Melina Mercouri was not only a talented actress and singer but also served as Greece's Minister of Culture.
She gained international fame for her role in the film "Never on Sunday," which won her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress.
Mercouri was a vocal opponent of the Greek military junta, leading an international campaign against the regime.
Biography
Early Life
Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri was born into a prominent political family in Greece on October 18, 1920. Her lineage included notable figures such as her grandfather, Spyridon Mercouris, who served as mayor of Athens, and her father, Stamatis Mercouris, a cavalry officer and politician. Melina's early education in the arts began at the Drama School of the National Theatre, where she graduated in 1938, setting the stage for her illustrious career in acting and music.
Career
Mercouri's career took off after she joined the National Theatre of Greece, where she gained recognition for her role as Electra in Eugene O'Neill's "Mourning Becomes Electra" in 1945. Her international breakthrough came with the film "Never on Sunday" (1960), directed by Jules Dassin, which earned her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. Throughout her career, she starred in numerous films and theatrical productions, including "Stella" (1955) and "A Streetcar Named Desire". In addition to her acting, she was a passionate singer, releasing several albums such as "Je suis grecque" and "Melina Mercouri sings Manos Hadjidakis".
Political Activism
Mercouri was not only a celebrated artist but also a fierce political activist. During the Greek military junta from 1967 to 1974, she campaigned against the regime, leading to the revocation of her Greek citizenship. After the fall of the junta, she became a founding member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and served as Greece's Minister of Culture, advocating for the arts and cultural heritage.
Personal Life
In her personal life, Melina married wealthy landowner Panagis Harokopos in 1939, but her most significant relationship was with filmmaker Jules Dassin, whom she met during the filming of "Stella". They remained together until her death in 1994, leaving behind a legacy as one of Greece's most beloved cultural icons.
Collected from open sources (4) · facts link to sources · AI-processed
Discography
Μελίνα2009
Tracklist not collected yet.
…Μελίνα του Μάνου: Melina Mercouri sings Manos Hadjidakis2004
- 1.Τελευταία συνάντηση2:51
- 2.Χάρτινο το φεγγαράκι2:34
- 3.Αγάπη που 'γινες δίκοπο μαχαίρι3:19
- 4.Ο μήνας έχει 133:15
- 5.Τα παιδιά του Πειραιά3:23
- 6.Η προδοσία (Έγινε παρεξήγηση)2:14
- 7.Στο Λαύριο γίνεται χορός2:40
- 8.Master Thief3:43
- 9.Piraeus My Love3:03
- 10.Medea Tango4:05
- 11.Love, Love, Love3:17
- 12.Dear Mr. Shubert1:31
- 13.Το άλογο του Ομέρ Βρυώνη2:24
- 14.Η προσευχή της παρθένου3:07
Melina Mercouri1998
- 1.Je suis grecque3:08
- 2.Les Bateaux de Samos3:59
- 3.Au café Saint–Just2:34
- 4.Mes amis d’hier2:55
- 5.Pour toi ma fille2:01
- 6.L’Orgue de barbarie2:14
- 7.L’Œillet rouge2:34
- 8.La Fumée des cigarettes2:59
- 9.Athènes, ma ville4:49
- 10.La Veuve du colonel3:40
- 11.Le Portugais3:47
- 12.L’Étrangère2:30
- 13.Paname3:22
- 14.En Méditerranée3:33
- 15.Attendre, attendre3:14
- 16.Le Métèque2:33
- 17.Les Enfants du Pirée3:09
- 18.Zorba3:43
Συλλογή Δίφωνο, 4: Μελίνα: Οι ρόλοι του τραγουδιού: “Στον Πειραιά… κι αλλού”1995
Tracklist not collected yet.
