She appeared as Dolly Sinatra in the mini-series of Frank Sinatra's life (1992). Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greek America Foundation, the National Arts Club Medal of Honor, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-Winning 'Moonstruck' Star, Dies At 89. John Ryan Johnsonis an Award-winning commercial director and filmmaker. Harry curated the first LGBTQ Film Festival and was one of the key organizers of the 1st Pride Parade in Cyprus. Since graduating from the New York Film Academy in 2011, she collaborated with numerous filmmakers in New York City for short films, web-series, documentary, and feature films. Her Broadway theatre credits include Who's Who in Hell and Social Security. She and her late husband shared three children - Christina, Peter, and Stefan. 1972: Ruth Buzzi - Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. She has been successful placing clients in the media such as, THE TALK (CBS), Home & Family (Hallmark Channel), KTLA 5 Morning News, Good Day LA, Daily Variety, Los Angeles Times, OC Register, LA Weekly, LA Magazine, amongst others. I was so excited I could scarcely breathe. Karen Valentine - Room 222. Its been just over a year since the death of Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis. By 1963, she had begun her career on screen. You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. A member of, SAG-AFTRA and AEA, a true artist at heart, her love for performing on-screen ismatched. Sam has been working in Brooklyn for the last 10 years as an editor, assistant editor, and writer on many documentary feature films and television shows. Throughout her rise to fame, the actress appeared in more than 130 off-Broadway productions, as well as Broadway plays including The Aspern Papers, Abraham Cochrane, and her one-woman play Rose, according to IMDB. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Olympia Dukakis, the veteran stage and screen actress whose flair for maternal roles helped her win an Oscar as Cher's mother in the romantic comedy 'Moonstruck,' has died. He has a degree in music and architecture and holds an MFA in filmmaking from NYU Tisch. She performed in more than 130 stage productions, more than 60 films and in 50 television series. [25], In 2008, Dukakis directed the world premiere production of Todd Logan's "Botanic Garden" at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Her producing credit for documentary includes the feature "The Case of Josephine H." by the renowned Polish artist Izabella Gustowska which was released in the 2014 New Horizons International Film Festival and the short Suit Yourself showcased at 2012 My Hero Film Festival. Should men act responsibly or were they put on Earth to be wolves? As a producer, Mr. Ganis found box office success withBig Daddy,Deuce Bigalow,Mr. Long a vital, respected thespian of the classic and contemporary stage, this grand lady did not become a household name and sought-after film actress until age 56 when she turned in a glorious, Oscar-winning performance as Cher 's sardonic mother in the romantic comedy Moonstruck (1987). From 1989, she was publicly outspoken about this and produced improvised stage performances based on the movement's myths. In Moonstruck, that delirious 1987 fairy tale of loopy passion, opera and dowdy depressives who learn how to bloom, Dukakis, as Rose the steel-lasagna wife and mother, attempts to counsel her daughter, the widowed Loretta (Cher), to do the right thing. Olympia practiced as a physical therapist during the polio epidemic. [28], In 2011, Dukakis guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Angie Dix is an Emmy Award-winning American editor and producer working in the film and television world for more than 10 years. Featuring interviews with Laura Linney, Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Ladd, Lainie Kazan and Armistead Maupin, Olympiaseamlessly blends past and present culminating on the steps of the Dukakis' humble ancestral home in Lesbos, Greece where we see Olympia's life come full circle. The Crown star opens up about queerness. [9], Prior to her film career, Dukakis began a decades-long stage life working in 1961 in productions at the Williamstown Summer Theater, in the northwestern corner of Massachusetts. The actress made her Broadway debut in The Aspern Papers in 1962, and the stage had been her first love. Birth Place:Lowell, Massachusetts, United States. Olympia Dukakis, the veteran stage and screen actress whose flair for maternal roles helped her win an Oscar as Cher's mother in the romantic comedy "Moonstruck," has died. Id like to take a photograph of your hands. In Moonstruck, she turned lines like that (or the even more indelible Whats the matter with you? [26] 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,[27] and co-adapted and starred in the world-premiere of Another Side of the Island, based on William Shakespeare's The Tempest, at Alpine Theatre Project in Whitefish, Montana. Anthoula Katsimatides is an actor, writer, producer, and voice-over artist. Both are master interpreters of Chekhovian plays -- one of their more recent acting collaborations was in "The Chekhov Cycle" in 2003.Making an inauspicious debut in a bit