Her trademarks were the rough voice and the roles between being tired of life and experiencing the world: at the age of 89, Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis has now died.
New York (AP) – The Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis (“Moonstruck”) died on Saturday at the age of 89 in New York. This was unanimously reported by the US media.
The actress’ brother, Apollo Dukakis, wrote on Facebook: “After many months of dwindling health, she is finally at peace and reunited with her husband (who died in 2018) Louis (Zorich). No cause of death was named. Dukakis leaves three children behind.
Dukakis, whose trademark was the rough voice, appeared in dozens of films and series, including “Magnolias made of steel” (1989), “Look who is talking” (1989, 1990, 1993), “The naked cannon 33 1/3 “(1994) and” Beloved Aphrodite “(1995) by Woody Allen.
For her role in the romantic comedy “Moonstruck” by Norman Jewison, in which she played the mother of Loretta, played by Cher, she was honored with an Oscar for best supporting actress in 1988. Cher was named best actress.
“Moonstruck” defined Dukakis’ parade role, which she played again and again in variations: that of a self-confident woman between life weariness and world experience. As Cher’s mother, falling in love with her fiancé’s brother, she delighted the audience with her bitter but clear view of the world. Dukakis also received a Golden Globe for this role and became one of Hollywood’s leading character actresses.
In her Oscar acceptance speech in 1988, Dukakis campaigned for her cousin Michael Dukakis, the Democratic presidential candidate: “Ok, Michael, let’s go!” – it was useless: he was ultimately defeated by Republican George HW Bush.
She was most recently seen in the Netflix miniseries “City Stories” (2019). In addition, Dukakis took part in numerous theater performances. For her TV roles, she was nominated for a few Emmys. Cher honored Dukakis as an “incredible” actress in a tweet on Saturday.
Dukakis was born on June 20, 1931 in Lowell, Massachusetts. Her parents were from Greece. She first studied physiotherapy at Boston University and then worked during the polio epidemic in the United States, including in the states of Minnesota and Texas. With some money in her pocket, she eventually returned to Boston and studied theater.
She began her acting career on the stages of New York City. She made her debut in 1962. In the same year she married the actor and producer Louis Zorich. From the mid-1960s she also appeared in films.
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Apollo Dukakis on Facebook
Washington Post
New York Times
Tweet from Cher
