Greek singer and actress Irene Papas passed away on September 14, 2022, at the age of 93. She was acclaimed for her roles in films such as The Guns of Navarone, Zorba the Greek, The Trojan Women, and Iphigenia, among others, during her career. The news was made by the Greek Culture Ministry and Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, who stated:
Irene Papas was the embodiment of Greek beauty on cinema and stage, a global leading actress who radiated Greekness.
Although Irene Papas had Alzheimer’s disease since 2013, it is unknown whether it contributed to her passing. Arrangements for her funeral will be made public as soon as feasible.
Irene Papas’s entertainment industry career
At the age of seven, Irene Papas’s family relocated to Athens, where she trained dancing and singing at the Royal School of Dramatic Art. Before entering the film industry in 1951, Irene began her career in both variety and classic theater, starring in numerous plays.
Her theatrical talent was praised by critics, and she appeared in a variety of plays, including The Idiot, Iphigenia in Aulis, Medea, and The Bacchae.
1948 marked the beginning of Papas’ cinematic career with a small role in Fallen Angels, followed by Dead City in 1952.
She subsequently signed with Lux Film in Italy and appeared in films like Attila and Theodora and Slave Express, where she became well-known among moviegoers. She subsequently starred in such films as Antigone, Electra, The Trojan Women, and Iphigenia.
After becoming fluent in Italian, she utilized the language in the majority of her films. She made her Hollywood debut in The Man from Egypt in 1953 and went on to star in Tribute to a Bad Man, The Guns of Navarone, and Zorba the Greek.
She then starred in Z, Anne of the Thousand Days, Muhammad, Messenger of God, Lion of the Desert, and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Irene Papas also had a successful singing career.
Songs of Theodorakis was issued by the record label RCA in 1969. She was then included on Aphrodite’s Child’s 1972 album 666, followed by her own 1979 album Odes.
In 1976, Papas advocated for a cultural boycott of the Third Reich, and her resistance to the dictatorship forced her and many others into exile when a military junta seized power in Greece in 1967.
The Papas were compelled to relocate to New York and Italy. With the fall of the dictatorship in 1974, she returned to Greece and continued to work in Rome, while also making frequent trips to Athens and her family’s country estate in Chiliomodi.
Twitter users commemorate
Irene Papas established a household name during the course of her career due to her flawless performances in films and plays. Many expressed their sorrow on Twitter upon learning of her passing:
In 1947, Papas wed film director Alkis Papas, but they separated in 1951. After meeting Marlon Brando in 1954, Irene had a secret affair with him. She married film producer José Kohn in 1957, but the marriage was later declared null and invalid.
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