Irene Papas, the Greek actress famous for her roles in films such as “Zorba the Greek” and “The Guns of Navarone”, died on Wednesday at the age of 96. The information was provided by the Greek Ministry of Culture through an official statement. The minister, Lina Medoni, underlined the importance of the actress as “personification of Greek beauty on the cinema screens and in theaters”.
The cause of death is not yet known, but according to The New York Times, in 2018 it was revealed that the actress had suffered from Alzheimer’s for five years.
Throughout a career that began in the 1940s, Papas appeared in more than 60 films, starred in Europe and Hollywood, and crossed paths with Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, John Malkovich and Catherine Deneuve.
On the big screen, he starred in such films as the 1961 World War II epic “The Guns of Navarone,” opposite Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn. Papas and Quinn would meet again three years later in the dramatic comedy “Zorba the Greek.”
The actress also worked in Portuguese cinema. In 1997, she was directed by Manoel de Oliveira in the film “Party”, a Franco-Portuguese production based on the play of the same name by Agustina Bessa Luís (writer of the screenplay). In 2003, again in the hands of Oliveira, Papas acted alongside John Malkovich and Catherine Deneuve in “Um Filme Falado”, in what would be his last film role..
Throughout her career, Irene Papas received various distinctions, including the award for best actress from the American National Board of Review, for her performance in the 1971 film Les Troianas. In 1987, she chaired the jury at the Festival de Venice cinema; she also in Venice, in 2009, she would receive a Golden Lion for all her work.
Papas also had a renowned career in the theater. Some of her most celebrated roles include Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s play, as well as stints on the New York stage: in Dostoyevsky’s “The Idiot,” and on Broadway opposite a young Jon Voight in “That Summer — That Fall.” .
He also made a career in music, having released two music albums. people Greek: “Odes” in 1979 and “Rhapsodies” in 1986.
Politically active, in 1967 she was about to lose her Greek citizenship.and after calling for a “cultural boycott” of the country after the military coup that she herself described as “Nazi”.
He had no children, but according to a statement from the Greek Ministry of Culture, he had several nephews.
Source: Observadora
