Irene Papas and Portuguese director Manuel de Oliveira, during the screening of his film “Inquietude” at the Cannes Film Festival, June 4, 1998 Patrick Herzog
The Greek Ministry of Culture announced, on Wednesday, the death of Greek actress Irene Papas, who is famous for her fiery appearances in international films such as “The Guns of Navarone” and “Zorba the Greek”, at the age of 93.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in a statement that Irene Pappas “embodied Greek beauty on screen and on stage”.
According to the Greek state news agency ANA, Irene Pappas passed away earlier on Wednesday.
The cause of his death was not immediately known. Erin Pappas’ health has been fragile for some time.
One of the most famous Greek actresses abroad along with Melina Mercury, she starred in nearly sixty films during her six-decade career.
She shared the bill with famous comedians such as Richard Burton, Kirk Douglas, James Cagney and Jon Voigt.
Film critic Roger Ebert wrote in 1969: “Ordinary actors find it difficult to share the screen with.”
Irene Pappas, whose real name is Irene Liliko, was born in 1929 in the village of Chiliomudi near Corinth, in a family of teachers.
With a deep voice, piercing gaze and a face that reminds of her classic beauty the caricatures of ancient Greece, she has appeared since the age of fifteen at local cultural events before studying the art of drama in Athens.
She made her debut in the Greek drama “Fallen Angels” in 1948, then broke into the international scene with “Dead City”, the first Greek film shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1952.
The 1961 film The Guns of Navarone, in which she starred alongside Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn as a dark-eyed Greek fighter, was a highlight of her career.
She collaborated with Quinn again on “Zorba the Greek” in 1964, another pure classic.
She told ERT public television in 2002, “I left Greece to find the best actors. I wanted to learn. I wasn’t looking for a job.” .
In 1969, she played the widow of a murdered vice in Costa Gavras’ Oscar-winning movie “Z.”
She has received numerous awards, including the 1961 Best Actress Award at the Berlin Film Festival, and the 2009 Golden Lion in Venice for her entire career.
She was popular in Italy, where she appeared regularly in films and television series, including her most recent role in 2004.
