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Melina Mercouri | |
|---|---|
 Mercouri in 1982 | |
| Minister for Culture | |
| In office 13 October 1993 – 6 March 1994 | |
| Prime Minister | Andreas Papandreou |
| Preceded by | Dora Bakoyanni |
| Succeeded by | Thanos Mikroutsikos |
| In office 21 October 1981 – 2 July 1989 | |
| Prime Minister | Andreas Papandreou |
| Preceded by | Andreas Andrianopoulos |
| Succeeded by | Anna Psarouda-Benaki |
| Member of the Hellenic Parliament for Piraeus B | |
| In office 20 November 1977 – 7 May 1985 | |
| Member of the Hellenic Parliament for National list | |
| In office 17 June 1985 – 6 March 1994 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Maria Amalia Mercouri 18 October 1920 Athens, Greece |
| Died | 6 March 1994 (aged 73) Upper East Side, New York City, U.S. |
| Resting place | First Cemetery of Athens |
| Political party | PASOK |
| Spouses |
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| Parents |
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| Alma mater | National Theatre of Greece Drama School |
| Occupation |
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Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (Greek: Μαρία Αμαλία "Μελίνα" Μερκούρη, 18 October 1920[a][1] – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a political family that was prominent over multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination and won a Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award for her performance in the film Never on Sunday (1960). 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.[2]
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.[3] One of her greatest achievements was the establishment of the European Capitals of Culture, with Athens chosen as the first capital in 1985.[4]
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- ^ She once gave her year of birth as 1922, ancestrylibrary.com. Accessed 4 May 2022.
- ^ "I Edizione". Premio Europa per il Teatro (in Italian). Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ "The Parhenon Marbles – Melina Mercouri Foundation". Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ Melina Mercouri: Actor, politician and champion of culture (1920-1994) (PDF), europa.eu Retrieved 12 July 2023