Irene Papas
| Irene Papas | |
|---|---|
Papas in 1956
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| Born |
Irene Lelekou 3 September 1926 Chiliomodi, Corinth, Greece |
| Years active | 1948–2003 |
Irene Papas (Greek Ειρήνη Παππά; born 3 September 1926) is a retired Greek actress and occasional singer, who has starred in over 70 films in a career spanning more than 50 years.
Papas was born as Irini Lelekou (Ειρήνη Λελέκου) in Chiliomodi, outside Corinth, Greece. Her mother was a schoolteacher, and her father taught classical drama. She serves on the board of directors of the Anna-Marie Foundation. She stated in an interview that her father was of Albanian descent.
Papas began her early career in Greece (she was discovered by Elia Kazan), achieving widespread fame there, before starring in internationally renowned films such as The Guns of Navarone (1961) and Zorba the Greek (1964), and critically acclaimed films such as Z (1969). She is a leading figure in cinematic transcriptions of ancient tragedy since she has portrayed Helen in The Trojan Women (1971) opposite Katharine Hepburn, Clytemnestra in Iphigenia (1977), and the eponymous parts in Antigone (1961) and Electra (1962). She also appeared as Catherine of Aragon in the film Anne of the Thousand Days, opposite Richard Burton and Geneviève Bujold in 1969.
In 1976, she starred in the film Mohammad, Messenger of God (also known as The Message) about the origin of Islam, and the message of Mohammad. One of her last film appearances was in Captain Corelli's Mandolin. She is currently working in theatre in Portugal.
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