Pamela Spyrs is a publicist, producer and activist based in Southern California who has accumulated a vast network of artists, filmmakers, designers, environmental game changers, and humanitarian leaders. Share this - copied. He went on to score such films as the award-winning Diving Bell And The. Interestingly, it was her scene-stealing work on Broadway in the comedy "Social Security" (1986) that caught director Norman Jewison's eye and earned her the Moonstruck (1987) movie role. Given this prism, its easy to understand why the roles for which she is best known initially appealed to this grande dame of film. Olympia Dukakis, the Oscar-winning actress who brought beloved roles like Rose Castorini in Moonstruck and Clairee in Steel Magnolias to life, has died at the age of 89. Pamela has worked with innumerable clients bringing them to the next level and has established a respected reputation in doing so. His work has screened at numerous film festivals including Venice, Cannes, Sundance, and Berlin. She played the role of Debby Marsh, an attorney. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the pair met while auditioning for an off-Broadway play. The New York-based couple went on to co-found The Whole Theatre Company in Montclair, New Jersey, and ran the company for 19 years (1971-1990). "[6], Dukakis was an alumna of Arlington High School in Arlington, Massachusetts,[7] and was educated at Boston University where she majored in physical therapy, earning a BA, which she made use of when treating patients with polio during the height of the epidemic. Miss Dukakis, would it be all right if I took your picture? For the first time since we had been together, I saw her stiffen. ", According to Deadline, Dukakis was the daughter of Greek immigrants, though the Los Angeles Times reports she described herself as the "poster child for the bad Greek daughter." We miss your fighting spirit. Te amo. Dukakis was built on seeing (and loving) the world as it is. As Director of Photography,Ryan has shot three feature documentaries as well as numerous commercialsand branded content. by her passion for theatre work. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. In Made for Each Other (1971), a romantic comedy in which an Italian-American man (Joseph Bologna) and a Jewish woman (Renee Taylor) fall in love, Dukakis is the formers mama opposed to her sons relationship. One afternoon I was caught by a horde of kids, tied to a tree, and had my socks stuffed down my throat," she said. Angie Dix is an Emmy Award-winning American editor and producer working in the film and television world for more than 10 years. By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. In one scene, she remains hostile until, alone in the hallway, she shrieks: Get that woman out of my house.. Olympia Dukakis, actor and director, born 20 June 1931; died 1 May 2021, American stage and screen actor who won an Oscar for her role in the 1987 film Moonstruck, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. She taught acting at NYU and gave master classes for professional theatre companies, colleges, and universities across the country. Olympia Dukakis in Moonstruck, 1987, in which she played Chers mother. In this June 26, 2011 file photo, Actress Olympia Dukakis, a celebrity Grand Marshall for the 41st annual Gay Pride parade, waves to the crowd in San Francisco. Anne Gardner Twitter Cognoscenti contributorAnneGardneris an Episcopal minister and author of "And So I Walked: Reflections on Chance, Choice, and the Camino de Santiago. "After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and. You could easily have envisioned her as the shrink on The Sopranos but then, with a nudge, it wouldnt be hard to imagine her as Tony Sopranos mother, since even in the quaintest settings Olympia Dukakis had a stealth power and an old-world comfortableness with the dark side. Dukakis kept working steadily through her 80s, including supporting roles on the limited series "Sex and Violence" (OUTtv 2013-15) and the Canadian drama "Forgive Me" (Super Channel 2013-18). Her first feature film 'The Motion of The Sun' has been screened at the Long Island Film Festival and Miami Independent Film Festival. Efforts at assimilation continued to evade her. Deeds, and the critically acclaimedAkeelah and the Bee, which he co-produced with his wife Nancy Hult Ganis. Dukakis was a longtime stage actress, but she broke into the Hollywood mainstream at the age of 56 when she portrayed Cher's mother in the 1987 classic romantic comedy "Moonstruck." Olympia herself was a delegate from New Jersey at the 1988 Democratic national convention. Her character was the mother of Loretta Castorini, who was played by Cher, the Best Actress winner that year. But, in the end, it was her portrayal of Rose Castorini in "Moonstruck," the effort that won her the Oscar, that remains dearest to my heart. [39] It was there they raised their three children: Christina, Peter and Stefan. [18] The role of a no-nonsense matriarch, Rose Castorini, plays off Cher's Best Actress Award-winning role as daughter Loretta. And yet, this ethnic commonality did little to ease her entry into the social circles of the neighborhood. The