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Irene Papas

File:Irene_Papas_1956_2.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Irene Papas

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Also known as Irene Lelekou, Irene Pappas

Greek actress and singer (1929–2022)

OverviewAI-generated

Irene Papas (born Ειρήνη Λελέκου) was a Greek actor, singer, film director, and dancer. Her career spanned from 1948 to 2003, with fields of work including acting and music. She spoke Modern Greek and performed as a vocalist. Papas received the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress. Notable roles in her work included Penelope and Catherine of Aragon.

Born in Chiliomodi, Corinth, Greece, she held Greek citizenship. Her birth date is listed as September 3, 1929, though other records indicate 1926. She had an unmarried partnership with Marlon Brando and was a relative of Lida-Maria Manthopoulou. Papas died of natural causes due to Alzheimer's disease on September 14, 2022, in Kifisia.

Synthesized by Vinony from 37 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, TMDb, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Film & TV

Acting · Chiliomodi, Corinth, Greece

Irene Papas (Greek: Ειρήνη Παππά, born Eirini Lelekou (Greek: Ειρήνη Λελέκου), 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) 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…

Known for

  • 1821 at the Cinema — (archive footage)2021
  • Morceaux de Cannes2021
  • Il falso bugiardo — Self (archive footage)2008
  • A Talking Picture — Helena2003
  • Short Cuts — Pensioner2002
  • Captain Corelli's Mandolin — Drosoula2001
  • ...και το τρένο πάει στον ουρανό — Elena Michailovna2001
  • Yerma — Vieja pagana1999
  • Inquietude — Mother1998
  • The Odyssey — Anticleia1997

via TMDB

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person
Gender
Female
Origin
Greece
Active from
1926
Active to
2022
greek

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
5,412
Total plays
38,364

Tags

Progressive rockelectronicGreekfemale vocalistfemale vocalists

Irene Papas is a Greek actress and occasional singer, who has starred in over seventy films in a career spanning more than fifty years. Irene Papas was born Irene Lelekou (Ειρήνη Λελέκου) in Chiliomodi outside Corinth, Greece. She began her early career in Greece, achieving widespread fame there, before starring in internationally renowned films such as The Guns of Navarone and Zorba the Greek, and critically acclaimed films such as Z and Electra. <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Irene+Papas">

via Last.fm · Irene Papas

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Gender
female
Citizenship
Greece
Place of birth
Q670537
Place of death
Kifisia
Occupation
film director
Languages spoken
Modern Greek
Field of work
music
Instrument
voice
Image
Irene Papas "The Trojan Women".jpg
Show 13 more facts
Commons category
Irene Papas
date of birth
1926-00-00
start of work period
1948-00-00
birth name
Ειρήνη Λελέκου
end of work period
2003-00-00
date of death
2022-09-14
manner of death
natural causes
unmarried partner
Marlon Brando
name in native language
Ειρήνη Παπά
cause of death
Alzheimer's disease
date of burial or cremation
2022-09-17
Sources (8)

via Wikidata · CC0

~22 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Irene Papas or Pappas (Greek: Ειρήνη Παππά, romanized: Eiríni Pappá, IPA: [iˈrini paˈpa]; born Eirini Lelekou [Ειρήνη Λελέκου]; 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) 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.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Irene Papas” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (5)