Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
October 18, 1920
Place of Birth:
Athens, Greece
Social Media
Melina Mercouri
Biography
Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (Greek: Μαρία Αμαλία "Μελίνα" Μερκούρη, 18 October 1920 – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a prominent political family for multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination and won a French Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award for her performance in the film Never on Sunday (1960) and an Italian David di Donatello for Topkapi. Mercouri was also nominated for one Tony Award, three Golden Globes, and two BAFTA Awards in her acting career. In 1987 she was awarded a special prize in the first edition of the Europe Theatre Prize.
Mercouri was a member of the Hellenic Parliament, elected as a representative of PASOK. In October 1981, she became the first female Minister of Culture and Sports. She has the longest tenure of any of Greece's Ministers of Culture, having served from 1981 to 1989, and then from 1993 until her death in 1994, during PASOK governments. Mercouri's political activism included her long campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles. One of her greatest achievements was the establishment of the European Capitals of Culture, with Athens chosen as the first capital in 1985.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Melina Mercouri, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | The Marbles | Self - Photo Only (archive footage) |
| 2020 | Melina Stop Frame - In Search of Modern Greekness | Self (archive footage) |
| 2017 | Melina's fight for the Parthenon sculptures | Self (archive footage) |
| 1978 | A Dream of Passion | Maya / Medea |
| 1977 | Nasty Habits | Sister Gertrude |
| 1975 | Once Is Not Enough | Karla |
| 1975 | Songs of Fire | Self |
| 1974 | The Rehearsal | Self |
| 1970 | Promise at Dawn | Nina Kacewa |
| 1969 | Gaily, Gaily | Lil |
| 1966 | 10:30 P.M. Summer | Maria |
| 1966 | A Man Could Get Killed | Aurora / Celeste da Costa |
| 1965 | The Uninhibited | Jenny |
| 1964 | Topkapi | Elizabeth Lipp |
| 1963 | The Victors | Magda |
| 1963 | 38-24-36 | Self |
| 1962 | Phaedra | Phaedra Kyrilis |
| 1961 | The Last Judgment | Foreign lady |
| 1961 | Long Live Henry IV... Long Live Love! | Marie de Médicis |
| 1960 | Never on Sunday | Ilya |
| 1959 | The Law | Donna Lucrezia |
| 1958 | The Gypsy and the Gentleman | Belle |
| 1957 | He Who Must Die | Katerina |
| 1955 | Stella | Stella |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Kronen Könner Kavaliere | Self |
| 1975 | Les Rendez-vous du dimanche | Self |
| 1972 | Le Grand Échiquier | Self |
| 1971 | V.I.P. Schaukel | Self |
| 1971 | Samedi soir | Self |
| 1969 | Wünsch dir was | Self |
| 1968 | À bout portant | Self |
| 1965 | Dim Dam Dom | Self |
| 1964 | Die Drehscheibe | Self |
| 1962 | The Merv Griffin Show | Self |
| 1962 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | Self |
| 1959 | Discorama | Self |
| 1956 | Cinépanorama | Self |
| 1950 | What's My Line? | Self - Mystery Guest |