Irene Papas

Irene Papas
Papas in 1956
Born
Irene Lelekou

(1929-09-03)3 September 1929
Died14 September 2022(2022-09-14) (aged 93)
Kifissia, Athens, Greece
Resting placeChiliomodi Cemetery, Corinthia, Greece
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active1948–2003
Known forHeroines of Greek tragedy;[1] powerful stage presence[2]
Notable workAntigone
Electra
The Guns of Navarone
Iphigenia
The Message
The Trojan Women
Z
Zorba the Greek
Spouses
Alkis Papas
(m. 1947; div. 1951)
José Kohn
(m. 1957; annul. 1957)
RelativesManousos Manousakis (nephew)
Lida-Maria Manthopoulou (grandniece)

Irene Papas or Irene Pappas[3] (Greek: Ειρήνη Παππά, romanizedEiríni Pappá, IPA: [iˈrini paˈpa]; born Eirini Lelekou (Greek: Ειρήνη Λελέκου, romanized: Eiríni Lelékou); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022)[4] was a Greek actress and singer who starred in over 70 films in a career spanning more than 50 years. She gained international recognition through such popular award-winning films as The Guns of Navarone (1961), Zorba the Greek (1964) and Z (1969). She was a powerful protagonist in films including The Trojan Women (1971) and Iphigenia (1977). She played the title roles in Antigone (1961) and Electra (1962). She had a fine singing voice, on display in the 1968 recording Songs of Theodorakis.

Papas won Best Actress awards at the Berlin International Film Festival for Antigone and from the National Board of Review for The Trojan Women. Her career awards include the Golden Arrow Award in 1993 at Hamptons International Film Festival, and the Golden Lion Award in 2009 at the Venice Biennale.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hartigan 1995 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Schuster 1979 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Irene Pappas Asks Boycott Of Greece's 'Fourth Reich'". The New York Times. 20 July 1967. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Greece's Irene Papas, Who Earned Hollywood Fame, Dies At 93". Bloomberg UK, using Associated Press. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022. She was 93. ... Papas publicly joked that she was often quoted as being three years older than her actual age. She started a 2004 interview with Greek state television by saying, "I was born on Sept. 3, 1929. All the papers are there in Chiliomodi," which is located near the southern Greek city of Corinth.