Melina Mercouri

In 1971 she wrote her autobiography, I Was a Greek. She has recently been seen in the film, Captain Corelli's Mandolin and is currently working in theatre in Portugal. When democracy returned to her home country, she returned, and became first a member of the Parliament for PASOK, and then Minister of Culture. She began her early career in Greece achieving widespread fame in that country before staring internationally renowned films such as The Guns of Navarone, Zorba the Greek and critically acclaimed films such as Z and Elektra. Pattakos was born a dictator and he will die as a dictator.". Irene Papas was born as Irene Lelekou in Corinth, Greece. Mr. Irene Papas (born September 3, 1929) is a Greek-born actress who has starred in over 70 films with a career spanning over 50 years.

When the dictatorship revoked her Greek citizenship, she said, "I was born Greek and I would die Greek. During the period of dictatorship in Greece from 1967 to 1974, Mercouri lived in France. Nominated for an Academy Award for Never on Sunday, she went on to star in such films as Topkapi, Phaedra, and Gaily, Gaily. In fact, she had been making movies since 1955, first appearing in the Greek language film Stella.

Born Anna Amalia Mercouri or Maria Amalia Mercouris, she became well-known to international audiences when she starred in the 1960 film Never on Sunday, directed by her husband Jules Dassin. Melina Mercouri (Μελίνα Μερκούρη; Athens,October 18, 1920 - New York, March 6, 1994) was a Greek actress and political activist.