Olympia Dukakis biography, married

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Olympia Dukakis is an 86 year old first generation Greek American <a href="/biography/olympia-dukakis">actress</a>. Although Dukakis became famous for her work as an actress, she has since taken on many other roles. In her personal social media bios, she describes herself as an actress, director, producer, teacher, activist, and author. Dukakis had a well established career in theater and stage performer. She did not get her big break into Hollywood acting until the age of 56 when she starred in the movie “Moonstruck”.

Personal Life

Olympia Dukakis was born June 20th, 1931 in Lowell, Massachusetts. Her parents,  Alexandra (Christos) and Constantine S. Dukakis, were Greek immigrants to America. Her parents also had a son, Apollo, after immigrating to the United States of America. She is also <a href="/biography/olympia-dukakis">cousin</a> to former governor of Massachusetts <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Dukakis">Michael Dukakis</a>.  <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Dukakis">Michael Dukakis</a> also ran against George H. W. Bush as the democratic candidate in the 1988 presidential election.

During her youth, Olympia Dukakis attended Arlington High School in Arlington, Massachusetts. After graduating from high school, Dukakis attended Boston University. While at Boston University, she completed her bachelor’s in art in physical therapy and later returned to complete her Masters in Fine Arts. Prior to moving to New York to pursue acting, Dukakis worked as a physical therapist during the Polio epidemic in Massachusetts.

In 1962, Olympia Dukakis married Yugoslav-American <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Zorich">actor</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Zorich">Louis Zorich</a>.  They remained married until his death in January 2018. The couple had three kids together, named Christina, Peter, and Stefan.

Olympia Dukakis identifies as a liberal and is a member of the democratic party. She is an <a href="/biography/olympia-dukakis">activist</a> and often speaks out on the topics of women’s rights and environmental issues. Additionally, she is seen as a strong ally to the gay and transgender communities.

Early Career

Olympia Dukakis was well known <a href="/biography/olympia-dukakis">actress</a> on both the classic and contemporary stage all along the east coast soon after focusing her career on acting. She was known as an adaptable actress due to her ability to portray different ethnicities and her adaptability to different many different genres. Her stage career included a range of performances from tragedy to comedy. At age 30, she made her broadway debut in "The Aspern Papers".  Additional Broadway performances include "Abraham Cochrane" in 1964 and "Who's Who in Hell" in 1974. Later her Broadway performance of "Social Security" in 1986 caught the eye of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Jewison">Norman Jewison</a>, who she would later work with in film.

Along with her husband <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Zorich">Louis Zorich</a>, Olympia Dukakis co-founded the Whole Theatre Company in Montclair, New Jersey in 1971. Dukakis ran this company for 19 years until 1990. During her time at the Whole Theatre Company, she encouraged staff and crew to try new and untested plays.

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Eventually, her stage acting noticed by producers and directors in Hollywood and she started acting in films. In 1964, she was in the film Lilith.  In 1969, she performed in the film John and Mary, where she played mom to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dustin_Hoffman">Dustin Hoffman</a>. Eventually, at age 56 she became a household name after her performance in the romantic comedy Moonstruck in 1987.

Later Career

After her big break into the Hollywood film industry, she went back to her roots and acted in many more stage performances. She also continued occasionally acting in film and television roles. She was in several notable movies, such as Steel Magnolias, Dad, Look Who's Talking, The Cemetery Club, Mr. Holland's Opus, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother">Mother</a>. Her television roles include Tales of the City and its sequels More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City. She was also featured in several episodes of Bored to Death. She created and performed a one-woman play, titled “Rose” in 1999.  She debuted “Rose” first at the National Theater of London and later on Broadway.

Eventually, Olympia Dukakis became a master instructor at New York University for fourteen years. She also taught courses at Columbia and Yale.

After her acting fame, she started producing many plays and movies. Two of her more well known producing credits were for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Kennedy's Children".

In 2003, her the best-selling novel “Ask Me Again Tomorrow” was published. “Ask Me Again Tomorrow” is an autobiography which provides an introspective view of her life, career, and passions. In her book, she covers issues regarding feminism, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and osteoporosis.

As she gets older, she continues to grace the stage occasionally. She appeared in a production of "The Milktrain Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" in 2011, a production of "Vigil" also in 2011 and as "Prospera" in "The Tempest" in 2012. In 2013, she performed as the title role in "Mother Courage and Her Children” for Shakespeare & Co.

Major Accomplishments and Awards

Olympia Dukakis is very accomplished and has won many awards over the length of her career. In 1962, she won a prestigious Off-Broadway Obie Award for role in "A Man's a Man" and later won another for "The Marriage of Bette and Boo".  Her role in the 1987 film “Moonstruck” brought her many awards and recognition, including an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She also won a Golden Globe award for this role, among other accolades. While touring the country for her one-woman show “Rose” she won an Outer Critics Circle Award and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for said show. In 2011, she was named Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program 2011 Master Teacher. Dukakis has also won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greek America Foundation.  Most recently, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.

References

“IMDb Olympia Dukakis Biography” <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001156/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm">https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001156/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm</a>

“Olympia Dukakis Verified Twitter account” <a href="https://twitter.com/olympiadukakis?lang=en">https://twitter.com/olympiadukakis?lang=en</a>

“Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress” <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ask-Me-Again-Tomorrow-Progress/dp/0060934093/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">https://www.amazon.com/Ask-Me-Again-Tomorrow-Progress/dp/0060934093/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=</a>

“Some Things You Probably Didn’t Know and Some Great Olympia Dukakis Moments to Celebrate Her Birthday” <a href="http://www.pappaspost.com/some-things-you-probably-didnt-know-and-some-great-olympia-dukakis-moments-to-celebrate-her-birthday/">http://www.pappaspost.com/some-things-you-probably-didnt-know-and-some-great-olympia-dukakis-moments-to-celebrate-her-birthday/</a>

“Turner Classic Movies Olympia Dukakis” <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/53935%7C119305/Olympia-Dukakis/">http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/53935%7C119305/Olympia-Dukakis/</a>

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