Greatest Greek Singers: Melina Mercouri1995
- 1.Love, You Have Turned Into a Double-Edged Knife3:21
- 2.It's the Thirteenth of the Month3:17
- 3.Betrayal2:14
- 4.Piraeus Children3:23
- 5.Moon Is Made of Paper3:15
- 6.Bells Will Ring3:56
- 7.Front3:18
- 8.Mack the Knife2:44
- 9.Barbara's Song4:45
- 10.Omer Vryonis' Horse2:25
- 11.The Virgin's Prayer3:06
Melina Melinaki1995
- 1.Zorba3:43
- 2.Je te dirai les mots4:08
- 3.Mes amis d'hier2:56
- 4.Au café Saint-just2:34
- 5.Pour toi ma fille2:01
- 6.Rodostamou2:14
- 7.Je suis grecque3:08
- 8.Les bateaux de Samos4:00
- 9.Le lettre (I epistoli)3:01
- 10.Attendre, attendre3:17
- 11.En méditérranée (Messogio)3:33
- 12.Melina melinaki2:32
- 13.Le météque2:35
- 14.Le soleil de nos cœurs2:53
- 15.Entre les lignes, entre les mots4:06
- 16.L'étrangère2:32
- 17.Violence, violence2:56
- 18.Athènes, ma ville4:48
- 19.Par dix, par cent, par mille4:27
- 20.Le chat et la souris2:32
- 21.Le veuve du colonel3:40
- 22.L'œillet rouge2:36
- 23.Les enfants du Pirée3:09
Sing Greek Songs No. 21977
- 1.My Friend the Wind
- 2.Mon Amour de Sable Et de Vent (Aspri Mera)
- 3.Lovely Lady of Arcadia
- 4.Le Meteque (O Metikos)
- 5.Goodbye My Love Goodbye
- 6.Otan Fthassis Stin Athina
- 7.Meine Freunde Sind Die Traeume (Ta Kenourgia Chelidonia)
- 8.On the Greek Side of My Mind (T'Asteri Tou Voria)
- 9.Pai Efige to Treno
- 10.For Ever and Ever
- 11.Zorbas the Greek (Zorbas)
- 12.En Mediterranee (Messoghios)
L'œillet rouge1973
- 1.Au café Saint Just2:35
- 2.Les bateaux de Samos4:00
- 3.Le sergent Stamouli2:45
- 4.Pour toi ma fille2:00
- 5.Olympio3:42
- 6.L'orgue de Barbarie2:13
- 7.L'œillet rouge2:33
- 8.Melina, Melinaki2:30
- 9.La maison d'Ithaque2:40
- 10.Banal2:58
- 11.La fumée des cigarettes3:00
- 12.Excusez-moi4:00
- 13.Maxaipi Maypomaniko3:55
Si Melina... m'était contée1973
- 1.Je te dirais les mots4:04
- 2.Toi la mer3:00
- 3.Où que me porte mon voyage, la Grèce me blesse6:03
- 4.Paname3:24
- 5.Synnefiasmeni Kyriaki4:13
- 6.Athènes ma ville4:49
- 7.La veuve du colonel3:43
- 8.Den Itan Nysi4:28
- 9.Alabama Song4:06
- 10.Yes Sir3:00
Je suis grecque1972
- 1.Le soleil de nos cœurs
- 2.Attendre, attendre
- 3.L'étrangère
- 4.Mes amis d'hier
- 5.Le Portugais
- 6.Violence, violence
- 7.Le chat et la souris
- 8.Entre les lignes, entre les mots
- 9.Par dix, par cent, par mille
- 10.Se Potisa Rodostamo
- 11.Je suis grecque
Melina Mercouri1971
- 1.Zorba3:44
- 2.Messogio3:35
- 3.O Dikastis2:35
- 4.Metanastis3:47
- 5.Rodostamo2:11
- 6.Ime Romia3:08
- 7.O Metikos2:35
- 8.I Epistoli3:00
- 9.Figan ta Pedia2:56
- 10.Samiotissa3:00
- 11.Echi o Theos4:05
- 12.Ta Pedia tou Pirea3:11
Je suis grecque / Le Portugais1970
Tracklist not collected yet.
Melina Merkoyri Afieroma2006
Tracklist not collected yet.
Gallery
Label
- Record label
- Sirius
Achievements
- Award
- Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress
- Award
- Europe Theatre Prize
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Also known as: Maria Amalia Mercouri, Melina Mercouri, Melina Mercury, Μαρία Αμαλία Μερκούρη
Greek actress, singer and politician. Minister of Culture of Greece (1920–1994)
Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a prominent political family for multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination and won a French Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award for her performance in the film Never on Sunday (1960) and an Italian David di Donatello for Topkapi (1964). Mercouri was also nominated for one Tony Award, three Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and one New York Film Critics Circle Award during the course of her acting career. In 1987, she was awarded a special accolade in the first edition of the Europe Theatre Prize.
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Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
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