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Olympia Dukakis Biography (1931-)

Born June 20 (some sources say June 21), 1931, in Lowell, MA; daughter of Constantine S. (a manager) and Alexandra (maiden name, Christos) Dukakis; sisterof Apollo Dukakis (an actress); cousin of Michael Dukakis (a politician); married Louis Zorich (an actor), December 5, 1962; children: Christina, Peter,Stefan. Addresses: Agent: William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.; Manager: Parseghian/Planco Management, 23 East 22nd St., Suite 3, New York, NY 10010.

Nationality

American

Gender

Female

Occupation

Actress, director

Birth Details

June 20, 1931

Lowell, Massachusetts, United States

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Film Appearances
• Young mother and commentator, Twice a Man, Gregory J. Markopoulous, 1964
• Patient, Lilith, Columbia, 1964
• John's mother, John and Mary, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1969
• (Uncredited) Stiletto, Avco-Embassy, 1969
• Gig's mother, Made for Each Other, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1971
• (Uncredited) Louise Wilanski, bakery shop employee #2, Sisters (also known as Blood Sisters), American International Pictures, 1973
• (Uncredited) Cop at the precinct, Death Wish, Paramount, 1974
• The Rehearsal (also known as I dokimi), 1974
• Lawyer, Rich Kids, United Artists, 1979
• Joey's mother, The Wanderers, Orion, 1979
• Mrs. Vacarri, The Idolmaker, United Artists, 1980
• Helena Naxos, "Success Wanters," National Lampoon Goes to the Movies (also known as National Lampoon's Movie Madness), United Artists, 1981
• Mary Flanagan, Flanagan (also known as Walls of Glass), United Film Distributors, 1985
• Rose Castorini, Moonstruck, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1987
• Personnel director, Working Girl, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1988
• Bette Tremont, Dad, Universal, 1989
• Rosie, Look Who's Talking (also known as Daddy's Home), TriStar, 1989
• Claire Belcher, Steel Magnolias, TriStar, 1989
• Sue, In the Spirit, Castle Hill, 1990
• Rosie, Look Who's Talking Too, TriStar, 1990
• Doris Silverman, The Cemetery Club (also known as Looking for aLive One), Buena Vista, 1993
• Rosie, Look Who's Talking Now, TriStar, 1993
• Alma Harris, Over the Hill (also known as Round the Bend),New Line Home Video, 1993
• Jeannie, Peter's secretary, I Love Trouble, Buena Vista, 1994
• Bea, Digger, August Entertainment, 1994
• (Uncredited) Herself, Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, 1994
• Mrs. Jay, Mother (also known as The Haunted Heart), Overseas Film Group, 1995
• Mrs. Marcangelo, Jeffrey, Orion, 1995
• Jocasta, Mighty Aphrodite, Miramax, 1995
• Dead Badge, Cabin Fever Entertainment, 1995
• Principal Jacobs, Mr. Holland's Opus, Buena Vista, 1995
• Dr. Doris Rice, Dead Badge, Cabin Fever Entertainment, 1995
• Mrs. Gordon (mother), Jerusalem, First Look Pictures Releasing, 1996
• Rita Mosley, Picture Perfect, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1997
• Rose, Never Too Late, Allegro Distribution, 1997
• Goneril Plogg, Milk & Money, 1997
• Sophia, Jane Austen's Mafia (also known as Mafia!), Buena Vista, 1998
• Charlotte Kiszko, A Life for a Life, 1998
• Narrator, Climb against the Odds (documentary), 1999
• Helen Manners, Brooklyn Sonnet (also known as Borough of Kings), Avenue R Films, 2000
• Nora, Better Living, Goldheart Pictures, 2000
• Herself, The Papp Project (documentary), 2001
• Erina, The Intended, IFC Films, 2002
• Lila Shapiro, The Event, ThinkFilm, 2003
• Charlie, Charlie's War, 2003
• Sophia Vitello, Jesus, Mary and Joey, 2003
• Television Appearances
• Series
• Dr. Barbara Moreno, Search for Tomorrow, NBC, 1983-1984
• Miniseries
• Anna Madrigal, "Tales of the City" (also known as "Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City"), Channel 4, 1993, then broadcast on American Playhouse, PBS, 1994
• Family member, A Century of Women (also known as A Family of Women), TBS, 1994
