2023 Cable News Network. Stella, the butch lesbian of 2011s "Cloudburst," noted as much for its off-color script as for its tender love story. She was nominated for the Canadian Academy Award for The Event (2003) and in the middle of the first decade of the 21st century, her roles included 3 Needles, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines, In the Land of Women, and Away From Her, the 2006 film which cast her alongside Gordon Pinsent as the spouses of two Alzheimer's patients. ), 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. Born in South Korea, she has worked as a director, producer, and editor for broadcast networks 'KBS', 'SBS', and 'M-net' since 2005. The Oscar-winning actressOlympia Dukakis has died at the age of 89, according to the Hollywood Reporter. As actress, director, producer and teacher, she still found the time to raise their three young children. I've always been ready to go first! The course of her career suggests that her ambitions never lay in the direction of Hollywood. As if by reflex, she clenched her hands into two fists and placed them on top of her thighs. She is a proud board member of TheNationalSeptember 11th. Among her many roles were starring turns in "Steel Magnolias," "Mr. Holland's Opus," and "Look Who's Talking.". Miss Dukakis, would it be all right if I took your picture? For the first time since we had been together, I saw her stiffen. Film Festival and the short Suit Yourself showcased at 2012 My Hero Film Festival. (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. Both would go on to win Academy Awards later that year. She was additionally seen in episodes of Bored to Death (2009), and TV movies The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000) (Judi Dench), Sinatra (1992) (Golden Globe Nominee), and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) (Emmy Nominee). She later moved to film acting and won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, among other accolades, for her performance in Moonstruck. He began his career in film in the publicity department of 20th Century Fox in New York. "My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City," he wrote. The series was narrated by Anthony Bourdain, someone she continued to collaborate with on multiple projects over severalyears including his award-winning series' Parts Unknown(CNN) and No Reservations (Travel). Olympia Dukakis, theater veteran and Oscar-winning 'Moonstruck' actress, dies at 89. A native Brazilian,Murielhas established her career in New York City working with a. wide array of projects that range from indie documentaries to studio animated feature films. In role after role, she spoke mom: imperious, testy, kind, haughty and, in the end, always looking out for you. ", According to Deadline, Dukakis was the daughter of Greek immigrants, though the Los Angeles Times reports she described herself as the "poster child for the bad Greek daughter." 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. "[6][46], After a period of ill health, Dukakis died under hospice care at her home in Manhattan on May 1, 2021, at the age of 89. Macabre, hilarious and weirdly touching more or less sums up Ms Dukakiss performance, although a host of other adjectives might also be applied to her multihued portrait of a woman who has married and buried four husbands but cannot face the truth when the reaper comes to escort her from lifes banquet, reported a New York Times critic. 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. This was underlined by Cloudburst (2011), a road movie in which Dukakis, as a self-styled old butch dyke, and her companion of 31 years (Brenda Fricker), take off from the US to Canada to get married. As I got up from the table, I asked her one final question. As Rose says to her unfaithful husband, Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia), in Moonstruck, Your life is not built on nothing. In crafting his revealing bio-documentary Olympia, Greek American filmmaker Harry Mavromichalis had unprecedented access to Olympia, her family, and the story of her life. Her television roles included the transgender landlady Anna Madrigal in the 1993 miniseries Tales of the City. She reprised the role in the sequels More Tales of the City in 1998 and Further Tales of the City in 2001, according to IMDB. From rebelling against her overbearing Greek mother to starting her own theatre company, Mavromichalis reveals both the public and private aspects of a woman who faced obstacle after obstacle as she learned how to be comfortable in her own skin and live life with blazing courage. As a girl, she dominated in sports and was a three-time New England fencing champion. Id like to take a photograph of your hands. She scored theater triumphs in "A Man's a Man," for which she won an Off-Broadway Obie Award in 1962; several productions of "The Cherry Orchard" and "Mother Courage"; "Six Characters in Search of an Author"; "The Rose Tattoo"; "The Seagull"; "The Marriage of Bette and Boo" (another Obie Award); and, more notably, her many performances as the title role in "Hecuba." She majored in physical therapy at Boston University, where she graduated with a BA. Playing characters like the flinty principal of Mr. Paul Cantelon is an American composer of film scores and contemporary classical music. After the triumph of Moonstruck, she played a tart-tongued matriarch in Steel Magnolias (1989), the gossipy small-town weeper in which she kept dropping in to do what she did best: preside. Thank you! by her passion for theatre work. Soon enough, I found myself in front of a small bungalow in a nondescript part ofWest Hollywood. Olympia Dukakis (June 20, 1931 - May 1, 2021) was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Greek immigrants. November 30, 1962 - January 30, 2018 (his death, 3 children), The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). 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. Her character was the mother of Loretta Castorini, who was played by Cher, the Best Actress winner that year. I wanna hit it hard! 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. John Ryan Johnsonis an Award-winning commercial director and filmmaker. Olympia Dukakis, the Oscar-winning actress best known for her roles in Moonstruck and Steel Magnolias, has died at the age of 89. Before we talked about her lifeunder Hollywood's glare, we talked about her life under the street lamps of Lowell. Dukakis rose to fame starring in such hits as Moonstruck and Steel Magnolias. [4][1] She had a brother named Apollo, six years her junior. He bought her a 99 cent ring, and they remained married until his death in 2018. The family has not disclosed an official cause of death. 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). The Heartbreaking Death Of Olympia Dukakis. "It was to play the great parts.". She was 89. [19], She took on powerful roles on the small screen as well. kitchen in 1989. As afternoon arrived, I asked two favors of the legendary actress. 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. Later roles included Clairee Belcher in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias, in which she encourages a grieving MLynn Eatenton, portrayed by Sally Field, to slap Shirley MacLaines character, saying, Knock her lights out, MLynn!. [41] Her life off the screen and stage was very active. Among the actors performing with Dukakis and her husband were Jos Ferrer, Colleen Dewhurst, Blythe Danner, and Samuel L. Within a few steps, I found myself in her kitchen. 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 as Joe Cocker, The Kinks, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, George Clinton, Rickie Lee Jones, King Crimson and Ry Cooder. She was bestowed the National Arts Club Medal of Honor and her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was placed in 2013. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. "After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her [husband] Louis [Zorich].". Dukakis died at her home with her daughter Christina Zorich by her side, the family said in a statement. You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. In one scene, she remains hostile until, alone in the hallway, she shrieks: Get that woman out of my house.. 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. Honored in 2012 as one of Greek Americas 40 Under 40. Pamela is also an Associate Producer for "Olympia", a feature documentary about the poetic life of Academy Award winning actress, Olympia Dukakis. "[6], Dukakis was an alumna of Arlington High School in Arlington, Massachusetts,[7] and was educated at Boston University where she majored in physical therapy, earning a BA, which she made use of when treating patients with polio during the height of the epidemic. Originally intending to become a physical therapist, Dukakis turned to acting with work on and off-Broadway in productions such as "The Aspern Papers". 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 Moonstruck and Steel Magnolias. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Olympia was the daughter of Constantine Dukakis and Alexandra (nee Christos), both Greek immigrants. Dukakis won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1988 for her portrayal of Rose Castorini in Moonstruck. Birth Place:Lowell, Massachusetts, United States. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. The play earned her an Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award nomination and she continues to tour the country with it.Olympia was seen on the New York stage in the Roundabout Theatre's production of "The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" (2011), in San Francisco in A.C.T. 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