Irene Papas, a Greek singer, and actress died on September 14, 2022, at the age of 93. Throughout her career, she appeared in about 70 films and was recognized for her performances in films such as The Guns of Navarone, Zorba the Greek, The Trojan Women, Iphigenia, and others. The Greek Culture Ministry and Culture Minister Lina Mendoni announced the announcement, saying:
“Magnificent, majestic, and energetic, Irene Papas was the epitome of Greek beauty on film and stage, a worldwide leading actress who exuded Greekness.”
Although Irene Papas had Alzheimer’s disease since 2013, it is uncertain if it had a part in her death. Her funeral arrangements will be made public as soon as possible.
Irene Papas’s career in the entertainment industry
Irene Papas’ family moved to Athens when she was seven years old, and she studied dancing and singing at the Royal School of Dramatic Art in Athens. Irene began her career in variety and classic theater, and she featured in various plays before entering the film industry in 1951. Her work in theater was appreciated by reviewers, and she appeared in plays such as The Idiot, Iphigenia in Aulis, Medea, The Bacchae, and others.
Papas began her film career in 1948 with a tiny appearance in Fallen Angels, followed by Dead City in 1952. She later signed with Lux Film in Italy and acted in films such as Attila and Theodora and Slave Express, where she became well-known among audiences. She then starred in films such as Antigone, Electra, The Trojan Women, and Iphigenia.
After she became fluent in Italian, she employed it in the majority of her films. In 1953, she made her Hollywood debut in the B-movie The Man from Cairo, and she went on to star in Tribute to a Bad Man, The Guns of Navarone, and Zorba the Greek. She went on to star in films such as Z, Anne of the Thousand Days, Mohammad, Messenger of God, Lion of the Desert, and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Irene Papas had a good singing career as well. Songs of Theodorakis was released in 1969 by the record label RCA. She was then included on Aphrodite’s Child’s album 666 in 1972, followed by her album Odes in 1979.
In 1976, Papas campaigned for a cultural boycott of the Third Reich, and her resistance to the dictatorship drove her and many others into exile when a military junta took control in Greece in 1967. The Papas were forced to relocate to Italy and New York. Following the collapse of the dictatorship in 1974, she returned to Greece and continued to work in Rome while also visiting Athens and her family’s country residence in Chiliomodi.
Twitter users pay tribute
Over the course of her career, Irene Papas became a household name because of her immaculate performances in films and plays. People shared their sorrow on Twitter after learning of her death:
Farewell to the great actress Irene Papas, one of my favourite movie faces pic.twitter.com/jwVPhxxP4H
— Jesse Hawken (@jessehawken) September 14, 2022
R.I.P. Irene Papas, who just turned 96. pic.twitter.com/M9RlTuxahF
— James Kenney (@jfkenney) September 14, 2022
Papas married film director Alkis Papas in 1947, but the couple divorced in 1951. After meeting in 1954, Irene started a secret love affair with actor Marlon Brando. In 1957, she married film producer Jose Kohn, but the marriage was subsequently pronounced null and void.