role as a mental patient in Lilith (1964), she tended to gravitate toward off-the-wall films with various offshoots of the ethnic mother. One afternoon I was caught by a horde of kids, tied to a tree, and had my socks stuffed down my throat," she said. Several recurring TV roles also came her way with Center of the Universe (2004), Bored to Death (2009), Sex & Violence (2013), Forgive Me (2013), Switch (2018) and one last return to her popular Anna Madrigal role with the series sequel Tales of the City (2019).The septuagenarian hardly slowed down and continued strongly into the millennium with top supporting film credits including The Intended (2002), The Event (2003), the title role in the mystery Charlie's War (2003), The Thing About My Folks (2005), Jesus, Mary and Joey (2005), Away from Her (2006), Day on Fire (2006), In the Land of Women (2007), The Last Keepers (2013), A Little Game (2014), 7 Chinese Brothers (2015), The Infiltrator (2016), Broken Links (2016) and Change in the Air (2018). Gail Fisher - Mannix. [36], Dukakis' final performance is as a judge in the 2021 film Not to Forget. [19], She took on powerful roles on the small screen as well. She was 89. As Founder of INSPYRS PR she has a zest for attention to detail and encouraging others to "CREATE ~ SUSTAIN ~ INSPYRE". She is quoted as having said, "I recognize that the real pulse of life is transformation, yet I work in a world dominated by men and the things men value, where transformation is not the coinage. As I got up from the table, I asked her one final question. I flew to Los Angeles, rented a car and plugged the address her assistant had given me into my GPS. Dukakis's autobiography, Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress, was published in 2003. The film Cloudburst (2011), in which she shared a co-lead with Brenda Fricker, became a critical and audience darling, winning a multitude of "Best Film" awards and several "Best Actress" honors (Seattle, San Diego) at various film festivals.An ardent liberal and Democrat, she was the cousin of 1988 presidential nominee Michael Dukakis. Her agent, Allison Levy, also confirmed her death to CNN. [17] She believed him after receiving the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Olympia Dukakis, an Oscar-winning actress for her role in Moonstruck, died Saturday in New York City. Amanda Blake - Gunsmoke. The play earned her an Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award nomination and she continues to tour the country with it.Olympia was seen on the New York stage in the Roundabout Theatre's production of "The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" (2011), in San Francisco in A.C.T. She played the role of Debby Marsh, an attorney. Olympia Dukakis Birth Place: Lowell, Massachusetts, United States Profession Actor Actor 95 Credits Forgive Me 2021 Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City 2019 Sex & Violence 2017 Sex and Violence. This was underlined by Cloudburst (2011), a road movie in which Dukakis, as a self-styled old butch dyke, and her companion of 31 years (Brenda Fricker), take off from the US to Canada to get married. Dukakis again appeared in the miniseries, which was her last television role. Dukakis rose to fame starring in such hits as Moonstruck and Steel Magnolias. But what did it take for her to achieve this success? In crafting his revealing bio-documentary Olympia, Greek American filmmaker Harry Mavromichalis had unprecedented access to Olympia, her family, and the story of her life. She hopscotched from one ethnicity to the next: Italian in Moonstruck, Southern aristocrat in Steel Magnolias, Jewish in films like The Cemetery Club. But that was because of the universal language of which Dukakis was the grandmaster. The actress referred to her 1988 win as the year of the Dukakii because it was also the year Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, her cousin, was the Democratic Partys presidential nominee. I-I don't think I can take this! She played mom to such leads as Dustin Hoffman in John and Mary (1969), Joseph Bologna in the cult comedy Made for Each Other (1971) and Ray Sharkey in The Idolmaker (1980). See what he found. Playing characters like the flinty principal of Mr. [14][15] For the role, she won the 2000 Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Solo Performance. [3], Dukakis 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. There were no gates, no fences, no security. Originally intending to become a physical therapist, Dukakis turned to acting with work on and off-Broadway in productions such as "The Aspern Papers". In 1962 she married the actor Louis Zorich, and they were the artistic inspiration behind the Whole Theatre in Monclair, New Jersey (1973-1990), adapting plays for the company and directing dinner theatre there and at summer festivals elsewhere in the US. In addition to decades in the theater and an award-winning film career, Dukakis also taught drama classes at New York University. Susan Dey - The Partridge Family. He began his career in film in the publicity department of 20th Century Fox in New York. by her passion for theatre work. In a 1991 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Dukakis