Olympia Dukakis Passes Away at 89 [Video]

Award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis passed away on May 1, 2021. She was 89 years old. According to a statement released by her family, she passed away in her home with her daughter Christina Zorich by her side. Her brother Apollo Dukakis posted on Facebook, “After many months of failing health, she is finally at peace and with her Louis.”

The actress was born in 1931 to Greek immigrant parents. She was a native of Lowell, Massachusetts. Dukakis started her acting career on stage after studying performing arts and physical therapy in college. Her stage career would span decades, and she appeared in more than 130 off-Broadway productions. She would win an Obie Award for her portrayal of Widow Leocadia Begbick in 1963’s off-broadway production “Man Equals Man.”

Olympia Dukakis is best known for her 1987 film “Moonstruck,” where she portrayed Italian mother Rose Castorini alongside Cher, who starred as her on-screen daughter. In 1988, she won an Oscar for best supporting actress for the role while Cher took home the best actress award for the movie. She would also win a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and a BAFTA nomination for the role.

She was also the first cousin of former Masscheuts Gov. Michael Dukakis. He was the 1988 Democratic nominee for president who lost to then-Vice President George H.W. Bush. Dukakis was a delegate-at-large and introduced her cousin, Governor Dukakis, at the Atlanta 1988 Democratic National Convention.

Her other notable performances include her portrayal of Clairee Belcher in 1989’s “Steel Magnolias, Mother Babette in the 1999 miniseries “Joan of Arc,” and as Dolly Sinatra in the biographical series “Sinatra.”

Dukakis also taught drama at New York University for over 15 years. Her husband Louis Zorich passed away in 2018 at the age of 93. She is survived by their three children Christina, Peter, and Stefan.

Written by Ebonee Stevenson
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

CNN: Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-winning ‘Moonstruck’ actress, has died; by Andy Rose
NPR: ‘Moonstruck’ Star Olympia Dukakis Dead At 89; by Jeanette Muhammad
NME: Olympia Dukakis, ‘Moonstruck’ and ‘Steel Magnolias’ actor, dies aged 89; by Caleb Triscari

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Canadian Film Centre’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Ms. Foundation for Women’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License