lioness of Lowell. Twenty-two years after earning her first Obie, she won her second in 1985, a Ensemble Performance Award, for playing Soot Hudlocke in The Marriage of Bette and Boo. Andrew Fords recent feature length producing and editing credits include 'The Seventh Fire' (Berlin International Film Festival), 'Down the Shore (Anchor Bay, Starz, starring James Gandolfini and Famke Janssen), 'Killing Kasztner' (Toronto International Film Festival), 'A Walk to Beautiful' (Emmy winner, IDA best documentary feature winner, 5 audience awards), released theatrically and broadcast on Nova, and 'Until the Light Takes Us' (Golden Athena award winner for Best Documentary), focusing on Norwegian black metal music and enjoyed a worldwide theatrical release. So I constantly play women who are damaged and out of touch, who are seeking without knowing, or knowing without the skills to transform their lives. Featuring interviews with Laura Linney, Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Ladd, Lainie Kazan and Armistead Maupin, "I love this chaotic, contradictory, loving mess that has been my life. She appeared in Martin Sherman's one-woman play, Rose, entirely a monologue about a woman who survived the Warsaw Ghetto, in London and then on Broadway. The honors compounded as she collected the Los Angeles and New York Film Critics Awards, all in recognition of her talent, some acting improvised, as she delivered a serious while hilarious performance. In Norman Jewisons Moonstruck, a modern fairytale of love, with each leading character destined to have his or her moment of glory, Dukakis is by turns warm, humorous and cynical, and poignantly wonders why men (especially her husband) are unfaithful. Her producing, credit for documentary includes the feature "The Case of Josephine H." by the renowned, Polish artist Izabella Gustowska which was released in the 2014 New Horizons International. 50 Greatest Romantic Comedies of All Time The actress' brother. She. ), as well her chameleon-like versatility in everything from cutting edge comedy to stark tragedy, kept her in high demand for 30 years as one of Hollywood's topnotch character players.Olympia Dukakis was born on June 20, 1931, in Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Greek immigrants, Alexandra (Christos), from the Peloponnese, and Constantine S. Dukakis, from Anatolia. "My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City," he wrote. [44] A strong advocate for women's rights and LGBT rights, including same-sex marriage, Dukakis embraced the roles of a trans landlady in Tales of the City,[34] and a butch lesbian in Cloudburst. Currently, she is a producer at Boipeba Filmes, led by the Academy Award-nominated director Carlos Saldanha. Stella, the butch lesbian of 2011s "Cloudburst," noted as much for its off-color script as for its tender love story. Olympia Dukakis, star of film and Broadway, is remembered after her death at 89 02:11. The Musical, an off-Broadway musical that had several runs and enjoyed sweet success. The actress referred to her 1988 win as the year of the Dukakii because it was also the year Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, her cousin, was the Democratic Partys presidential nominee. [37], In 1962, Dukakis married fellow Manhattan stage actor Louis Zorich. [28], In 2011, Dukakis guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Discovery Company. Olympia Dukakis, a character actress best known for her Oscar-winning supporting turn in Norman Jewison's " Moonstruck " and for her role as the wealthy widow in " Steel Magnolias ," has died.. In Moonstruck, she turned lines like that (or the even more indelible Whats the matter with you? Long a vital, respected thespian of the classic and contemporary stage, this grand lady did not become a household name and sought-after film actress until age 56 when she turned in a glorious, Oscar-winning performance as, Tales of the City: 20th Anniversary Collection. With a career spanning thirty years, and 45recorded albumin the United States, Europeand Greece,Alexia changed Greek record sales history with her series of gold and platinum albums for CBS-Columbia, Air Music, Polygram, Universal Music, BMG, and Sony Music Internationalin the genres of Pop, Jazz, Improvisation/ Experimental, Worldand Film Music. At the same time as she had picked up the Oscar for Moonstruck, her first cousin Michael Dukakis began his unsuccessful quest for the presidency against George HW Bush. The actress made her Broadway debut in The Aspern Papers in 1962, and the stage had been her first love. [1] In 2018, a feature-length documentary about her life, titled Olympia, was released theatrically in the United States. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. This gritty formermill town served as the backdrop for the first nine years of Dukakis life. It was to play the great parts." By 1963, she had begun her career on screen. Her agent, Allison Levy, also confirmed her death to CNN. Harry curated the first LGBTQ Film Festival and was one of the key organizers of the 1st Pride Parade in Cyprus. