Olympia Dukakis
Viewed, 3254x, Last Updated 2007-03-25

OLYMPIA DUKAKIS, during a career that spans over 40 years, has worked as an actress, director, producer, teacher, activist and most recently, author with her best-selling memoir Ask Me Again Tomorrow. She received an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actress category, the New York Film Critics Award, the Los Angeles Film Critics Award and the Golden Globe Award for her work in the Norman Jewison film “Moonstruck”.

Dukakis’ distinguished stage career includes two OBIE Awards, for Bertolt Brecht's A MAN'S A MAN, and Christopher Durang's “The Marriage of Bette and Boo,” at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre. Other notable appearances at the Public include Sam Shepard's “Curse of the Starving Class,” “Titus Andronicus,” “Electra,” and “Peer Gynt.” Dukakis starred in the world premiere of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s “Credible Witness” at London’s Royal Court Theatre. Dukakis made her London debut in 1999 on stage at the Royal National Theatre in Martin Sherman’s one-woman play, “Rose,” to rave reviews. Dukakis then opened “Rose” on Broadway in the spring of 2000. She also made her debut on British television (BBC) in a made-for-TV movie “A Life for a Life” (BAFTA nomination) and on BBC Radio starring in “Hecuba.”

Prior to “Rose”, Dukakis was last seen on Broadway in “Social Security” directed by Mike Nichols. In 2004, Dukakis starred as Clytemnestra in NY’s Aquila Theatre Company’s production of “Agamemnon,” featuring Dukakis’ husband Louis Zorich in the title role. She also performed at A.C.T. in “The Mother” by Gorky adapted by Constance Congdon.

Very involved in the development of new work and companies, Dukakis is currently collaborating on adaptations of The Tempest and Phaedra (A.C.T.) Other new work includes the adaptation of Hecuba by Timberlake Wertenbaker at A.C.T., Singer’s Boy by Leslie Ayvazian at A.C.T., Shakespeare and Company’s “Lear and Her Daughters,” and “Voices of Earth.”

As a founding member and Producing Artistic Director of the Whole Theatre in Montclair, New Jersey for 19 years (1971-1990), she directed and appeared in many productions, winning accolades time and again. In 1992, Olympia Dukakis became the proud recipient of the New Jersey Governor's Walt Whitman Creative Arts Award.

Dukakis has appeared in over 125 productions Off-Broadway and regionally, at venues including Studio Arena in Albany, American Place Theatre, APA Phoenix, Circle Rep and the Williamstown Summer Theatre Festival where she also served as Associate Director. Dukakis taught Acting in the graduate school at New York University for fifteen years and currently teaches master classes at various universities and colleges throughout the country.

Feature films to be released in 2005 include Three Needles, (shot in S. Africa) The Librarian and The Thing About My Folks, with Paul Reiser. Recent films include the highly acclaimed The Event and The Intended (shot in Malaysia and directed by Kristian Levring).

Other feature films include Mr. Holland’s Opus with Richard Dreyfus, Woody Allen’s Mighty Aprodite and I Love Trouble with Nick Nolte and Julia Roberts. Audiences continue to seek out videos of The Cemetary Club, Steel Magnolias directed by Herbert Ross, Dad co-starring Jack Lemmon, and Look Who’s Talking with John Travolta and Kirstie Alley.

With regards to television, most recent credits include the CBS sitcom “Center of the Universe” with John Goodman, Jean Smart, and Ed Asner.

Dukakis co-starred in “Last of the Blond Bombshells” with Judy Dench for HBO and in “Ladies and the Champ” with Marion Ross for ABC. One of her favorite projects, “Tales of the City”, a 6-hour mini-series based on the novel by Armistead Maupin, was a controversial ratings blockbuster for PBS. She went on to star in the sequels “More Tales of the City” and “Further Tales of the City” (Showtime) for which she earned Emmy, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA nominations.

She starred with Frank Sinatra and Dukakis' real-life husband Louis Zorich in “Young At Heart” on CBS (Emmy nomination). Other TV movie projects include “Strange Relations,” “Scattering Dad,” “A Century of Women,” a 6-hour mini-series for TBS, “Fire In The Dark” for CBS, “Lucky Day” co-starring Amy Madigan for ABC for which she received an Emmy nomination, “The Last Act Is A Solo” for which she received an ACE Award, and “Sinatra” a mini-series for CBS in which Dukakis portrayed Frank Sinatra's mother and was nominated for an Emmy.

Filmography: 3 Needles, Away from Her, In the Land of Women, Moonstruck, Sisters (1973), The Great New Wonderful, The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, The Thing About My Folks,

Latest Olympia Dukakis News, Opinion & Discussion:

Jonathan Kasden Interview, In The Land of Women
MoviesOnline sat down with writer/director Jonathan Kasdan at the Los Angeles press day to promote his new film, In the Land of Women starring...

In The Land Of Women, a Poignant Story
In his directorial debut, writer Jonathan Kasdan presents a personal and poignant story about the serendipitous way in which people’s lives can i... Adam Brody Interview, In The Land of Women
MoviesOnline recently sat down with Adam Brody at the Los Angeles press day to promote his new film, In the Land of Women, written and directe... 3 Needles on DVD April 3rd
3 Needles is on DVD today. In China, Ping (Lucy Liu) is a pregnant young woman running a black market blood collection scam that cre... Adam Brody joins In the Land of Women
With the end of The O.C. comes more Adam Brody news. This spring, fans can see Brody in his first leading role in the Warner Bros. Pictures’ fea... The Great New Wonderfull on DVD Sept 12th
From director Danny Leiner (Dude, Where’s My Car, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle) comes the new brilliant heartwarming-comedy THE GREAT NEW... The Thing About My Folks Movie Review
Touchingly fulfilling, and satisfyingly sentimental, THE THING ABOUT MY FOLKS provides down to earth home-style comedy, and a dramatic familiarity, th... Reiser and Falk on The Thing About My Folks
Paul Reiser's new film THE THING ABOUT MY FOLKS is a deeply personal venture for the actor/writer. The story came from the inspiration of his father a...