She later moved to film acting and won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, among other accolades, for her performance in Moonstruck (1987). [26] That same year she starred in the revival of Tennessee Williams' The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, opposite Kevin Anderson at the Hartford Stage,[27] and co-adapted and starred in the world-premiere of Another Side of the Island, based on William Shakespeare's The Tempest, at Alpine Theatre Project in Whitefish, Montana. Deeds, and the critically acclaimedAkeelah and the Bee, which he co-produced with his wife Nancy Hult Ganis. Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-Winning 'Moonstruck' Star, Dies At 89. She. [25], In 2008, Dukakis directed the world premiere production of Todd Logan's "Botanic Garden" at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Pamela Spyrs is a publicist, producer and activist based in Southern California who has accumulated a vast network of artists, filmmakers, designers, environmental game changers, and humanitarian leaders. No, no, I stammered, not of your face. Moreover, she was a strong advocate of women's rights and environmental causes. Returning to Western Massachusetts in 2013 for her last stage performance, she played Mother Courage in Mother Courage and Her Children at Shakespeare & Company, in Lenox, Massachusetts. Michael Dukakis began his unsuccessful quest for the presidency. 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). Fords television credits include the Emmy-nominated 'Frontier House' series for PBS, and the ground-breaking documentary series,'Family Bonds', for HBO. Paul composed music for Liev Schreibers Everything Is, Illuminated. As actress, director, producer and teacher, she still found the time to raise their three young children. They had four grandchildren. 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. In the post-production realm, she workedwith Company 3 in films such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) and 20th Century Fox in the films Epic (2013), Rio 2 (2014) and Ferdinand (2017). Another striking stage performance came in an off-Broadway production of Tennessee Williamss 1963 drama The Milk Train Doesnt Stop Here Anymore (2011), as the wealthy, dying gorgon Flora Goforth. She was 89. Dukakis's autobiography, Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress, was published in 2003. [2], Olympia Dukakis (Greek: ) was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on June 20, 1931, the daughter of Alexandra "Alec" (ne Christos) and Constantine "Costa" S. Among the best were the tight-lipped personnel officer in Working Girl (1988); the archetypal comic Jewish mother of Kirstie Alley in Look Whos Talking (1989) and its two sequels; and the acid-tongued Clairee Belcher, trading a salvo of one-liners with Shirley MacLaine in Steel Mangolias (1989): Well, you know what they say: if you dont have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me.. Dukakis passed away three years after the death of her husband, fellow actor Louis Zorich. She gained a BA in physical therapy at Boston University, later returning to study performing arts for a master of fine arts degree. Honored in 2012 as one of Greek Americas 40 Under 40. Hollands Opus or the trans landlord Anna Madrigal over four installments of Tales of the City, she had the mien of a psychiatrist: a debonair empath with X-ray vision and pouffy white-custard hair, articulating the stubborn truths other characters were bound to resist. [31], Dukakis became an adherent of Goddess worship, a feminist form of modern Paganism, during a production of The Trojan Women in 1982. CBS News . We miss your fighting spirit. In the post-production realm, she workedwith Company 3 in films such as The Secret Life of. [9], Prior to her film career, Dukakis began a decades-long stage life working in 1961 in productions at the Williamstown Summer Theater, in the northwestern corner of Massachusetts. 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. In addition to decades in the theater and an award-winning film career, Dukakis also taught drama classes at New York University. Sam has been working in Brooklyn for the last 10 years as an editor, assistant editor, and writer on many documentary feature films and television shows. 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). 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. Looking up from her plate of scrambled eggs she purred, Want some, darlin'?. This gritty formermill town served as the backdrop for the first nine years of Dukakis life. By 1963, she had begun her career on screen. She performed in more than 130 stage productions, more than 60 films and in 50 television series. Bush. Olympia Dukakis in Moonstruck, 1987, in which she played Chers mother. She appeared in more than 60 feature and short films, including Steel Magnolias, Cloudburst, Dad, Mr. Hollands Opus, Working Girl, Look Whos Talking I, II & III, Mighty Aphrodite, Jeffrey, Away From Her, among many others. Stella, the butch lesbian of 2011s "Cloudburst," noted as much for its off-color script as for its tender love story. Butterfly (2007), Sony Pictures The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), Oliver Stones W (2008), New York, I Love You (2009), Tony Goldwyns Conviction (2010), Diana Vreeland: The Eye. I was so excited I could scarcely breathe. Should men act responsibly or were they put on Earth to be wolves? Memorial and Museum, and founded the Johnny and Mikey Katsimatides Foundation for Lifein memory of her two brothers. A good portion of her successes was launched within the walls of her own theater company, which encouraged the birth of new and untried plays.Olympia's 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"). John Ryan Johnsonis an Award-winning commercial director and filmmaker. 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. Dukakis again appeared in the miniseries, which was her last television role. The New York-based couple went on to co-found The Whole Theatre Company in Montclair, New Jersey, and ran the company for 19 years (1971-1990). After more than two decades of distinguished work in the US theatre as an actor, director and teacher, and appearances in a dozen or so films, Olympia Dukakis, who has died aged 89, became. (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. See what he found. I just wanna hit something! Anthoula Katsimatides is an actor, writer, producer, and voice-over artist. One afternoon I was caught by a horde of kids, tied to a tree, and had my socks stuffed down my throat," she said. [40], In her 2003 autobiography, Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress, Dukakis describes the challenges she faced as a first-generation Greek-American in an area with anti-Greek ethnic bigotry, violence and discrimination; difficulties with her mother and in other relationships; and battles with substances and chronic illness. He bought her a 99 cent ring, and they remained married until his death in 2018. Olympia Dukakis and Cher hold the Golden Globes they won in January 1988 for their performances in "Moonstruck." ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. 1972: Ruth Buzzi - Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Bonnie Low-Kramen was the personal assistant to the actor Olympia Dukakis for 25 years. Starred in the Barra Grant play A Mother, A Daughter and A Gun, first at the Helen Hayes Theatre in Nyack, New York, and the off-Broadway at the Dodger Stages, New York, New York. The burglar left only her nameplate. [33][34], In 2018, Olympia, an American documentary film about her life and career, had its festival premiere at DOC NYC. Dukakis is a brand name here in the Bay State. 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. ), 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. I-I don't think I can take this! "My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City," he wrote. Id like to take a photograph of your hands. [43] For 10 years, beginning in 1985, she studied with Indian mentor Srimata Gayatri Devi in the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. Steam as well as, Mr Comas latest feature film American Falls, currently in post-production. "My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City," he wrote. 2023 TV GUIDE, A FANDOM COMPANY. "Olympia delivers an uncommonly personal, cinemaverity-style portrait of its fascinating, iconoclastic subject.". 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). [14][15] For the role, she won the 2000 Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Solo Performance. Because of this part and several other gay-friendly ones, Dukakis became a hero of the LGBTQ+ movement. Within a few steps, I found myself in her kitchen. She was 89. A Warner Bros. She was also a figure on the lecture circuit covering topics as widespread as life in the theater to feminism, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and osteoporosis.A hardcore New Yorker, she resided there following the death of her husband in 2018, and until her death in May 2021. You can try. A member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA, a true artist at heart, her love for performing on-screen ismatched by her passion for theatre work. [22] In 2000, she played alongside Ian Holm, Judi Dench, Joan Sims (her final acting performance before her death in 2001),[23] and Romola Garai (her first professional role)[24] in the television film The Last of the Blonde Bombshells. "[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. As if by reflex, she clenched her hands into two fists and placed them on top of her thighs. In addition to her Oscar, she took the Golden Globe in the same category. As a girl, she dominated in sports and was a three-time New England fencing champion. 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. Her cousin Michael was our governor for a time, as well as the 1988 Democratic presidential nominee. And then just as quickly, threaded her fingers together as if in prayer. What was Olympia Dukakiss cause of death? In this June 26, 2011 file photo, Actress Olympia Dukakis, a celebrity Grand Marshall for the 41st annual Gay Pride parade, waves to the crowd in San Francisco. [3] Her parents were Greek immigrants; her father a refugee from Anatolia and her mother from the Peloponnese. [38] Planning for a family, they moved out of the city in 1970 to settle in Montclair, New Jersey. He went on to score such films as the award-winning Diving Bell And The. Previously Sam spent many years managing and co-producing feature/short films, and trailers for Stunning Cuts Films a Brooklyn based production company. Her Broadway theatre credits include Who's Who in Hell and Social Security. You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. Dukakis is survived by her three children,Christina, Peter and Stefan. 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 Cher 's sardonic mother in the romantic comedy Moonstruck (1987). Somehow, I wasntsurprised. Louis died in 2018, and she is survived by their three children, Christina, Stefan and Peter, four grandchildren and her brother, Apollo. 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. Susan Dey - The Partridge Family. Keren Seol is a film producer based in New York City. As I got up from the table, I asked her one final question. Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis passed away on Saturday, May 1 at the age of 89 in New York City. But then, that's really the fate of many women today. She spoke in the past about "stepping up" for students that she found particularly talented because, "people have stepped out for me.". She was seen again at Shakespeare & Co. in the summer of 2013 as the title role in "Mother Courage and Her Children. [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 later moved to film acting and won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, among other accolades, for her performance in Moonstruck. Brooke Lefferts. This work is among more than 40 other series, mini-series and guest starring roles she accumulated over her long career. 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. She played mom to such leads as Dustin Hoffman in John and Mary (1969), Joseph Bologna in the cult comedy Made for Each Other (1971) and Ray Sharkey in The Idolmaker (1980). 2023 Cable News Network. Her Best Supporting Actress Oscar statuette was stolen from her home At the same time as she had picked up the Oscar for Moonstruck, her first cousin Michael Dukakis began his unsuccessful quest for the presidency against George HW Bush. He went on to score such films as the award-winning Diving Bell And The Butterfly (2007), Sony Pictures The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), Oliver Stones W (2008), New York, I Love You (2009), Tony Goldwyns Conviction (2010), Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel (2011), Woody Allen: A Documentary (2012), and most recently Jane Fonda in Five Acts (2018). In Moonstruck, that delirious 1987 fairy tale of loopy passion, opera and dowdy depressives who learn how to bloom, Dukakis, as Rose the steel-lasagna wife and mother, attempts to counsel her daughter, the widowed Loretta (Cher), to do the right thing. Having long established herself as a respected stage actress and veteran performer in dozens of film and television projects, Olympia Dukakis achieved overnight stardom at the tender age of 56 with her Oscar-winning portrayal in "Moonstruck" (1987). I wanna hit it hard! Transitioning to a professional life centered in New York City, she performed many times in productions in Central Park at the renowned Delacorte Theater. She helped the " Moonstruck " star get out of traffic, review contracts, and take care of her family. [39] It was there they raised their three children: Christina, Peter and Stefan. She was 89 years old. A dented screen door hung precariously from the hinges of the cottages doorframe. With Udon Productions, led by the award-winning Spanish director Toni Comas, she producedcampaigns for companies such as SodaStream and Mr.

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