Melina Mercouri
Greek actress, singer and politician. Minister of Culture of Greece (1920–1994)
AI overview
Melina Mercouri was a Greek actress, singer, and politician who became the country's Minister of Culture. She is a notable figure in Greek cultural and political history, though her specific achievements and impact would require additional sources to fully understand.
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Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1920
- Died
- 1994
- Works
- 4
Top works
- Gennēthēka Hellēnida
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via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Acting · Athens, Greece
Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (Greek: Μαρία Αμαλία "Μελίνα" Μερκούρη, 18 October 1920 – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a prominent political family for multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination and won a French Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award for her performance in the film Never on Sunday (1960) and an Italian…
Known for
- The Marbles — Self - Photo Only (archive footage)2025
- Melina Stop Frame - In Search of Modern Greekness — Self (archive footage)2020
- Melina's fight for the Parthenon sculptures — Self (archive footage)2017
- Kronen Könner Kavaliere — Self1984
- A Dream of Passion — Maya / Medea1978
- Nasty Habits — Sister Gertrude
Works in European collections
4 objects attributed to Melina Mercouri, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana
Article
Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (Greek: Μαρία Αμαλία "Μελίνα" Μερκούρη, 18 October 1920 – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a prominent political family for multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination and won a French Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award for her performance in the film Never on Sunday (1960) and an Italian David di Donatello for Topkapi (1964). Mercouri was also nominated for one Tony Award, three Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and one New York Film Critics Circle Award during the course of her acting career. In 1987, she was awarded a special accolade in the first edition of the Europe Theatre Prize.
Mercouri was a member of the Hellenic Parliament, elected as a representative of PASOK. In October 1981, she became the first female Minister of Culture and Sports. She has the longest tenure of any of Greece's Ministers of Culture, having served from 1981 to 1989, and then from 1993 until her death in 1994, during PASOK governments. Mercouri's political activism included her long campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles. One of her greatest achievements was the establishment of the European Capitals of Culture, with Athens chosen as the first capital in 1985.
Gallery (10)
Connections
Categories
1920 births1994 deaths20th-century Greek actresses20th-century Greek women politicians20th-century Greek women singersActresses from AthensArvanitesBurials at the First Cemetery of AthensCannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winnersCulture ministers of GreeceDeaths from lung cancer in New York (state)Elgin Marbles