Logan's Botanic Garden at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.[3]

In the 2008 season of Hartford Stage, Dukakis starred in the revival of Tennessee Williams' The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, opposite Kevin Anderson.

In 2008, Dukakis also 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.

She starred in and executive-produced the 2009 film Montana Amazon, co-starring Haley Joel Osment.

In 2011, Dukakis is set to guest-star on Law & Order: SVU. She will play the role of Debby Marsh, an attorney.[4]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1964 Lilith Patient uncredited
1964 Twice a Man Young mother
1969 Stiletto Mrs. Amato, woman accepting perfume uncredited
1969 John and Mary John's mother
1971 Made for Each Other Gig's Mother
1973 Sisters Louise Wilanski, Bakery Shop Employee #2 uncredited
1974 Death Wish Cop at the precinct uncredited
1974 The Rehearsal
1979 Rich Kids Lawyer
1979 The Wanderers Joey's Mom
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
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
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
1988 Working Girl Personnel Director
1989 Steel Magnolias Clairee Belcher
1989 Look Who's Talking Rosie
1989 Dad Bette Tremont
1990 Look Who's Talking Too Rosie
1990 In the Spirit Sue
1992 Over the Hill Alma Harris
1993 Look Who's Talking Now Rosie
1993 The Cemetery Club Doris Silverman
1993 Digger Bea
1994 I Love Trouble Jeannie, Peter's Secretary
1995 Mr. Holland's Opus Principal Helen Jacobs
1995 Mighty Aphrodite Jocasta
1995 Jeffrey Mrs. Marcangelo
1995 Dead Badge Dr. Doris Rice
1995 Young at Heart Rose Garaventi
1996 Milk & Money Goneril Plogg
1996 Jerusalem Mother (Mrs. Gordon)
1996 Mother Mrs. Jay
1997 A Match Made in Heaven Helen Rosner
1997 Picture Perfect Rita Mosley
1998 Better Living Nora
1998 Jane Austen's Mafia! Sophia
1998 The Pentagon Wars Madam Chairwoman
1999 Joan of Arc Mother Babette
2000 Brooklyn Sonnet Helen Manners
2003 Charlie's War Charlie
2003 The Event Lila Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
2005 Whiskey School Ellen Haywood
2005 3 Needles Hilde the Missionary Nun
2005 The Thing About My Folks Muriel Kleinman
2005 The Great New Wonderful Judy Hillerman segment "Judy's Story"
2005 The Intended Erina
2006 Day on Fire Dr. Mary Wade
2006 Away from Her Marian
2006 Jesus, Mary and Joey Sophia Vitello
2007 In the Land of Women Phyllis
2008 Poor Things
2008 The Price of Art Esther
2011 Montana Amazon Ira
2011 Cloudburst Stella

References

^ "Olympian heights". The Guardian (London). June 12, 1999.
^ An Interview with Olympia Dukakis (BroadwayWorld.com)
^ "Olympia Dukakis: The newest fan of the Chicago way". Chicago Tribune. January 30, 2008.
^ "Keck's Exclusives: SVU Secures Oscar Winner Olympia Dukakis". TVGuide.com. Retrieved November 23, 2010.

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