Olympia Dukakis Biography

Date of Birth: June 20, 1931

The Dukakis name seemed to be on the tip of everyone’s tongues in 1988. Olympia Dukakis won a Golden Globe, an Academy Award and a BAFTA award that year for her role as an Italian mother in Moonstruck (1987), while her cousin, Michael Dukakis, was the 1988 Democratic US presidential candidate. Olympia, the daughter of Greek immigrants, began acting in summer stock after taking acting classes at Boston University. She made her television debut with a guest appearance on the hit series Dr. Kildare in 1962 and made her feature film debut playing a young mother in Twice a Man (1963). A wide variety of roles followed, and Dukakis was able to prove her abilities as a character actress. In 1983 she landed a regular role on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow, but she remained for the most part nameless to the general public until her Oscar® win.

Since then, she has continued to work steadily, earning three Emmy nominations for Lucky Day (1991), More Tales of the City (1998) and Joan of Arc (1999) as well as a Golden Globe nomination for her role in the TV movie Sinatra (1992). More recently, she won the Grand Jury Award as Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film at L.A. Outfest for The Event (2003).

Dukakis, who has appeared in over 125 plays Off-Broadway and regionally, has also appeared on Broadway in Social Security directed by Mike Nichols, Who's Who in Hell, The Aspern Papers, Abraham Cochrane, Night of the Iguana and the one woman show Rose, which she first opened in London in 1999 at the Royal National Theatre to rave reviews.

Married to actor Louis Zorich since 1962, they have a daughter and two sons.

Filmography:

In the Land of Women (2007)
Day on Fire (2006)
Away from Her (2006)
3 Needles (2006)
Whiskey School (2005)
The Intended (2004)
Jesus, Mary and Joey (2003)
Charlie's War (2003)
The Event (2003)
Brooklyn Sonnet (2000)
Better Living (2000)
A Life for a Life (1998)
Jane Austen's Mafia! (1998)
Milk & Money (1997)
Never Too Late (1997)
Picture Perfect (1997)
Jerusalem (1996)
Mother (1996)
Dead Badge (1995)
Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)
Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
Jeffrey (1995)
I Love Trouble (1994)
Digger (1993)
Look Who's Talking Now (1993)
The Cemetery Club (1993)
Over the Hill (1992)
Look Who's Talking Too (1990)
In the Spirit (1990)
Steel Magnolias (1989)
Dad (1989)
Look Who's Talking (1989)
Working Girl (1988)
Moonstruck (1987)
Walls of Glass (1985)
National Lampoon Goes to the Movies (1981)
The Idolmaker (1980)
Rich Kids (1979)
The Wanderers (1979)
The Rehearsal (1974)
Death Wish (1974) (uncredited)
Nicky's World (1974)
Sisters (1973)
Made for Each Other (1971)
John and Mary (1969)
Stiletto (1969) (uncredited)
Lilith (1964)
Twice a Man (1963)