Oscar-winning Greek actress Irene Papas has passed away at the age of 93. Through her roles in films like The Guns of Navarone and Zorba the Greek, she gained recognition around the world.
Famous for her dramatic performances and icy beauty, Irene Papas had a successful career spanning six decades and landed her roles in Hollywood films, as well as those in France and Italy.
On Wednesday, her death was officially announced by the Greek Ministry of Culture.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in a statement that Irene Papas exemplified Greek beauty on television and stage with her regal stature and dynamic presence and that she was an international leading woman who glowed with Greek spirit. At the time of his death, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hailed her as an icon who had inspired many people.
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More About Greek Actress Irene Papas.
After starring in two films opposite Hollywood heavyweights Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn—The Guns of Navarone (1961) and Zorba the Greek (1964)—Papas gained widespread recognition around the world. She appeared in almost 50 films throughout her career.
Irene Papas was raised by two educators after her parents gave birth to her as Irene Lelekou in the mountain village of Chiliomodi. Her dad was an acting teacher as well.
Her family disapproved of her decision to marry Greek film director Alkis Papas, so she ran away at age 18. In the subsequent four years, they split up. The relationship between Marlon Brando and Italian journalist Giorgio Papas was disclosed after the American actor’s death in 2004.
Irene Papas was a member of the Greek Communist Party who spent much of his life abroad, primarily in Rome and New York, and who was a vociferous opponent of the military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974.
In addition to her roles in comedies, Papas was also a popular addition to ancient Greek tragedies. She became famous for playing Greek characters in Hollywood films. She co-starred alongside Kirk Douglas in the 1968 crime drama Brotherhood and with James Cagney in the 1956 Western Tribute to a Bad Man.
Greek cultural organizations hailed Papas for championing Greece’s next generation of actors. Her image is an everlasting stamp of Greek female beauty, according to the Greek Film Center in Athens, which called her the greatest Greek international film star.
When asked about the fact that she was frequently misquoted as being three years older than she actually was, Papas joked about it publicly. She introduced her birth date of September 3, 1929, at the beginning of an interview with Greek state television in 2004. Chiliomodi, which lies close to the southern Greek city of Corinth, is where all the documents may be found.
