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Olympia Dukakis
Life Time
20 June 1931 - 1 May 2021
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Olympia Dukakis and her brother Apollo grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts, in a family of Greek immigrants (their father Constantine is from Asia Minor, and Alexander’s mother is from Greece itself). The city of their childhood is mainly an Irish-Catholic commune, and the Dukakisov family stood out from the general background. Olympia's interest in theatre awoke when her father formed an amateur troupe called the Demosthenes Club, which specialized in classical Greek plays. At the age of 13, Olympia
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Olympia Dukakis and her brother Apollo grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts, in a family of Greek immigrants (their father Constantine is from Asia Minor, and Alexander’s mother is from Greece itself). The city of their childhood is mainly an Irish-Catholic commune, and the Dukakisov family stood out from the general background.
Olympia's interest in theatre awoke when her father formed an amateur troupe called the Demosthenes Club, which specialized in classical Greek plays. At the age of 13, Olympia appeared on stage. She later postponed her love of theatre for a while to attend Boston University, where she studied physical therapy. For a while Olympia worked in a specialty, and when she gained courage, she again enrolled in Boston University - this time in a program to study dramatic art.
After graduating at the age of 28, Olympia moved to New York. She was enthusiastic, went to every audition she ever heard of, and over time she began to get roles in off-Broadway productions. At one of these auditions, she met actor Luis Zorich. Nine months later, they got married. Their daughter Christina was born in 1965 and their sons Peter and Stephen were born in 1971. Soon the department moved to New Jersey.
In 1973, Olympia, Louis and Apollo founded their own theater in New Jersey. Their performances were a success, but a year later they were forced to close because the government cut the budget for such events.
Olympia continued to work. Despite a long list of works on stage and television, money and fame were in no hurry to spill on her heavy rain. Finally, in 1987, there was a breakthrough - Olympia starred in the film "Moonstruck" and for a while became a favorite of housewives. She went on to star in blockbusters, making roles in films such as "Steel Magnolias," "Mr. Holland's Opus," "Look Who's Talking."
Among other things, Olympia Dukakis lectures at various conferences on women and the environment.