She was considered one of the leading character actresses in Hollywood, now the US actress Olympia Dukakis has passed away. Her “moonstruck” colleague Cher paid tribute to her in a tweet.
New York (AP) – The US actress and Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis (“Moonstruck”) died on Saturday after a long illness at the age of 89 in New York City. This was unanimously reported by the US media.
Her 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 has appeared in dozens of films and TV series, including “Magnolien aus Stahl” (1989), “Look who’s talking” (1989, 1990, 1993), “Die nackte Kanone 33 1/3” (1994 ) and “Beloved Aphrodite” (1995) by Woody Allen. For her role in the Hollywood romantic comedy “Moonstruck” by Norman Jewison, in which she plays Cher’s mother, she was honored with an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1988 – as was Cher for Best Actress. In addition, Dukakis received a Golden Globe for this role. This success made Dukakis one of the leading character actresses in Hollywood.
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 of no use: 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. After graduating from Boston University, she began her career as a stage actress in 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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