Olympia Dukakis
Oscar winner · Actress
89 years (Jun 20, 1931 – May 1, 2021)Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
The American Olympia Dukakis, of Greek descent, was one of the great ladies of North American theatre and independent cinema, with more than 130 stage productions behind her before establishing herself on screen. Her performance as Rose Castorini in 'Moonstruck' alongside Cher won her the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in 1988, already fifty-six years old. Trained off-Broadway — where she won an Obie Award for Brecht's 'A Man's a Man' — she then alternated film with titles such as 'Steel Magnolias' and television, with roles in 'More Tales of the City'. Her register, at once sardonic and tender, made her the quintessential matriarch of American cinema in the 1980s and 1990s.
Olympia Dukakis
Oscar winner · Actress
The American Olympia Dukakis, of Greek descent, was one of the great ladies of North American theatre and independent cinema, with more than 130 stage productions behind her before establishing herself on screen. Her performance as Rose Castorini in 'Moonstruck' alongside Cher won her the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in 1988, already fifty-six years old. Trained off-Broadway — where she won an Obie Award for Brecht's 'A Man's a Man' — she then alternated film with titles such as 'Steel Magnolias' and television, with roles in 'More Tales of the City'. Her register, at once sardonic and tender, made her the quintessential matriarch of American cinema in the 1980s and 1990s.
62 Movies
Plays Personnel Director
Working Girl
1988
Plays Clairee Belcher
Steel Magnolias
1989
Plays Rosie
Look Who's Talking
1989
Plays Rosie
Look Who's Talking Too
1990
Plays Rose Castorini
Moonstruck
1987
Plays Aunt Vicky
The Infiltrator
2016
Plays Bette Tremont
Dad
1989
Plays Rosie
Look Who's Talking Now!
1993
Plays Principal Jacobs
Mr. Holland's Opus
1995
Plays Margie Carsen
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines
2006
Plays Margie Carsen
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
2004
Plays Rita
Picture Perfect
1997
Plays Louise Wilanski
Sisters
1973
Plays Phyllis
In the Land of Women
2007
Plays Jocasta
Mighty Aphrodite
1995
Plays Ira
Montana Amazon
2013
Plays Marian
Away from Her
2007
Plays Jeannie
I Love Trouble
1994
Plays Emily (Segment 6)
Emily & Tim
2015
Plays Mary
Flanagan
1985
Plays Sophia
Jane Austen's Mafia!
1998
Plays Helena Naxos ("Success Wanters")
National Lampoon's Movie Madness
1982
Plays Doris Silverman
The Cemetery Club
1993
Plays Marie
Irene & Marie
2015
Plays John's Mother
John and Mary
1969
Plays Dr. Doris Rice
Dead Badge
1995
Plays Mrs. Marcangelo
Jeffrey
1995
Plays Margaret Lemke
Change in the Air
2018
Plays Judy Hillerman
The Great New Wonderful
2005
Plays Sophia Vitello
Jesus, Mary and Joey
2006
Plays Helen Rosner
A Match Made in Heaven
1997
Plays Hilde
3 Needles
2005
Plays Yaya
A Little Game
2014
Plays Mother (Mrs. Gordon)
Jerusalem
1996
Plays Muriel Kleinman
The Thing About My Folks
2005
Plays Grandma
7 Chinese Brothers
2015
Plays Gig's Mother
Made For Each Other
1971
Plays Bea
Digger
1993
Plays Rose
Never Too Late
1996
Plays Mrs. Jay
Mother
1995
Plays Sue
In the Spirit
1990
Plays Stella
Cloudburst
2011
Plays Lila Shapiro
The Event
2003
Plays Nora
Better Living
1998
Plays Lawyer
Rich Kids
1979
Plays Goneril Plogg
Milk & Money
1996
Plays Alma Harris
Over the Hill
1992
Plays Rosmarie Carver
The Last Keepers
2013
Plays Young Mother
Twice a Man
1963
18 TV Shows
Producer
Plays Alex Mandalakis
Sex & Violence
2013
Plays Marge Barnett
Center of the Universe
2004
Plays Anna Madrigal
Tales of the City
2019
Plays Anna Madrigal
More Tales of the City
1998
Plays Anna Madrigal
Tales of the City
1993
Plays Anna Madrigal
Further Tales of the City
2001
Plays Belinda
Bored to Death
2009
Plays Mother Babette
Joan of Arc
1999
Plays Marguerite Capano
And Never Let Her Go
2001
Plays Dolly Sinatra
Sinatra
1992
Plays Mama Nicola
American Playhouse
1982
Plays Marina Angelis
The Andros Targets
1977
Plays Zelda (voice)
The Simpsons
1989
Plays Charlotte Yates
Numb3rs
2005
Plays Clara
Touched by an Angel
1994
Plays Anna Nieves
Dr. Kildare
1961
Plays Caller #3 (voice)
Frasier
1993
Plays Pauline
Great Performances
1971
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
The New Abolitionists
Full Filmography
Tales of the City
Anna Madrigal · 10 episodes
2019–
Change in the Air
Margaret Lemke
2018
The Infiltrator
Aunt Vicky
2016
Her Secret Sessions
Arlene
2016
Emily & Tim
Emily (Segment 6)
2015
7 Chinese Brothers
Grandma
2015
Irene & Marie
Marie
2015
A Little Game
Yaya
2014
Sex & Violence
Alex Mandalakis · 15 episodes
2013–
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Olympia Dukakis still alive?
Olympia Dukakis passed away on May 1, 2021 at age 89.
What are the most famous roles of Olympia Dukakis?
Olympia Dukakis is best known for roles in Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, Look Who's Talking, The Infiltrator.
How many movies has Olympia Dukakis been in?
Over a 58-year career (since 1963), Olympia Dukakis has appeared in 61 movies and 17 TV shows.
What was Olympia Dukakis's first movie?
The career of Olympia Dukakis began with Twice a Man (1963).
What is Olympia Dukakis's most recent movie or series?
Olympia Dukakis's most recent release is The New Abolitionists, which premiered on October 21, 2022.
What TV shows has Olympia Dukakis appeared in?
On television, Olympia Dukakis has appeared in The Simpsons, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Frasier, Numb3rs.
Olympia Dukakis
1931-06-20 · Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
Olympia Dukakis (June 20, 1931 – May 1, 2021) was an American actress. She performed in more than 130 stage productions, more than 60 films and in 50 television series. Best known as a screen actress, she started her career in theater. Not long after her arrival in New York City, she won an Obie Award for Best Actress in 1963 for her off-Broadway performance in Bertolt Brecht's Man Equals Man.
She later moved to film acting and won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, among other accolades, for her performance in Moonstruck (1987). She received another Golden Globe nomination for Sinatra (1992) and Emmy Award nominations for Lucky Day (1991), More Tales of the City (1998) and Joan of Arc (1999). Dukakis's autobiography, Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress, was published in 2003. In 2018, a feature-length documentary about her life, titled Olympia, was released theatrically in the United States.Olympia Dukakis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.