revealed that she enjoyed her new fame and the fans it earned her, and was particularly amused when they shouted her famous lines at her while she was out and about even when it was her "Moonstruck" quote, "Your life is going down the toilet. He bought her a 99 cent ring, and they remained married until his death in 2018. The family has not disclosed an official cause of death. [45] She was a figure on the lecture circuit discussing topics such as women living with chronic illness, life in the theater, the environment, and feminism. He had the privilege to work with Miss Dukakis again on the latest installment of Tales of the City in 2019 for Netflix where he was the Director of Photography forthe entire series. I had a chip on my shoulder so big it was like a tree, she mused. She taught acting for 15 years at NYU[42] and gave master classes for professional theatre universities, colleges and companies across the country. "I love this chaotic, contradictory, loving mess that has been my life.". As if by reflex, she clenched her hands into two fists and placed them on top of her thighs. The rough-and-tumble atmosphereof her earliest years acted as a crucible for Dukakis. Her first feature film 'The Motion of The Sun' has been screened at the Long Island Film Festival and Miami Independent Film Festival. She performed in over 130 productions on and off-Broadway and regionally at theatres including the Public Theater, A.C.T., Shakespeare in the Park, Shakespeare & Co., and the Williamstown Theatre Festival, where she also served as Associate Director. Her character was the mother of Loretta Castorini, who was played by Cher, the Best Actress winner that year. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. And then just as quickly, threaded her fingers together as if in prayer. The Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis has died at the age of 89, according to the Hollywood Reporter. I rapped on the door and heard her signature alto voice bellow, Its open! Tentatively crossing the threshold, I made my way down a narrow hallway. Bush. Macabre, hilarious and weirdly touching more or less sums up Ms Dukakiss performance, although a host of other adjectives might also be applied to her multihued portrait of a woman who has married and buried four husbands but cannot face the truth when the reaper comes to escort her from lifes banquet, reported a New York Times critic. Later roles included Clairee Belcher in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias, in which she encourages a grieving MLynn Eatenton, portrayed by Sally Field, to slap Shirley MacLaines character, saying, Knock her lights out, MLynn!. She was 89. Movie (and TV) fans then discovered what East coast theater-going audiences had uncovered decades before -- Olympia Dukakis was an acting treasure. In 1999, she premiered a one-woman play "Rose," at the National Theatre in London and subsequently on Broadway in 2000. Most recently alongsideOlympia,Sam editedParkland Risinganaward-winning documentary feature film about the Stoneman Douglas shootings which has been touring the festival circuit around the country. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. Steam as well as, Mr Comas latest feature film American Falls, currently in post-production. Alexia Vassiliou is an award-winning multi-gold and platinum multi-genre conceptual international artist, songwriter, composer, and social activist. Olympia Dukakis, a character actress best known for her Oscar-winning supporting turn in Norman Jewison's " Moonstruck " and for her role as the wealthy widow in " Steel Magnolias ," has died.. In the early 90s, Paul formed the eclectic band, Wild Colonials, with the singer, Angela McCluskey, recording two albums for Geffen Records and performing with such artists as Joe Cocker, The Kinks, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, George Clinton, Rickie Lee Jones, King Crimson and Ry Cooder. Hollands Opus or the trans landlord Anna Madrigal over four installments of Tales of the City, she had the mien of a psychiatrist: a debonair empath with X-ray vision and pouffy white-custard hair, articulating the stubborn truths other characters were bound to resist. Butterfly (2007), Sony Pictures The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), Oliver Stones W (2008), New York, I Love You (2009), Tony Goldwyns Conviction (2010), Diana Vreeland: The Eye. "My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City, he wrote. The first of her many mother parts came in Peter Yatess John and Mary (1969) seen briefly in flashback as Dustin Hoffmans mother. "Olympia married Yugoslav-American actor Louis Zorich in 1962. After years of regularly working in TV and theater, her "Moonstruck" success led to more big roles. 