• Anna Madrigal, More Tales of the City (also known as ArmisteadMaupin's More Tales of the City), Showtime, 1998
• Mother Babette, Joan of Arc (also known as Jeanne d'Arc), CBS, 1999
• Marguerite Capano, And Never Let Her Go, CBS, 2001
• Mrs. Anna Madrigal, Further Tales of the City (also known as Armistead Maupin's Further Tales of the City), Showtime, 2001
• Amanda Patterson, Guilty Hearts, CSB, 2002
• Movies
• Irene Kaminios, Nicky's World, CBS, 1974
• F.D.R.---the Last Year, NBC, 1980
• Emily Miller, Fire in the Dark (also known as Aging Parent), CBS, 1991
• Dolly Sinatra, Sinatra (also known as The Frank Sinatra Story), CBS, 1992
• Rose Garaventi, Young at Heart (also known as Hoboken), CBS, 1995
• Helen Rossi, A Match Made in Heaven, CBS, 1997
• Madam Chairwoman, The Pentagon Wars, HBO, 1998
• Dotty, Scattering Dad, CBS, 1998
• Dinah, The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, HBO and BBC, 2000
• Sara Stevens, Ladies and the Champ, ABC, 2001
• Esther Lipman, My Beautiful Son (also known as Strange Relations), Showtime, 2001
• Rose Dellarusso, Mafia Doctor, CBS, 2003
• Mrs. Anna Madrigal, Babycakes (also known as Armistead Maupin'sBabycakes), CBS, 2003
• Specials
• Pauline, The Seagull, PBS, 1975
• Mama Nicola, "King of America," American Playhouse, PBS, 1982
• America Picks the All-Time Favorite Movies, 1988
• Laura Cunningham, "The Last Act Is a Solo," General Motors PlaywrightsTheatre, Arts and Entertainment, 1991
• Katherine Campbell, "Lucky Day," ABC Theatre, ABC, 1991
• Host, Cured! Secrets of Alternative Healing (also known as Miracle Cures), NBC, 1994
• The Greek Americans (documentary), PBS, 1998
• Narrator, A Paralyzing Fear: The Story of Polio in America (documentary), PBS, 1998
• Intimate Portrait: Olympia Dukakis, Lifetime, 1999
• Narrator, Crimes of Honour (documentary; also known as Crimes of Honor), Cinemax, 2000
• Herself, Still Cher (documentary), BBC, 2002
• Narrator, The Armenians: A Story of Survival (documentary), PBS, 2002
• (In archive footage) Rose Castorini, Cher: The Farewell Tour, NBC,2003
• Awards Presentations
• The 60th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1988
• The Second Annual American Comedy Awards, 1988
• The 15th Annual People's Choice Awards, CBS, 1989
• Pilots
• The Neighborhood (also known as Breslin's Neighborhood), NBC, 1982
• Rachel's Dinner, 1991
• Diana Trent, Heaven Will Wait, CBS, 1997
• Center of the Universe, CBS, 2004
• Episodic
• Ioana Chiriac, "Frieda," The Nurses, CBS, 1962
• Anna Nieves, "The Legacy," Dr. Kildare, NBC, 1962
• One of the Boys, NBC, 1982
• Judge Paula G. Walsh, "Shades of Darkness," The Equalizer, CBS, 1986
• Clara, "A Joyful Noise," Touched by an Angel, CBS, 1996
• Herself, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, 1997
• Herself, Ruby, BBC, 1999
• Herself, So Graham Norton, Channel 4, 2001
• Voice of Zelda, "The Old Man and the Key," The Simpsons (animated), Fox, 2002
• Voice, "Frasier Has Spokane," Frasier, NBC, 2002
• Colleen O'Neil, "Thanks, But No Thanks," It's All Relative, ABC, 2003
• Herself, The View, ABC, 2003
• Also appeared in CBS Workshop, CBS; The Ed Sullivan Show (also known as Toast of the Town), CBS; The Universe.
• Stage Appearances
• Madelena, The Breaking Wall, St. Mark's Playhouse, New York City,1960
• The New Tenant, Royal Playhouse, New York City, 1960
• The Opening of a Window, Theatre Marquee, New York City, 1961
• The Aspern Papers, Playhouse Theatre, New York City, 1962
• Widow Leocadia Begbick, A Man's a Man, Masque Theatre, New York City, 1962
• Mary Tyrone, Long Day's Journey into Night, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, 1962
• Henriette, Crime and Crime, Cricket Theatre, New York City, 1963
• Anne Dowling, Abraham Cochrane, Belasco Theatre, New York City, 1964
• Chrysothemis, Electra, New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, New York City, 1964
• Six Characters in Search of an Author, Charles Street Playhouse, Boston, MA, 1964
• The Rose Tattoo, Studio Arena Theatre, Buffalo, NY, 1964
• Madonna Irma, The Balcony, Charles Street Playhouse, 1967
• Gertrude, Hamlet, Charles Street Playhouse, 1967
