🎬 Movies Mates PEOPLE
Irene Papas
Acting
Biography
Irene Papas or Pappas (Greek: Ειρήνη Παππά, romanized: Eiríni Pappá, born Eirini Lelekou [Ειρήνη Λελέκου]; 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a distinguished Greek actress and singer whose international career spanned more than five decades and encompassed over 70 films. She gained worldwide recognition for her passionate, statuesque performances and her classical Greek beauty, becoming one of the most iconic figures in Greek and international cinema.
Born in Chiliomodi, Corinthia, she studied at the National Theatre Drama School. She began her career in theatre and film in the late 1940s. She achieved international acclaim through her collaboration with director Michael Cacoyannis, …
Read full biography
Irene Papas or Pappas (Greek: Ειρήνη Παππά, romanized: Eiríni Pappá, born Eirini Lelekou [Ειρήνη Λελέκου]; 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a distinguished Greek actress and singer whose international career spanned more than five decades and encompassed over 70 films. She gained worldwide recognition for her passionate, statuesque performances and her classical Greek beauty, becoming one of the most iconic figures in Greek and international cinema. Born in Chiliomodi, Corinthia, she studied at the National Theatre Drama School. She began her career in theatre and film in the late 1940s. She achieved international acclaim through her collaboration with director Michael Cacoyannis, starring in film adaptations of ancient tragedies such as "Electra" (1962), "Iphigenia" (1977), and "The Trojan Women" (1971)—the latter alongside Katharine Hepburn and Vanessa Redgrave. At the same time, she appeared in major international productions such as "The Guns of Navarone" (1961)—alongside Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn—Michael Cacoyannis’s "Zorba the Greek" (1964), Costa-Gavras’s political thriller "Z" (1969), and the epic production "The Message" (1976). Beyond acting, she also distinguished herself in music, collaborating with renowned artists such as Vangelis Papathanassiou (on the album "Odes") and Mikis Theodorakis. Irene Papas received numerous awards at international festivals, including the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 2009. She passed away in 2022 at the age of 93, leaving behind an invaluable cultural legacy.
Biography expanded
BODY OF WORK
Irene Papas's Filmography
Select any movie to open its full Movies Mates details page.
1821 at the Cinema
as (archive footage)
Morceaux de Cannes
Il falso bugiardo
as Self (archive footage)
A Talking Picture
as Helena
...and the train leaves for the sky
as Elena Michailovna
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
as Drosoula
Yerma
as Vieja pagana
Inquietude
as Mother
Party
as Irene
Jacob
as Rebekka
No Poster
Un Amore Rubato
Lettera da Parigi
as Gina
Up, Down and Sideways
as Μαρία
Island
as Marquise
Plato's Banquet
as Diotime
High Season
as Penelope
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
as Madre de Angela
Sweet Country
as Mrs. Araya
A Child Called Jesus
as Old Maria
The Assisi Underground
as Mother Giuseppina
Into the Night
as Shaheen Parvici
Afghanistan For What?
Erendira
as Grandmother Amadis
The Deserter
as Mariangela
The Balad of Mamelouk
as Mamluk's Mother
Lion of the Desert
as Mabrouka
L'assistente sociale tutto pepe...
as La Signora
Ring of Darkness
as Raffaella
Bloodline
as Simonetta Palazzi
Christ Stopped at Eboli
as Giulia Venere
Iphigenia
as Klytaimnistra
Blood Wedding
as La mère
Moses the Lawgiver
as Zippora
The Message
as Hind
Bambina
as Raimonda Spina
The Battle of Sutjeska
as Borina majka
1931: Once Upon a Time in New York
as Donna Mimma
Don't Torture a Duckling
as Dona Aurelia Avallone
N.P. - The Secret
as Casalinga
The Murder of Julius Caesar
as Calpurnia
Roma bene
as Elena Teopoulos
Oasis of Fear
as Barbara Slater
The Trojan Women
as Helen
Anne of the Thousand Days
as Queen Catherine
A Dream of Kings
as Caliope
The Odyssey
as Penelope
Z
as Hélène
Le avventure di Ulisse
as Penelope
Behold Man - The Survivors
as Anna
The Brotherhood
as Ida Ginetta
The Desperate Ones
as Ajmi
Witness Out of Hell
as Lea Weiss
We Still Kill the Old Way
as Luisa Roscio
Trap for the Assassin
as Julia de Noirville
The Steps
as Joana
Zorba the Greek
as Widow
The Moon-Spinners
as Sophia
Electra
as Elektra
Antigone
as Antigone
The Guns of Navarone
as Maria Pappadimos
Bouboulina
as Laskarina Bouboulina
The Lake of Sighs
as Frosyni
Pssst ... girls!
as Eleni
Tribute to a Bad Man
as Jocasta Constantine
The Missing Scientists
as Gina
Attila
as Grune
Theodora, Slave Empress
as Faidia
Vortice
as Clara
The Man From Cairo
as Yvonne Lebeau
The Unfaithfuls
as Luisa Azzali
Dead City
as Lena
Fallen Angels
as Liana