A post to wish Happy Birthday to one of our most acclaimed and talented Global Greeks, Irene Papas!!!
Born in Xiliomodi, near Corinth, in Greece's beautiful Peloponnese, Irene Papas already enjoyed widespread recognition in Greece, but became an internationally acclaimed actress after being discovered by fellow Global Greek Elia Kazan. We will always be grateful to him for bringing this amazing actress to the attention of the world.
My introduction to Irene Papas came in a movie theatre half way across the world, when as a young child watching the star-studded Guns of Navarone, I was fascinated by her talent and beauty... I have been a fan ever since.
Her superb acting skills along with her classical and ageless Greek beauty and the fiery passion she brought to her roles, ensured that something extra in many films which themselves have become classics. One of Greece's most accomplished ambassadors, Irene Papas presence in a film has always added an extra special dimension to it.
Her compelling and riveting performance, her dynamism and sultry beauty have uniquely enriched movies like Zorba the Greek, The Guns of Navarone, Z, screen adaptations of ancient tragedies - Electra, The Trojan Women, Antigone, and even Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
Her theatrical performances are equally legendary and an honour and a privilege to watch!
Irene Papas has won many awards for her performances over the years, but even though she has deserved one at least, she has never received an Academy Award.
This is something which we believe is an injustice, but she has made light of this omission by quipping ' I never won an Oscar... and the Oscars never won Irene Papas' .
An unexpected but wonderful musical collaboration with fellow Global Greek, Vangelis Papathanassiou, produced some magnificent albums, Odes and Rhapsodies, the first featuring traditional folk songs and music, and the second, Greek Orthodox Byzantine Hymns as well as the controversial 666.
We have chosen 'Saranta Palikaria', from Odes - a song about the 40 valiant young men who set out from Levadeia to capture Tripolitsa during the Turkish Occupation, and all that that entailed...
You may also like to listen to O Menousis, another traditional song from the time of the Turkish Occupation.
We at Global Greek World wish our beautiful Irene Papas
Χρόνια Πολλά, Πολλά και Καλά!!!
Να μας ζίσεις!
and thank her for her enormous contribution to Greek Culture and to the promotion of Greece around the world, all these years!
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