Irene Papas is a Greek theater and film actress who is best known for her role as Penelope in the eight-part television series The Adventures of Odyssey (1968).
Irene Papas (Irene Pappas), aka Irini Lelekou (Irini Lelekou) - Greek singer and actress of theater, cinema, television, who is currently retired.
Biography
Irene Papas was born on September 3, 1926 in the Greek village of Hiliomodi into a large family of teachers. However, some sources also indicate another date of birth of the actress - September 3, 1929.
Her birth name is Irini Leleku. The actress's father, Stavros, taught classical drama. Mother - Eleni, she worked as a teacher at the school. Grandfather and aunt Irene Papas were also teachers.
Irene was not the only child in the family. She had three more sisters. It is known that one of them was a radiologist and the other was a hospital director. Another sister was a poet; she passed away in 2009.
From the age of 15, the actress took part in various events, where she danced and sang. Irene dreamed of becoming an actress since adolescence, but her parents did not approve of this desire of their daughter, as they wanted her to continue the dynasty of teachers.
Irene Papas graduated from the Royal School of Dramatic Art in Athens, most of all she liked dancing and singing classes.
Irene Papas has two nephews. One of them is Manousos Manousakis, a renowned Greek director, producer, writer and actor. The second nephew is named Ayas Mantopoulos.
It is also known that the actress was a member of the Greek Communist Party and in 1967 called for a "cultural boycott" against the "Fourth Reich", that is, the military government of Greece at the time.
In 2013, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. However, the presence of this disease in the actress was announced only five years later, in 2018. Today Irene Papas lives in Greece on the Peloponnese peninsula.
Career
Over the 50 years of her career, Irene Papas has appeared in 85 films and television series, participated in many theatrical productions, and also released a vinyl record and her solo album.
Theatrical career
Irene Papas began her theatrical career with variety shows and theatrical performances based on the works of Ibsan and Shakespeare. In 1973, she starred in Medea, an ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides. Irene Papas' performance in this production was highly appreciated by Clive Barnes, Walter Kerr and Albert Bermel.
Film career
Irene Papas's film career began in 1953 with a small role in The Man From Cairo. At that time, the actress was 27 years old. In 1956, she landed a co-star in the film Tribute to a Bad Man. After that, she was noticed by the American director Elia Kazan, thanks to whom she gained her fame in Greece. Then Irene Papas starred in such famous films as "The Cannons of Navarone" (1961), "Electra" (1962), "The Greek Zorba" (1964) and "Zeta" (1969), which was awarded an Oscar in two nominations: "Best Editing" and "Best Foreign Language Film".
In 1969, Irene Papas took part in the drama directed by Charles Jerrott “A Thousand Days of Anna”, playing the role of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of the King, Queen of England. Then, in 1971, she played Elena Troyanskaya in the film Troyanka, directed by Michalis Kakoyannis. In 1976, the actress got one of the main roles in the film "The Message". In this motion picture directed by Mustafa Akkad, she played Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan. In 1977, Papas played the role of Clytemnestra, the wife of Agamemnon, in the film Iphigenia based on Euripides' tragedy Iphigenia in Aulis. In 1981, the actress appeared in The Desert Lion alongside actors such as Anthony Quinn, Oliver Reid, Rod Steiger and John Gielgud. In 2001, the penultimate film with Irene Papas was released - "The Choice of Captain Corelli" directed by John Madden based on the novel of the same name by Louis de Bernier.
Singing career
In 1969, the vinyl record "Songs of Theodorakis" was released, which contained 11 songs in Greek performed by Irene Papas. In 2005 these songs were released on CD. In 1972, Irene Papas took part in the recording of the 666 album by the Greek rock band Aphrodite's Child. In 1990, Irene Papas' solo album "In Eleven Songs by Mikis Theodorakis" was released.
Awards
Irene Papas received her first award in 1961 at the 11th Berlin International Film Festival for Best Actress in Antigone. In addition, the actress received four other awards, among which were the award for Best Actress in the film "Trojans" by the US National Council of Film Critics in 1971 and the Golden Lion Award in 2009. Irene Papas was also awarded the Greek Order of the Phoenix, the French Order of Arts and Letters and the Spanish Order of Alfonso X the Wise.
Personal life
Irene Papas had two marriages. The first time the actress married in 1947, the film director Alkis Papas. This marriage lasted 4 years, in 1951 they divorced. Three years later, in 1954, in Rome, Irene Papas met Marlon Brando, with whom she secretly met for a long time, but the couple never registered a relationship. Irene Papas' second marriage was with film producer Jose Kon, they got married in 1957. After some time, the actress filed for divorce. Irene Papas has no children.
