Tzeni Karezi

Tzeni Karezi
Born	Evgenia Karpouzi 12 January 1934 (1932/1936 also possible) Athens, Greece
Died	27 July 1992 Athens, Greece
Other names	Jenny Karezi
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1955–92
Spouse(s)	Zahos Hadjifotiou (divorced) Kostas Kazakos (1968–1992; her death); 1 child
Children	Konstantinos Kazakos

Tzeni Karezi (Greek: Τζένη Καρέζη, 12 January 1934 – 27 July 1992), also known as Jenny Karezi, was a Greek film and stage actress.

Evgenia Karpouzi was born in Athens, Greece, to a mathematician father and high school teacher mother. She studied under the direction of the Sisters of St. Joseph at a private French school in Thessaloniki, and later by the same Order in Athens. She learned French fluently. When she was a teenager, her father left the family and she continued to live with her mother. Her father died in a car accident in 1971.

In 1951 she was accepted at the Greek National Theater (Eθνικό Θέατρο), where she studied in the Drama School. The playwright Angelos Terzakis and the director Dimitris Rontiris were among her teachers. Upon graduation, in 1954, she was immediately thrust into starring roles in the theatre, playing alongside actors such as Alexis Minotis and Katina Paxinou.

Her stage debut was in the Marika Kotopouli theatre in the French comedy, La belle Heléne, with Melina Mercouri and Vasilis Diamantopoulos. In 1955, Karezi made her cinema debut in the Alekos Sakellarios' comedy, Laterna, ftoheia kai filotimo in 1955, a massive success just like its sequel, Laterna, ftoheia kai garyfallo in 1957. For the soundtrack of the 1959 film To nisi ton genneon she recorded a song by future Academy Award-winner Manos Hadjidakis, "Min ton rotas ton ourano" ("Do not ask the sky").

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