2023 Cable News Network. Olympia Dukakis was an American actress. Dukakis introduced her cousin at the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, and also served as a delegate-at-large. When you love em, they drive you crazy. Thats a fitting reference, since Dukakis was of Greek heritage and, in a stage career that stretched back to 1961, appeared in classics from Electra to Titus Andronicus to Long Days Journey Into Night. Yet even when she was carving out her place in movies and TV, often cast as the Grande Dame Whos Smarter Than Anyone in the Room (its telling that she took on that role as far back as the 1969 Dustin Hoffman/Mia Farrow trifle John and Mary, when she was just 38), the Dukakis face, part cherub and part statue, made it seem that whatever reality she was confronting, she saw the absurdity of it, and the heartbreak as well. She held her Oscar high over her head at the ceremony and called out: OK, Michael, lets go!. Soon enough, I found myself in front of a small bungalow in a nondescript part ofWest Hollywood. They had four grandchildren. Michael Dukakis, who became the Democratic nominee for president in 1988, but ultimately lost to then-Vice President George H.W. kitchen in 1989. And yet, this ethnic commonality did little to ease her entry into the social circles of the neighborhood. When Rose learns that Loretta has gotten herself engaged to a middle-aged mediocrity shes not in love with, she offers the following advice: Good. "After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her [husband] Louis [Zorich].". A dented screen door hung precariously from the hinges of the cottages doorframe. [43] For 10 years, beginning in 1985, she studied with Indian mentor Srimata Gayatri Devi in the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. Fords television credits include the Emmy-nominated 'Frontier House' series for PBS, and the ground-breaking documentary series,'Family Bonds', for HBO. In 2003, Dukakis published her autobiography, Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress, in which she wrote of her support of feminism and environmental causes, and her support for the Democratic party, with candour and humour. Best known as a screen actress, she started her career in theater. Did you encounter any technical issues? But arguably her best role was in the TV mini-series Armistead Maupins Tales of the City (1993), as Anna Madrigal, the free-spirited, transgender, pot-smoking landlady in 1970s San Francisco. [37], In 1962, Dukakis married fellow Manhattan stage actor Louis Zorich. Somehow, I wasntsurprised. Olympia herself was a delegate from New Jersey at the 1988 Democratic national convention. [16], Moonstruck (1987) was directed by Norman Jewison who predicted Dukakis would receive honors for the role. From rebelling against her overbearing Greek mother to starting her own theatre company, Mavromichalis reveals both the public and private aspects of a woman who faced obstacle after obstacle as she learned how to be comfortable in her own skin and live life with blazing courage. I have a willingness to engage that is rooted in being Greek, a willingness to take on a fight. Voiced with her signature gravelly timbre, Olympia told her truth, loudly and often. She later developed and produced autobiographical solo shows, What Will People, Think? & Warrior Without A Cause that have garnered many accolades and won, awards off-Broadway. She received three Emmy nominations for her editing work on the non-fiction series The Mind of a Chef (PBS, Netflix). In 2014 he was awarded the ARRI-CSC Bahnemann Award for his outstanding student cinematography. "Olympia delivers an uncommonly personal, cinemaverity-style portrait of its fascinating, iconoclastic subject.". "[6][46], After a period of ill health, Dukakis died under hospice care at her home in Manhattan on May 1, 2021, at the age of 89. Olympia Dukakis in Moonstruck, 1987, in which she played Chers mother. She was an Editor onthe pay-it-forward series Returning The Favor (Facebook) with Mike Rowe. Long a vital, respected thespian of the classic and contemporary stage, this grand lady did not become a household name and sought-after film actress until age 56 when she turned in a glorious, Oscar-winning performance as Cher's sardonic mother in the romantic comedy Moonstruck (1987). Follow Cognoscenti on Facebook and Twitter. In 1963, Dukakis' early life Off-Broadway was rewarded with an Obie Award for Distinguished Performance, as Widow Leocadia Begbick in Man Equals Man (a.k.a., A Man's A Man). "After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and. Pamela has worked with innumerable clients bringing them to the next level and has established a respected reputation in doing so. The Heartbreaking Death Of Olympia Dukakis. This gritty formermill town served as the backdrop for the first nine years of Dukakis life. [5] She contended with pressures within her patriarchal Greek family and around her, "in a neighborhood where ethnic discrimination, particularly against Greeks, was routine. [22] In 2000, she played alongside Ian Holm, Judi Dench, Joan Sims (her final acting performance before her death in 2001),[23] and Romola Garai (her first professional role)[24] in the television film The Last of the Blonde Bombshells. The Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actress was the last of a stream of awards she earned for that part, including the Los Angeles Film Critics, Golden Globe and American Comedy awards.From then on, silver-haired Olympia was frequently first in line for a number of cream-of-the-crop matron roles: Steel Magnolias (1989), Dad (1989), Look Who's Talking (1989), The Cemetery Club (1993), Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) and Mother (1995).On TV, she received high praise for her work especially for her sympathetic trans-gendered landlady Anna Madrigal in the acclaimed miniseries Tales of the City (1993) and its sequels More Tales of the City (1998) (Emmy Nominee) and Further Tales of the City (2001). Brooke Lefferts. All rights reserved. Olympia Dukakis attends the premiere of "Tales Of The City" at The Metrograph in New York City on June 3, 2019. Olympia Dukakis, the veteran stage and screen actor whose flair for maternal roles helped her win an Oscar as Cher's mother in the romantic comedy Moonstruck, has died. Honored in 2012 as one of Greek Americas 40 Under 40. After more than two decades of distinguished work in the US theatre as an actor, director and teacher, and appearances in a dozen or so films, Olympia Dukakis, who has died aged 89, became. Dukakis won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1988 for her portrayal of Rose Castorini in Moonstruck. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the pair met while auditioning for an off-Broadway play. Olympia Dukakis (June 20, 1931 - May 1, 2021) was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Greek immigrants. [8] She later returned to BU and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in performing arts. With a career spanning thirty years, and 45recorded albumin the United States, Europeand Greece,Alexia changed Greek record sales history with her series of gold and platinum albums for CBS-Columbia, Air Music, Polygram, Universal Music, BMG, and Sony Music Internationalin the genres of Pop, Jazz, Improvisation/ Experimental, Worldand Film Music. Movie (and TV) fans then discovered what East coast theater-going audiences had uncovered decades before -- Olympia Dukakis was an acting treasure. 's production of "Vigil" (2011) and as "Prospera" in "The Tempest" (2012) at Shakespeare & Co. She has performed in over 130 productions Off-Broadway and regionally at theaters including the Public Theatre, A.C.T., Shakespeare in the Park, Shakespeare & Co., and the Williamstown Summer Theatre Festival, where she also served as Associate Director. Before we talked about her lifeunder Hollywood's glare, we talked about her life under the street lamps of Lowell. November 30, 1962 - January 30, 2018 (his death, 3 children), The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (AP) Olympia Dukakis, the veteran stage and screen actor whose flair for maternal roles helped her win an Oscar as Cher's mother in the romantic comedy "Moonstruck," has died.. Both would go on to win Academy Awards later that year. Olympia Dukakis's brother Apollo confirmed her death in a Facebook post, noting that the actress had been dealing with health issues. Another striking stage performance came in an off-Broadway production of Tennessee Williamss 1963 drama The Milk Train Doesnt Stop Here Anymore (2011), as the wealthy, dying gorgon Flora Goforth. (Jeff Chiu/AP) It's been just. [20][21] In another genre entirely, she provided the voice of Grandpa's love interest for The Simpsons episode "The Old Man and the Key" (2002). Because of this part and several other gay-friendly ones, Dukakis became a hero of the LGBTQ+ movement. The lioness of Lowell. As actress, director, producer and teacher, she still found the time to raise their three young children. Should marriage be everyday drudgery or moonstruck craziness? Winning the Oscar led inevitably to more recognition, though not necessarily bigger parts. As afternoon arrived, I asked two favors of the legendary actress. 2. She appeared in more than 60 feature and short films, including Steel Magnolias, Cloudburst, Dad, Mr. Hollands Opus, Working Girl, Look Whos Talking I, II & III, Mighty Aphrodite, Jeffrey, Away From Her, among many others. "My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City," he wrote. But then, that's really the fate of many women today. The honors compounded as she collected the Los Angeles and New York Film Critics Awards, all in recognition of her talent, some acting improvised, as she delivered a serious while hilarious performance. She performed in more than 130 stage productions, more than 60 films and in 50 television series. Olympia Dukakis, the veteran stage and screen actress whose flair for maternal roles helped her win an Oscar as Cher's mother in the romantic comedy "Moonstruck," has died. Te amo. Dukakis was built on seeing (and loving) the world as it is. She leaned across the table, looked me dead in the eye and said, Loretta, do you love him? I squeaked out the prescribed response, Ma, I love him awful. She gently shook her head and said, Aw God, thats too bad. And with that she smiled, grabbed my hand and gave it a quick squeeze, demurely signaling the end of our time together. She reappeared in the sequels, More Tales of the City (1998), Further Tales of the City (2001) and again under the title of Tales of the City (2019). Has To Travel (2011), Woody Allen: A Documentary (2012), and most recently Jane Fonda in Five Acts (2018). Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. [3] Her parents were Greek immigrants; her father a refugee from Anatolia and her mother from the Peloponnese. She appeared in Martin Sherman's one-woman play, Rose, entirely a monologue about a woman who survived the Warsaw Ghetto, in London and then on Broadway. Updated So I constantly play women who are damaged and out of touch, who are seeking without knowing, or knowing without the skills to transform their lives. in a career that spanned more than six decades, actor olympia dukakis appeared in classic stage plays like ibsen's peer gynt, sophocles' electra, and eugene o'neill's long day's journey into night, but it was her performance as cher's sardonic mother, rose castorini, in the 1987 romantic comedy moonstruck that brought her fameand an academy I'm supposed to go first. In this June 26, 2011 file photo, Actress Olympia Dukakis, a celebrity Grand Marshall for the 41st annual Gay Pride parade, waves to the crowd in San Francisco. I wanna hit it hard! [32] The following year, Dukakis reprised the role of Anna Madrigal, which she had first played in 1993, in a Netflix update of Armistead Maupin's Tales of The City. "My ambition wasn't to win the Oscar. She was sitting at the table dressed in a t-shirt and striped pajama bottoms, hair still wet from a quick dash through the shower. The couple married in 1962 and cofounded The Whole Theatre Company in Montclair, New Jersey, running it from 1971 to 1990, according to IMDB. She was additionally seen in episodes of Bored to Death (2009), and TV movies The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000) (Judi Dench), Sinatra (1992) (Golden Globe Nominee), and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) (Emmy Nominee). Her producing, credit for documentary includes the feature "The Case of Josephine H." by the renowned, Polish artist Izabella Gustowska which was released in the 2014 New Horizons International. Olympia Dukakis, Oscar Winner for 'Moonstruck,' Dies at 89 A veteran of the stage who also had a long list of film and TV credits, she was best known for playing characters who were worldly . Previously she worked with outdoorsman and conservationist Steven Rinella on MeatEater (Sportsman, Netflix) and The Wild Within (Travel), and with Phil Rosenthal on I'll Have What Phil's Having (PBS). In Norman Jewisons Moonstruck, a modern fairytale of love, with each leading character destined to have his or her moment of glory, Dukakis is by turns warm, humorous and cynical, and poignantly wonders why men (especially her husband) are unfaithful. Paul composed music for Liev Schreibers Everything Is Illuminated. 50 Greatest Romantic Comedies of All Time The actress' brother. Best known as a screen actress, she started her career in theater. The family has not disclosed an official cause of death. [18] The role of a no-nonsense matriarch, Rose Castorini, plays off Cher's Best Actress Award-winning role as daughter Loretta. In 2005, Sid was elected to his first term as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, a positionwhich he held for four consecutive terms. [41] Her life off the screen and stage was very active. She also became a master instructor at New York University for fourteen years. 1971: Sue Ane Langdon - Arnie. Olympia Dukakis (June 20, 1931 - May 1, 2021) was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Greek immigrants. His work has screened at numerous film festivals including Venice, Cannes, Sundance, and Berlin. She was 89. In 2000, Dukakis appeared in London at the National Theatre in Rose, a monologue written for her by Martin Sherman. [40], In her 2003 autobiography, Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress, Dukakis describes the challenges she faced as a first-generation Greek-American in an area with anti-Greek ethnic bigotry, violence and discrimination; difficulties with her mother and in other relationships; and battles with substances and chronic illness. [13], Dukakis' prolific stage directing credits include many of the classics: Orpheus Descending, The House of Bernarda Alba, Uncle Vanya, and A Touch of the Poet, as well as the more contemporary; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Kennedy's Children. She later returned to her alma mater and entered the graduate program in performing arts, earning a Master of Fine Arts degree.Olympia found early success by distinguishing herself first on stage performing in summer stock and with several repertory and Shakespearean companies throughout the county. The Musical, an off-Broadway musical that had several runs and enjoyed sweet success. [41] She received the National Arts Club Medal of Honor. Stella, the butch lesbian of 2011s "Cloudburst," noted as much for its off-color script as for its tender love story. She helped the " Moonstruck " star get out of traffic, review contracts, and take care of her family. She made her Broadway debut as an understudy in "The Aspern Papers" at age 30, followed by very short runs in the plays "Abraham Cochrane" (1964) and "Who's Who in Hell" (1974). Or her 1989 performance as one of the Steel Magnolias, a fitting title for a woman known for her winsome heart and yet resolute demeanor. All Rights Reserved. Interestingly, it was her scene-stealing work on Broadway in the comedy "Social Security" (1986) that caught director Norman Jewison's eye and earned