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IMDbPro

Melina Mercouri(1920-1994)

  • Actress
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Melina Mercouri in Never on Sunday (1960)
Theatrical Trailer from United Artists
Play trailer3:46
Topkapi (1964)
4 Videos
73 Photos
Melina Mercouri was born in Athens, Greece on October 18, 1920. An early woman activist, she was elected to the Greek Parliament in 1977. Later Miss Mercouri was to become the first woman to hold a Senior cabinet post "Minister of Culture" in the Greek government. In 1971 she wrote her autobiography titled "I Was Born Greek." Melina wed actor Jules Dassin in 1966 and remained married to him until her death in 1994. Melina Mercouri died of lung cancer in New York City, on March 6, 1994.
BornOctober 18, 1920
DiedMarch 6, 1994(73)
BornOctober 18, 1920
DiedMarch 6, 1994(73)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 2 wins & 7 nominations total

Photos73

Melina Mercouri in Promise at Dawn (1970)
Melina Mercouri and Raf Vallone in Phaedra (1962)
Melina Mercouri and Raf Vallone in Phaedra (1962)
Melina Mercouri and Raf Vallone in Phaedra (1962)
Brian Keith and Melina Mercouri in Gaily, Gaily (1969)
Melina Mercouri in Topkapi (1964)
Brian Keith and Melina Mercouri in Gaily, Gaily (1969)
Melina Mercouri in The Victors (1963)
Melina Mercouri in The Victors (1963)
Melina Mercouri in Phaedra (1962)
Melina Mercouri and Raf Vallone in Phaedra (1962)
Melina Mercouri in He Who Must Die (1957)

Known for

Melina Mercouri in Never on Sunday (1960)
Never on Sunday
7.3
  • Ilya
  • 1960
Topkapi (1964)
Topkapi
6.9
  • Elizabeth Lipp
  • 1964
Anthony Perkins and Melina Mercouri in Phaedra (1962)
Phaedra
6.8
  • Phaedra
  • 1962
Promise at Dawn (1970)
Promise at Dawn
6.4
  • Nina Kacewa
  • 1970

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • All the World's a Stage (1984)
    All the World's a Stage
    • Extracts: The Oresteia
    • TV Mini Series
    • 1984
  • Gynaikes stin exoria
    • Narrator (voice)
    • Short
    • 1981
  • Kravgi gynaikon (1978)
    Kravgi gynaikon
    • Maya
    • Medea
    • 1978
  • Nasty Habits (1977)
    Nasty Habits
    • Gertrude
    • 1977
  • Once Is Not Enough (1975)
    Once Is Not Enough
    • Karla
    • 1975
  • Promise at Dawn (1970)
    Promise at Dawn
    • Nina Kacewa
    • 1970
  • Gaily, Gaily (1969)
    Gaily, Gaily
    • Lil
    • 1969
  • Peter Finch, Romy Schneider, and Melina Mercouri in 10:30 P.M. Summer (1966)
    10:30 P.M. Summer
    • Maria
    • 1966
  • Sandra Dee, James Garner, Anthony Franciosa, and Melina Mercouri in A Man Could Get Killed (1966)
    A Man Could Get Killed
    • Aurora
    • Celeste da Costa
    • 1966
  • The Uninhibited (1965)
    The Uninhibited
    • Jenny
    • 1965
  • Topkapi (1964)
    Topkapi
    • Elizabeth Lipp
    • 1964
  • Senta Berger, Romy Schneider, Melina Mercouri, Jeanne Moreau, Rosanna Schiaffino, and Elke Sommer in The Victors (1963)
    The Victors
    • Magda
    • 1963
  • Anthony Perkins and Melina Mercouri in Phaedra (1962)
    Phaedra
    • Phaedra
    • 1962
  • Anouk Aimée, Vittorio De Sica, Vittorio Gassman, Alberto Sordi, and Paolo Stoppa in The Last Judgment (1961)
    The Last Judgment
    • Foreign lady
    • 1961
  • Vive Henri IV... vive l'amour! (1961)
    Vive Henri IV... vive l'amour!
    • Marie de Médicis
    • 1961

Writer

  • Lilly's Story (2002)
    Lilly's Story
    • idea
    • 2002

Producer

  • The Rehearsal (1974)
    The Rehearsal
    • producer
    • 1974

Videos4

Trailer
Trailer 2:17
Trailer
The Law (La Loi)
Trailer 3:01
The Law (La Loi)
Phaedra
Trailer 3:42
Phaedra
Topkapi
Trailer 3:46
Topkapi

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Melina Mercouri Foundation
  • Height
    • 5′ 6½″ (1.69 m)
  • Born
    • October 18, 1920
    • Athens, Greece
  • Died
    • March 6, 1994
    • Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA(complications from lung cancer)
  • Spouses
      Jules DassinMay 18, 1966 - March 6, 1994 (her death)
  • Other works
    (8/17/2015) Stage: Appeared (as Herself) in "Melina Mercouri".
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Print Biographies
    • 1 Interview
    • 1 Article
    • 8 Pictorials
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Melina's and Jules Dassin's film Topkapi (1964) was the inspiration for the TV series Mission: Impossible (1996), which was produced by the production company Desilu owned by Lucille Ball, and it was even mentioned in the film Mission: Impossible (1996) starring Tom Cruise.
  • Quotes
    "I was born Greek and I would die Greek. Mr. Pattakos was born a dictator and he will die as a dictator." Her reply to the fact that the Military dictatorship in Greece (1967-1974) in Greece had proclaimed that she was no longer a Greek citizen.
  • Nickname
    • The last Greek Goddess

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