Entertainment News from Athens, Tributes to Greek Artists

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe, a trip down memory lane from 1919 till 2021 as we explore the films that were made about the destruction on Smyrna in 1922. We pay our respects and remember this tragic part of our history while learning some trivia facts about the making of these historic and classic films. Listen to the podcast: 

Irene Papas 3 September 1926 – 14 September 2022, was a Greek actress and singer who starred in over 70 films in a career spanning more than 50 years. She gained international recognition through such popular award-winning films as The Guns of Navarone (1961) and Zorba the Greek (1964). She was a powerful protagonist in films including The Trojan Women (1971) and Iphigenia (1977). She played the title roles in Antigone (1961) and Electra (1962). In 1969, the RCA label released Papas' vinyl LP, Songs of Theodorakis, she appeared on the album 666 by the Greek rock group Aphrodite's Child.  In 1979, Polydor released her album of eight Greek folk songs entitled Odes, with electronic music performed (and partly composed) by Vangelis. Listen to the podcast and find out more about the awe-inspiring goddess, the living Caryatid as she was called: 

Andreas Barkoulis August 4, 1936 – August 23, 2016 was a Greek film, theatre and television actor. He was one of the emblematic Jeune Premier of Greek cinema. He performed on stage and the big screen participating in more than 100 films, including "An Italian woman in Greece" "Jenny, Jenny"and many more, he was so popular with the young girls that the expression "Girls Barkoulis is here" became known for any handsome man entering a room. He travelled and lived in the USA for a few years, there he became a popular singer.  Listen to the podcast and find out more about this unique artist with a big heart: 

5 Greek modern hits that have become classics and will always remind us of the hot summer days that Greece is so famous for. 5 Songs and their stories, how they were made and why they became so popular, listen to the podcast and find out more

‎Margarita‎‎ Sakellariou was born on ‎‎November 22,‎‎ ‎‎1934‎‎ in ‎‎Sitia,‎‎ ‎‎Crete‎‎.‎ Rita marries at 14, becomes a mother twice and divorces. She works with her mother at various Fertilizer factories hoping for a better future, until 1954 when she was heard singing by a group of wondering musicians. ‎She is considered the "queen" of folk song and is recognized as one of the "great" ladies of Greek song in general.‎ Listen to the podcast and find out more about the remarkable life of this legendary singer.

Mihalis Giannatos was born in 1941 in Constantinople, Turkey. He was a Greek actor and was fluent in five languages: ‎‎Greek‎‎, ‎‎Turkish‎‎, ‎‎French‎‎, ‎‎Italian‎‎ and ‎‎Spanish‎‎. This helped him a lot in his career, particularly in his participation in major foreign productions such as‎ Midnight Express (1978), Munich (2005) and Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) a Touch of Spice (2003). During his long film career, he appeared in over 100 films, television series and performances. He was one of the favorite actors of ‎‎Theodoros Angelopoulos‎‎, in whose films he always participated after the film ‎‎Megalexandros‎‎ in 1981. ‎‎Listen to the podcast and find out more about this talented actor

Manos Hatzidakis (23 October 1925 – 15 June 1994) was a Greek composer and theorist of Greek music, widely considered to be one of the greatest Greek composers and one of the most globally recognised. His legacy and contribution are widespread among the works of contemporary Greek music, through the second half of the 20th and into the 21st century. He was also one of the main proponents of the "Éntekhno" form of music (along with Mikis Theodorakis). In 1960, he received an Academy Award for Best Original Song for his song Never on Sunday from the film of the same name. Listen to the podcast and learn all about this fascinating personality and absolute star:

Maria Vassiliou was a Cypriot model and actress born in London‎‎ (‎‎16 September‎‎ ‎‎1950‎‎ – ‎‎5 July‎‎ ‎‎1989‎‎ ‎‎). She became known from the leading role in ‎‎Alexis Damianos'‎‎ film, ‎‎Evdokia‎‎. ‎‎After "Evdokia", Maria Vassiliou played in ‎‎Homer Efstratiadis‎‎' Children of Flowers‎‎ (1973) and ‎‎Theo Angelopoulos‎‎' ‎‎Troupe‎‎ (1975). A little later, her traces were lost. ‎‎The actress won the best actress award‎‎ at the Thessaloniki ‎‎Film Festival‎‎ in 1971.‎ In this tribute we also pay homage to the making of the movie Evdokia as it is considered a classic by some, & by others as one of the best films ever made in Greece.  ‎Evdokia is a‎‎ 1971 ‎‎Greek film‎‎  and became famous for her musical theme,  ‎‎Zeibekiko for Evdokia‎‎ written by ‎‎Manos Loizos‎‎. Listen to the podcast and get the whole story 

Kaiti Papanika was born in Athens in 1942, she studied at the National School of Theatre and Drama, and the Athens Conservatoire.  She played the role of the beautiful girl in more than 50 big screen movies in the 60's.  While still a student she participated in a festival in France and received an award in reciting poetry. Listen to the podcast and find out more what made Kaiti such a wonderful actress and even more amazing human being.

"Misirlou" is a folk song[2] from the Eastern Mediterranean region, with origins in the Ottoman Empire. The original author of the song is not known, but Arabic, Greek and Jewish musicians were playing it by the 1920s. The earliest known recording of the song is a 1927 Greek rebetiko/tsifteteli composition influenced by Middle Eastern music. There are also Arabic belly dancing, Armenian, Persian, Indian and Turkish versions of the song. This song was popular from the 1920s onwards in the Arab American, Armenian American and Greek American communities who settled in the United States. Listen to the podcast and hear how this old folk song has evolved into a modern day hit that has been transformed from rebetiko, to jazz, rock and ethnic genres over the decades: