His on-screen work includes appearances in Steven Spielberg's The Post, Tamara Jenkins' Private Life and TV shows including Homeland, House of Cards, Godfather of Harlem and The Plot Against America. Currently, she has two feature films in the development stage with White Night Films. 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. Thank you! She played the role of Debby Marsh, an attorney. As if by reflex, she clenched her hands into two fists and placed them on top of her thighs. One afternoon I was caught by a horde of kids, tied to a tree, and had my socks stuffed down my throat," she said. 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). She spoke in the past about "stepping up" for students that she found particularly talented because, "people have stepped out for me.". A native of Massachusetts and the daughter of Greek immigrants, Dukakis was the first cousin of former state Gov. 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. Her first feature film 'The Motion of The Sun' has been screened at the Long Island Film Festival and Miami Independent Film Festival. Follow Cognoscenti on Facebook and Twitter. ), as well her chameleon-like versatility in everything from cutting edge comedy to stark tragedy, kept her in high demand for 30 years as one of Hollywood's topnotch character players.Olympia Dukakis was born on June 20, 1931, in Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Greek immigrants, Alexandra (Christos), from the Peloponnese, and Constantine S. Dukakis, from Anatolia. "It was to play the great parts.". 1971: Sue Ane Langdon - Arnie. As Founder of INSPYRS PR she has a zest for attention to detail and encouraging others to "CREATE ~ SUSTAIN ~ INSPYRE". Across that span, productions included the works of Euripides, Eugene O'Neill, Samuel Beckett, Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, and Lanford Wilson. "After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and. After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her Louis, her brother Apollo Dukakis posted on Facebook. 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). [17] She believed him after receiving the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. [33][34], In 2018, Olympia, an American documentary film about her life and career, had its festival premiere at DOC NYC. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Olympia was the daughter of Constantine Dukakis and Alexandra (nee Christos), both Greek immigrants. The matriarch of a dysfunctional New York Italian family, Dukakis depiction of the complexities of motherhood and marriage are as gritty as they are heartwarmingly relatable. Paul composed music for Liev Schreibers Everything Is Illuminated. Olympia Dukakis sneaks a cigarette in a rare moment alone in her apartment during the play "Vigil" at . She had agreed to be interviewed for a graduate school research project I was conducting on the evolution of 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. [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. Because of this part and several other gay-friendly ones, Dukakis became a hero of the LGBTQ+ movement. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. 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. "My ambition wasn't to win the Oscar. Olympia herself was a delegate from New Jersey at the 1988 Democratic national convention. Michael Dukakis began his unsuccessful quest for the presidency. The first of her many mother parts came in Peter Yatess John and Mary (1969) seen briefly in flashback as Dustin Hoffmans mother. Her family home was located in The Acre, the largely Greek section of town. 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). Dukakis was a longtime stage actress, but she broke into the Hollywood mainstream at the age of 56 when she portrayed Cher's mother in the 1987 classic romantic comedy "Moonstruck." 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. Birth Place:Lowell, Massachusetts, United States. The family has not disclosed an official cause of death. She was 89. "After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her [husband] Louis [Zorich]" (viaLos Angeles Times). The Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis has died at the age of 89, according to the Hollywood Reporter. As afternoon arrived, I asked two favors of the legendary actress. Harry curated the first LGBTQ Film Festival and was one of the key organizers of the 1st Pride Parade in Cyprus. "My ambition wasn't to win the Oscar," the veteran stage and screen actor said. Transitioning to a professional life centered in New York City, she performed many times in productions in Central Park at the renowned Delacorte Theater. Updated She received three Emmy nominations for her editing work on the non-fiction series The Mind of a Chef (PBS, Netflix). Id like to take a photograph of your hands. There are attitudes I have, a fatefulness that I carry that is very Greek, she reflected. Olympia Dukakis, the Oscar-winning actress who brought beloved roles like Rose Castorini in Moonstruck and Clairee in Steel Magnolias to life, has died at the age of 89. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. Andrew Fords recent feature length producing and editing credits include 'The Seventh Fire' (Berlin International Film Festival), 'Down the Shore (Anchor Bay, Starz, starring James Gandolfini and Famke Janssen), 'Killing Kasztner' (Toronto International Film Festival), 'A Walk to Beautiful' (Emmy winner, IDA best documentary feature winner, 5 audience awards), released theatrically and broadcast on Nova, and 'Until the Light Takes Us' (Golden Athena award winner for Best Documentary), focusing on Norwegian black metal music and enjoyed a worldwide theatrical release. Bonnie Low-Kramen was the personal assistant to the actor Olympia Dukakis for 25 years. Stella, the butch lesbian of 2011s "Cloudburst," noted as much for its off-color script as for its tender love story. She held her Oscar high over her head at the ceremony and called out: OK, Michael, lets go!. 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. You could easily have envisioned her as the shrink on The Sopranos but then, with a nudge, it wouldnt be hard to imagine her as Tony Sopranos mother, since even in the quaintest settings Olympia Dukakis had a stealth power and an old-world comfortableness with the dark side. Anne Gardner Twitter Cognoscenti contributorAnneGardneris an Episcopal minister and author of "And So I Walked: Reflections on Chance, Choice, and the Camino de Santiago. Cinematographer Federico Cesca was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And yet, this ethnic commonality did little to ease her entry into the social circles of the neighborhood. 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. I always thought people's hands were the best barometer of the kind of life they had led. Her shoulders relaxed and she motioned for me to come alongside her. "My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City," he wrote. Olympia Dukakis won an Oscar for her performance in Moonstruck Credit: Getty Seven best Olympia Dukakis quotes "The year of the Dukakii." (Dukakis was referring to 1988, when she won an Oscar and when cousin Michael Dukakis earned the Democratic nomination for president). As a girl, she dominated in sports and was a three-time New England fencing champion. [4][1] She had a brother named Apollo, six years her junior. 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. Laura Linney, left, and Olympia Dukakis in More Tales of the City, 1998. He has a degree in music and architecture and holds an MFA in filmmaking from NYU Tisch. She later moved to film acting and won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, among other accolades, for her performance in Moonstruck (1987). Susan Dey - The Partridge Family. 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). She was 89. Dukakis won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1988 for her portrayal of Rose Castorini in Moonstruck. November 30, 1962 - January 30, 2018 (his death, 3 children), The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). In Made for Each Other (1971), a romantic comedy in which an Italian-American man (Joseph Bologna) and a Jewish woman (Renee Taylor) fall in love, Dukakis is the formers mama opposed to her sons relationship. 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. Her theatrical credits read like the canon of classic and modern plays: she had roles in plays by Euripides, Sophocles, Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen, Lorca, Pirandello, Brecht, Eugene ONeill and Tennessee Williams, on and off Broadway, as well as in various regional theatres across the country. And we miss your gracious heart. Paul composed music for Liev Schreibers Everything Is, Illuminated. [31], In 2018, Dukakis starred in Eleftheromania, which follows an Auschwitz survivor as she recites a true story about a group from the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. Within a few steps, I found myself in her kitchen. Olympia Dukakis and Cher hold the Golden Globes they won in January 1988 for their performances in "Moonstruck." In one scene, she remains hostile until, alone in the hallway, she shrieks: Get that woman out of my house.. Amanda Blake - Gunsmoke. (Jeff Chiu/AP) It's been just. Fords television credits include the Emmy-nominated 'Frontier House' series for PBS, and the ground-breaking documentary series,'Family Bonds', for HBO. 10:16 AM EDT, Sun May 2, 2021, Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis dies at 89, Commentators duck for cover as shots fired after high school basketball game, Documents show employer reported Ana Walshe missing, not her husband, See climate activist Greta Thunberg being carried away by German police, Video inside plane of Nepali crash may shed light on what exactly happened, University of Alabama basketball player charged with capital murder, Mob boss walked out of hospital in custody after 30 years on the run, Black box recovered from Nepal plane crash wreckage, Rescuers call out to woman trapped in rubble after Russian missile strike, Tapper asks GOP lawmaker if he will investigate Trump or just Biden, Video: Migrant girls rescued from river near US-Mexico border, Police describe what happened in shooting involving Alabama basketball star, Tapper presses Rep. Raskin on Biden's handling of classified documents, Radar animation shows near-miss between 2 passenger planes at JFK, UGA football player and staffer killed hours after UGA championship celebration, See how rain impacted this road in coastal California city, NYT reporter pored through 10 years of Idaho killings suspect's internet posts. Dukakis died at her home with her daughter Christina Zorich by her side, the family said in a statement. 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. The Oscar-winning actressOlympia Dukakis has died at the age of 89, according to the Hollywood Reporter. After working professionally as a modern dancer and choreographer he went back to school and received his Masters in Film Directing from New York University. 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. Olympia Dukakis, the Oscar-winning actress best known for her roles in Moonstruck and Steel Magnolias, has died at the age of 89. Movie (and TV) fans then discovered what East coast theater-going audiences had uncovered decades before -- Olympia Dukakis was an acting treasure. 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. Because they know they can. Thats the kind of line that followed Dukakis around the kind her fans would come up to her on the street wanting her to repeat. Biography. 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. 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. A fourth version, Armistead Maupins Tales of the City, was streamed on Netflix in 2019. Olympia Dukakis, theater veteran and Oscar-winning 'Moonstruck' actress, dies at 89. In addition to decades in the theater and an award-winning film career, Dukakis also taught drama classes at New York University. ", It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. In films, she took on several character roles, making an impression in scores of pictures for more than half a century. Efforts at assimilation continued to evade her. Currently, she is a producer at Boipeba Filmes, led by the Academy Award-nominated director Carlos Saldanha. 2023 Cable News Network. 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, In crafting his revealing bio-documentary. Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-Winning 'Moonstruck' Star, Dies At 89. appreciated. 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. You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. 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. [35] It was released theatrically in the United States in July 2020. Dukakis is a brand name here in the Bay State. The family has not disclosed an official cause of death. She received another Golden Globe nomination for Sinatra (1992) and Emmy Award nominations for Lucky Day (1991), More Tales of the City (1998) and Joan of Arc (1999). I-I don't think I can take this! With Dukakis serving as artistic director, the theater rolled out five productions per season for almost two decades. No, no, I stammered, not of your face. And then just as quickly, threaded her fingers together as if in prayer. MAPLEWOOD, N.J. 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. (Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images) Olympia Dukakis, the Emmy- and Academy Award-winning actress hailed for her landmark portrayal of the transgender Anna Madrigal in Tales of the City, died on. She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the role. 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, Tales of the City: 20th Anniversary Collection. [44] A strong advocate for women's rights and LGBT rights, including same-sex marriage, Dukakis embraced the roles of a trans landlady in Tales of the City,[34] and a butch lesbian in Cloudburst. She performed in more than 130 stage productions, more than 60 films and in 50 television series. Louis died in 2018, and she is survived by their three children, Christina, Stefan and Peter, four grandchildren and her brother, Apollo. [12], With her husband, Louis Zorich, and with other acting couples, she co-founded the Whole Theater Company. 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. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. The film, directed by Harry Mavromichalis, features Whoopi Goldberg, Laura Linney, Ed Asner, Lainie Kazan, Armistead Maupin, Austin Pendleton, Diane Ladd and Dukakis' cousin, Governor Michael Dukakis. As actress, director, producer and teacher, she still found the time to raise their three young children. 2020 Ella Bean Productions. 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. Harrys directing and producing credits include Olympia; the award-winning, critically-acclaimed feature documentary on Academy Award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis and Yankee Restraint; a character driven piece that examines the intricacies of a gay relationship spanning decades and tackles issues of love and resentment. Over the duration of their marriage, she and her husband have experienced shared successes, appearing together in "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "Camino Real, "The Three Sisters" and "The Seagull," among many others. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. 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.

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