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greek America Foundation, the National Arts Club Medal of Honor, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Olympia Dukakis was an American actress. This was underlined by Cloudburst (2011), a road movie in which Dukakis, as a self-styled old butch dyke, and her companion of 31 years (Brenda Fricker), take off from the US to Canada to get married. Among her many roles were starring turns in "Steel Magnolias," "Mr. Holland's Opus," and "Look Who's Talking.". She was sitting at the table dressed in a t-shirt and striped pajama bottoms, hair still wet from a quick dash through the shower. She was bestowed the National Arts Club Medal of Honor and her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was placed in 2013. The Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actress was the last of a stream of awards she earned for that part, including the Los Angeles Film Critics, Golden Globe and American Comedy awards.From then on, silver-haired Olympia was frequently first in line for a number of cream-of-the-crop matron roles: Steel Magnolias (1989), Dad (1989), Look Who's Talking (1989), The Cemetery Club (1993), Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) and Mother (1995).On TV, she received high praise for her work especially for her sympathetic trans-gendered landlady Anna Madrigal in the acclaimed miniseries Tales of the City (1993) and its sequels More Tales of the City (1998) (Emmy Nominee) and Further Tales of the City (2001). I always thought people's hands were the best barometer of the kind of life they had led. Her shoulders relaxed and she motioned for me to come alongside her. In addition to her Oscar, she took the Golden Globe in the same category. In the early 90s, Paul formed the eclectic band, Wild Colonials, with the singer, Angela, McCluskey, recording two albums for Geffen Records and performing with such artists. Best known as a screen actress, she started her career in theater. Soon enough, I found myself in front of a small bungalow in a nondescript part ofWest Hollywood. 1972: Ruth Buzzi - Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Throughout her rise to fame, the actress appeared in more than 130 off-Broadway productions, as well as Broadway plays including The Aspern Papers, Abraham Cochrane, and her one-woman play Rose, according to IMDB. Featuring interviews with Laura Linney, Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Ladd, Lainie Kazan and Armistead Maupin, Olympiaseamlessly blends past and present culminating on the steps of the Dukakis' humble ancestral home in Lesbos, Greece where we see Olympia's life come full circle. She earned two degrees from Boston University, one in Physical Therapy and one in Acting. Olympia Dukakis, Oscar Winner for 'Moonstruck,' Dies at 89 A veteran of the stage who also had a long list of film and TV credits, she was best known for playing characters who were worldly . [25], In 2008, Dukakis directed the world premiere production of Todd Logan's "Botanic Garden" at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. After more than two decades of distinguished work in the US theatre as an actor, director and teacher, and appearances in a dozen or so films, Olympia Dukakis, who has died aged 89, became hugely famous overnight by winning the best supporting actress Oscar in 1988 for her performance as Chers mother in the romantic film Moonstruck (1987). She was 89. [4][1] She had a brother named Apollo, six years her junior. Her Best Supporting Actress Oscar statuette was stolen from her home She has been successful placing clients in the media such as, THE TALK (CBS), Home & Family (Hallmark Channel), KTLA 5 Morning News, Good Day LA, Daily Variety, Los Angeles Times, OC Register, LA Weekly, LA Magazine, amongst others. And then just as quickly, threaded her fingers together as if in prayer. Olympia Dukakis attends the premiere of "Tales Of The City" at The Metrograph in New York City on June 3, 2019. She was 89 years old. Thank you! After more than two decades of distinguished work in the US theatre as an actor, director and teacher, and appearances in a dozen or so films, Olympia Dukakis, who has died aged 89, became. Olympia Dukakis Birth Place: Lowell, Massachusetts, United States Profession Actor Actor 95 Credits Forgive Me 2021 Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City 2019 Sex & Violence 2017 Sex and Violence. Originally intending to become a physical therapist, Dukakis turned to acting with work on and off-Broadway in productions such as "The Aspern Papers". You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. She played mom to such leads as Dustin Hoffman in John and Mary (1969), Joseph Bologna in the cult comedy Made for Each Other (1971) and Ray Sharkey in The Idolmaker (1980). I just wanna hit something! In Dad (1989), as a woman laid up with a heart attack watching her husband (Jack Lemmon) enjoying a certain freedom, she is wickedly funny, putting a tincture of venom into almost every line. In the post-production realm, she workedwith Company 3 in films such as The Secret Life of. [29] In 2013, she starred in and executive-produced the 2013 film Montana Amazon, co-starring Haley Joel Osment. And we miss your gracious heart. 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