• Mother Courage, Mother Courage and Her Children, Charles Street Playhouse, 1967
• Tamora, Titus Andronicus, New York Shakespeare Festival, DelacorteTheatre, 1967
• Mrs. Bethnal-Green, the mother, Stepney Green, and Debden, Father Uxbridge Wants to Marry, American Place Theatre, Theatre at St. Clement's Church, New York City, 1967
• Helena, The Memorandum, Public Theatre, New York City, 1968
• Ingrid, Peer Gynt, Delacorte Theatre, 1969
• Goya, Baba Goya, American Place Theatre, New York City, 1973, produced as Nourish the Beast, Cherry Lane Theatre, New York City, 1973
• Ilse, Who's Who in Hell, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York City, 1974
• The Rose Tattoo, Whole Theatre, Upper Montclair, NJ, 1976
• Title role, Mother Ryan, New Dramatists Theatre, New York City, 1977
• Ella, Curse of the Starving Class, Public Theatre, 1978
• Nurse Ratched, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Whole Theatre, 1978, also produced at the Delaware Summer Festival
• Madame Ranevskaya, The Cherry Orchard, Whole Theatre, 1981
• Filumena, Snow Orchid, Circle Repertory Company, New York City, 1982
• Blithe Spirit, Whole Theatre, 1984
• Ghosts, Whole Theatre, 1985
• Soot Hudlocke, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, New York ShakespeareFestival, Public Theatre, 1985
• Sophie Greengrass, Social Security, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City, 1986
• The Seagull, Whole Theatre, 1986
• Better Living, Whole Theatre, 1989
• Happy Days, Whole Theatre, 1989-1990
• Host, Babes in Arms, State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ, 1990
• Countess Wilhelmena Leach, The Hope Zone, Trinity Repertory Company, Upstairs Theatre, Providence, RI, 1991
• Title role, Hecuba, American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco,CA, 1995
• Countess Wilhelmena Leach, The Hope Zone, Circle Repertory Theatre, 1995-1996
• Grace, Singer's Boy, Geary Theater, San Francisco, CA, 1997
• Queen Lear, The Lear Project, Orpheum Theater, Foxborough, MA, 1998
• Breathe Normally, Margaret Jenkins Dance Co., Joyce Theater, New York, NY, 1999
• (London debut) Title role, Rose, Royal National Theatre, London, 1999, then Lyceum Theatre, New York City, 2000
• Petra Karagy, Credible Witness, London, 2001
• The Cherry Orchard, Golden Bough Playhouse, Carmel, CA, 2001
• A Mother, American Conservatory Theatre, 2003-2004
• Clytemnestra, Agamemnon, Aquila Theatre Company, John Jay CollegeTheater, New York City, 2004
• Also appeared as Mrs. Cleveden-Brooks, Outward Bound, produced inRangeley, ME; appeared in the Whole Theatre productions of The Trojan Women and Waiting for Godot; appeared in King of America and The Night of the Iguana; appeared in summer productions at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, MA, and with the Second City Company.
• Major Tours
• Toured with the Phoenix Theatre Company, U.S. cities, 1960.
• Stage Director
• One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Whole Theatre, Upper Montclair, NJ, 1978, also produced at the Delaware Summer Festival
• Talley's Folly, Whole Theatre, 1984
• Social Security, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City, 1986
• Also directed Arms and the Man, The House of Bernarda Alba, Orpheus Descending, Uncle Vanya, and U.S.A., all WholeTheatre; Six Characters in Search of an Author and A Touch of the Poet, both Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, MA; and Kennedy's Children, Commonwealth Stage.
• WRITINGS
• Stage Writings
• Adapted plays for the Whole Theatre Company, Upper Montclair, NJ, including Edith Stein, The House of Bernarda Alba, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Trojan Women, and Uncle Vanya.
• Books
• (With Emily Heckman; memoir) Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress, HarperCollins, 2003

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

• Newsmakers 1996, Issue 4, Gale, 1996

Periodicals

• American Theatre, September, 1995, p. 10
• People Weekly, October 5, 1992, p. 123; March 11, 1996, p. 116