her the Moonstruck (1987) movie role. [33][34], In 2018, Olympia, an American documentary film about her life and career, had its festival premiere at DOC NYC. [1] In 2018, a feature-length documentary about her life, titled Olympia, was released theatrically in the United States. Academy Award-winning actress and theater icon Olympia Dukakis is well known and beloved to viewers across America for her performances on stage and in classic films like Moonstruck and Steel Magnolias. After more than two decades of distinguished work in the US theatre as an actor, director and teacher, and appearances in a dozen or so films, Olympia Dukakis, who has died aged 89, became hugely famous overnight by winning the best supporting actress Oscar in 1988 for her performance as Chers mother in the romantic film Moonstruck (1987). My ambition wasnt to win the Oscar, she said after her Moonstruck win. 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 actual story of a man wrongfully imprisoned for seventeen years for the murder of a child, Lesley Molseed, after police suppressed evidence of his innocence. Given this prism, its easy to understand why the roles for which she is best known initially appealed to this grande dame of film. She majored in physical therapy at Boston University, where she graduated with a BA. Miss Dukakis, would it be all right if I took your picture? For the first time since we had been together, I saw her stiffen. He has also served 10 years on the Board of Directors of Marvel Entertainment until its sale to Disney in 2009, as well as the boards of FIND (Film Independent) and University of California, Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive and San Franciscos SF FILM. The Musical, an off-Broadway musical that had several runs and enjoyed sweet success. Dukakis is survived by her three children,Christina, Peter and Stefan. Currently, she is a producer at Boipeba Filmes, led by the Academy Award-nominated director Carlos Saldanha. She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the role. "My ambition wasn't to win the Oscar," the veteran stage and screen actor said. Share this - copied. [38] Planning for a family, they moved out of the city in 1970 to settle in Montclair, New Jersey. Pamela is also an Associate Producer for "Olympia", a feature documentary about the poetic life of Academy Award winning actress, Olympia Dukakis. There are attitudes I have, a fatefulness that I carry that is very Greek, she reflected. "It was to play the great parts.". Having long established herself as a respected stage actress and veteran performer in dozens of film and television projects, Olympia Dukakis achieved overnight stardom at the tender age of 56 with her Oscar-winning portrayal in "Moonstruck" (1987). In addition to her Oscar, she took the Golden Globe in the same category. Dukakis passed away at her New York City home. From rebelling against her overbearing Greek mother to starting her own theatre company, Mavromichalis reveals both the public and private aspects of a woman who faced obstacle after obstacle as she learned how to be comfortable in her own skin and live life with blazing courage. As a girl, she dominated in sports and was a three-time New England fencing champion. In the early 90s, Paul formed the eclectic band, Wild Colonials, with the singer, Angela, McCluskey, recording two albums for Geffen Records and performing with such artists. Born in South Korea, she has worked as a director, producer, and editor for broadcast networks 'KBS', 'SBS', and 'M-net' since 2005. I never told my parents, but by the time I turned 11, I carried a knife with me everywhere I went. She taught acting at NYU and gave master classes for professional theatre companies, colleges, and universities across the country. [10] But her stage work began across the summer of 1961, in productions at the Williamstown Summer Theatre,[11] she continued to perform there every few years, with her last appearance on that stage occurring in 2003, where she played multiple roles in The Chekov Cycle. Olympia Dukakis, actor and director, born 20 June 1931; died 1 May 2021, American stage and screen actor who won an Oscar for her role in the 1987 film Moonstruck, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. A Warner Bros. Dukakis kept working steadily through her 80s, including supporting roles on the limited series "Sex and Violence" (OUTtv 2013-15) and the Canadian drama "Forgive Me" (Super Channel 2013-18). Her first experience as a theatre producer was for Opa! Pamela Spyrs is a publicist, producer and activist based in Southern California who has accumulated a vast network of artists, filmmakers, designers, environmental game changers, and humanitarian leaders. Dukakis passed away three years after the death of her husband, fellow actor Louis Zorich. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. With Udon Productions, led by the award-winning Spanish director Toni Comas, she producedcampaigns for companies such as SodaStream and Mr. Her cousin Michael was our governor for a time, as well as the 1988 Democratic presidential nominee. She spoke in the past about "stepping up" for students that she found particularly talented because, "people have stepped out for me.". After the triumph of Moonstruck, she played a tart-tongued matriarch in Steel Magnolias (1989), the gossipy small-town weeper in which she kept dropping in to do what she did best: preside. Her no-nonsense demeanor, her candor, her feistiness, her political bent, her sexual mores, and her strident disapproval of the sins of patriarchy, all took root during her formative years. Or the transgendered landlady of "Tales of the City," Anna Madrigal, the characters name an anagram for a man and a woman. This 1993 project came significantly before most actors were willing to take such roles. Film Festival and the short Suit Yourself showcased at 2012 My Hero Film Festival. Once out of that corner of New England and hitting the pavement of the Great White Way, it didn't take long for her to be recognized for her talent and skill. But what, exactly, is that? Not so for Dukakis. Stern but perpetually amused, with a warm leer of a grin that could light up a scene, she looked like the comedy and tragedy masks fused together. [9][3], Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines, American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Female Performer Motion Picture or TV, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress Motion Picture, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress, National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress, BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress, American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film, Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Seattle International Film Festival Award for Best Actress, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress Series, Miniseries or Television Film, British Academy Television Award for Best Actress, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, Satellite Award for Best Actress Miniseries or Television Film, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, "Olympia Dukakis, Oscar Winner for 'Moonstruck,' Dies at 89", "Olympia Dukakis, theater veteran and Oscar-winning 'Moonstruck' actress, dies at 89", "Olympia Dukakis and Memories of Montclair", "Theater Review; In 'Rose,' A Survivor Living on the Other Hand", "Olympia Dukakis, 'Moonstruck' and 'Steel Magnolias' actor, dies aged 89", "Dukakis Stays Grounded After 'Moonstruck' Success", "A Role About Winter for Julie Christie, a Star in Eternal Spring", "A Life for a Life: The True Story of Stefan Kiszko (1998)", "Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-winning star of 'Moonstruck,' dies at 89", "Carry On star Joan Sims dies after long illness", "Romola Garai: An actor's life for me at least for now", "Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-winning 'Moonstruck' actress, dies at 89", "Olympia Dukakis: The newest fan of the Chicago way", "Milk Train, with Dukakis and Anderson, Begins Hartford Stage Run May 15", "Academy Award Winner Premieres Shakespeare Adaptation in Whitefish", "Keck's Exclusives: SVU Secures Oscar Winner Olympia Dukakis", "Olympia's golden moment: Dukakis recalls how Oscar win opened doors for her", "Olympia Dukakis Honored With Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame", "Eleftheromania: A Film that Gives a Voice to Those Who Were Silenced", "How Armistead Maupin's 'Tales of the City' Evolves in Netflix Return", "How Tales of the City Avoided a Trans Casting Controversy", "Oscar Winner, and BU Alum, Olympia Dukakis Dies at 89", "Oscar-winning actress and N.J. theater pioneer Olympia Dukakis dies at 89", "Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-winning 'Moonstruck' star, dies at 89", "Olympia Dukakis remembered: A life in the theater, and then 'Moonstruck' made her famous", "Oh, Goddess! Feminists and Witches Create a New Religion from Ancient Myths and Magic", "An Interview with Olympia Dukakis from 'In Sweet Company' by Margaret Wolff", "Review: "Stiletto" (1969) Starring Alex Cord, Britt Ekland and Patrick O'Neal; Kino Lorber Blu-Ray Special Edition", "Olympia Dukakis, Star of 'Steel Magnolias' and 'Moonstruck', Has Died at 89", "Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-winning 'Moonstruck' actress, has died", "Oscar-winning 'Moonstruck' actress Olympia Dukakis dies at 89", "Tributes paid to 'genius' Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis", "Olympia Dukakis Dead at 89, Cher Pays Tribute", "Alyssa Sutherland Joins 'The Mist' Stephen King Adaptation At Spike", "Olympia Dukakis Dies: 'Moonstruck' Oscar Winner Was 89", "Olympia Dukakis Dies, Oscar-Winning 'Moonstruck' Star Was 89", "The Librarian: Quest for the Spear and Return to King Solomon's Mines (review)", "Olympia Dukakis to appear on 'Worst Week', "VIP: Nicollette Sheridan's spooky 'Christmas Spirit', "Olympia Dukakis, Moonstruck Actress and Oscar Winner, Dead at 89", "Ingrid Jungermann To Adapt Her Web Series 'F To 7th' As Comedy For Showtime", "Review: Left brutalized by adaptation of Stephen King's 'Big Driver', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Olympia_Dukakis&oldid=1125221952, DOC NYC, Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, This page was last edited on 2 December 2022, at 21:18. 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