Olympia Dukakis Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Olympia Dukakis is an award-winning American actress of Greek heritage, famous for her role in the movie Moonstruck.

Early Life

Olympia Dukakis was born on June 20 1931in Lowell, Massachusetts to Greek American parents. Her parents were Constantine and Alexandra Dukakis, immigrants from Greece. She is one of the two siblings in her family. She has a younger brother called Apollo.

She went to Arlington High School. Dukakis got her degree at Boston University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in physical therapy. After practicing for a short while, she returned to Boston University. She earned a Master in Fine Arts.

Stage Career

Dukakis started her acting career at the Broadway in 1961. She appeared in her maiden play The Aspern Papers in 1961. Dukakis got a role in the 1962 play A Man’s a Man. She acted in the 1964 play, Abraham Cochrane. She did other notable plays like The Cherry Orchard, The Rose Tattoo, The Seagull, and The Marriage of Bette and Boo. A decade later she appeared in another well-acclaimed play Who’s Who in Hell.

Dukakis debuted at the National Theater with a role in the play Rose. She then went back to Broadway in 2000. In 2008 she starred in the play The Milktrain Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore. She had a cast in another side of the Island. Dukakis appeared in the 2011 production Vigil, followed in 2012 by the play Tempest. In 2013 the actress appeared in the play Mother Courage and Her children. She went to appear in 130 productions at the Broadway in New York.  

Television

As a television actress, Dukakis debuted in the 1950s. She starred in numerous low key roles until the 1990s. In 1991 she played a leading role in the production Lucky Day. In 1992 she cast in the television film Sinatra. Dukakis played the role of Anna Madrigal in the well-celebrated Tales of the City produced in 1993. She did the role again in the follow-up sequel More Tales of the City, done in 1998. She is on the queue to produce another Tales of the City production in 2019.

In 2002 she voiced the character of Zelda in the comic production The Simpsons. In 2004 she started doing the role of Marge Barnett in the Center of the Universe, a CBS production. She left the series in 2005. Dukakis did another commercially successful series Sex & Violence. The series ran from 2013 to 2015.

Film

In 1987 she made her debut in the Hollywood circles. She had her role in the film Moonstruck, playing the role of Rose Castorini. She then did three films Look Who’s Talking done in 1989, Look Who’s Talking Too, and the last sequel Look Who’s Talking Now.

In 1995 she played a leading role in the film Mr. Holland’s Opus. The film is based on a story of a high school tutor from a broken family trying to make it by composing songs. In the production Mafia, she acted alongside Christina Applegate. In 2003 Dukakis played the role of Lila.

She continued getting leading roles in the films like Thing About My Folks, and Away from Her. In 2011 Dukakis also cast in the lesbian-themed film Cloudburst.

She got her firsthand experience as a producer in the film Montana Amazon. She became part of the acting crew and the executive producer. Other films she appeared in are Steel Magnolias done in 1989, Dad released in 1989, The Cemetery Club produced in 1993, and Mother produced in 1995. She recently appeared in Montana Amazon, A Little Game done in 2013, and the 2016 films Infiltrator, Broken Links, and Change in the Air.

In her film acting career, Dukakis almost entirely plays the roles of women who seek identity in various confusing situations. 

Private Life

Dukakis got married to Louis Zorich on November 30, 1962. She became a widow on 30 January 2018 upon the death of Zorich. She had three children with Zorich. These are Christina, Louis, and Stefan. Dukakis lives with some of her family members in New York.

She is a Democrat and a relative of Michael Dukakis, a former US Democratic presidential ticket contender. She served a party delegate and campaign member of Michael Dukakis’ team.

On social issues, Dukakis is a champion of progressive rights of women and the conservation of the environment. She works with organizations in raising awareness of crippling diseases like Alzheimer’s and osteoporosis.

Conclusion

Olympia Dukakis is still involved in film and acting. She is a celebrity honored with a Star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is a recipient of awards in both stage and film acting.