Here's a link to the documentary on her life that was shown at film festivals in 2018 and 2019 and shown on Apple TV and other streaming platforms in 2020.
https://www.olympiathefilm.com/
R.I.P. Olympia Dukakis
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Big Magilla
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Re: R.I.P. Olympia Dukakis
I didn’t know her before Moonstruck, either,, but she became an instant icon, especially in the gay community. Tales of the City, yes, but especially in Steel Magnolias with the perfect delivery of lines like “If you don’t have something nice to say, come sit next to me” and “I love ya more than my luggage.” She was indelible. Love her. Rest In Peace.
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Big Magilla
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Re: R.I.P. Olympia Dukakis
I thought she would go on forever, or at least another decade.
She was outstanding in a 1962 episode of Dr. Kildare in which she played a poor Latina who unsuccessfully sues over the death of her husband. The look she gives Richard Chamberlain when he testifies against her is alone worth the watch of The Legacy, directed by Lamont Johnson. It's on DVD.
She was outstanding in a 1962 episode of Dr. Kildare in which she played a poor Latina who unsuccessfully sues over the death of her husband. The look she gives Richard Chamberlain when he testifies against her is alone worth the watch of The Legacy, directed by Lamont Johnson. It's on DVD.
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Mister Tee
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Re: R.I.P. Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis had an active career from the early 60s, in film/TV/especially theatre. I was familiar with her name (it's one that sticks in your head), but honestly had no idea what she looked/sounded like...until the day in December 1987, when I saw a coming attraction for Moonstruck. (The film was opening a week later, but, back then, we didn't get months-ahead word on films.) It was a notably weak year for supporting actresses -- the Anne Ramsey/Norma Aleandro (for a movie NO ONE saw) nominations attest to that -- and just a look at Dukakis in that trailer made me think, she just might make the finals.
A week later, having won the LA Critics and NBR (and finished second at NY), she was the undeniable front-runner for the Oscar...a prize she won with almost no competition. She's never been not-famous, since.
She was always a welcome presence, even when her vehicles weren't much, and when she was part of something interesting -- most notably, Takes of the City -- she was quite a bit more. A fine talent, whose marriage to Louis Zorich was an inspiration to show-biz folks.
A week later, having won the LA Critics and NBR (and finished second at NY), she was the undeniable front-runner for the Oscar...a prize she won with almost no competition. She's never been not-famous, since.
She was always a welcome presence, even when her vehicles weren't much, and when she was part of something interesting -- most notably, Takes of the City -- she was quite a bit more. A fine talent, whose marriage to Louis Zorich was an inspiration to show-biz folks.
R.I.P. Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis Dies: Oscar-Winning Actress For ‘Moonstruck’ Was 89
By Bruce Haring
May 1, 2021 12:28pm
https://deadline.com/2021/05/olympia-du ... 234748247/
Olympia Dukakis, who won an Oscar for her supporting role in the 1987 hit Moonstruck also starred in Look Who’s Talking and Mr. Holland’s Opus, died today at her home in New York City. She was 89 and had been in ill health for some time.
“My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City,” wrote her brother Apollo, who confirmed her death on his Facebook page. “After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her [husband] Louis [Zorich].” The cause of death has yet to be determined.
Dukakis was a theater veteran who struck gold in the film business later in life. She was 56 when she played Cher’s sardonic mother, Rose Castorini, in Norman Jewison’s romantic classic Moonstruck. Her portrayl of a woman overly involved her daughter’s love life earned her an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA nomination.
1988 was a year of prominence beyond the Oscars, as Dukakis’s cousin, former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, was the Democratic nominee for president. She stumped for him during her Oscars acceptance speech, shouting “OK, Michael, let’s go!”
A lifelong activist and philanthropist, Dukakis earned a star on the the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.
Born in Lowell, Mass. on June 20, 1931, she was the daughter of immigrants from southern Greece. That upbringing shaped her life, leading her to take to the stage as a means of expression.
She graduated from Boston University with a degree in in physical therapy and a master’s in performing arts. She then began her career in New York City. She made her debut in The Aspern Papers in 1962. That same year, she married actor-producer Louis Zorich, famous for his Mad About You TV show. They had three children.
In 1963, she won an Obie Award for A Man’s a Man, and then a second two years later in The Marriage of Bette and Boo.
Her work in the Broadway comedy Social Security playing Marlo Thomas’s mother was her ticket into filmdom.
She and Zorich founded the Charles Playhouse in Boston and the Whole Theater in Montclair, N.J. in the 1970s, appearing together in several productions. She also taught drama at New York University.
Her television credits include the transgender drama Tales of the City in 1993 and its sequel, which earned her an Emmy nomination.
No information was immediately available on memorial plans.
By Bruce Haring
May 1, 2021 12:28pm
https://deadline.com/2021/05/olympia-du ... 234748247/
Olympia Dukakis, who won an Oscar for her supporting role in the 1987 hit Moonstruck also starred in Look Who’s Talking and Mr. Holland’s Opus, died today at her home in New York City. She was 89 and had been in ill health for some time.
“My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City,” wrote her brother Apollo, who confirmed her death on his Facebook page. “After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her [husband] Louis [Zorich].” The cause of death has yet to be determined.
Dukakis was a theater veteran who struck gold in the film business later in life. She was 56 when she played Cher’s sardonic mother, Rose Castorini, in Norman Jewison’s romantic classic Moonstruck. Her portrayl of a woman overly involved her daughter’s love life earned her an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA nomination.
1988 was a year of prominence beyond the Oscars, as Dukakis’s cousin, former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, was the Democratic nominee for president. She stumped for him during her Oscars acceptance speech, shouting “OK, Michael, let’s go!”
A lifelong activist and philanthropist, Dukakis earned a star on the the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.
Born in Lowell, Mass. on June 20, 1931, she was the daughter of immigrants from southern Greece. That upbringing shaped her life, leading her to take to the stage as a means of expression.
She graduated from Boston University with a degree in in physical therapy and a master’s in performing arts. She then began her career in New York City. She made her debut in The Aspern Papers in 1962. That same year, she married actor-producer Louis Zorich, famous for his Mad About You TV show. They had three children.
In 1963, she won an Obie Award for A Man’s a Man, and then a second two years later in The Marriage of Bette and Boo.
Her work in the Broadway comedy Social Security playing Marlo Thomas’s mother was her ticket into filmdom.
She and Zorich founded the Charles Playhouse in Boston and the Whole Theater in Montclair, N.J. in the 1970s, appearing together in several productions. She also taught drama at New York University.
Her television credits include the transgender drama Tales of the City in 1993 and its sequel, which earned her an Emmy nomination.
No information was immediately available on memorial plans.
"How's the despair?"