Famous Greek Film & Theater Personalities

One of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, Tom Hanks is known for both his comedic and dramatic roles. Making his breakthrough with leading roles in the 1980s, he went on to further cement his place in Hollywood in the 1990s by taking up poignant and sensitive roles. He is also a director, producer, and screenwriter. 

Greek filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter Yorgos Lanthimos initially studied business and was also part of the Greek national basketball team before stepping into films. A prominent figure of the Greek Weird Wave movement, he is known for his Academy Award-nominated screenwriting in The Lobster and direction in The Favourite.

Irene Papas is a popular Greek actress and singer who has played powerful women in films and stage plays in an illustrious career spanning over five decades. Widely regarded as the quintessential Greek beauty, Papas has won many awards, including the Golden Arrow Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

Maria Amalia Mercouri was a Greek actress, singer, politician, activist, and socialist. Mercouri had a profound acting career and is remembered for her portrayal of Ilya in the film Never on Sunday, which earned her a Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award. As a politician, Mercouri served as the Minister of Culture and Sports, the first female to do so.

Costa Gavras is a Greek-French screenwriter and filmmaker best known for making movies with social and political themes. His 1969 political thriller film Z, which earned him an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, was the first movie to receive nominations for both the Best Foreign Language Film and Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Lindsay Armaou is a Greek-born Irish singer and actress best known for her association with the popular girl group B*Witched. Over the years, Armaou has helped increase the popularity of B*Witched, thanks to her fame as an actress outside the music industry.

Greek socialite, model, and adult entertainer Julia Alexandratou was 16 when she won the Miss Young contest. In 2006, she won the Miss Greece International pageant. Over the years, she has hosted shows, released music, and posed for magazine covers. She made headlines with her appearance in a 2010 porn clip.

Born to French producer Michèle Ray-Gavras and Greek-French director Costa-Gavras, French filmmaker Romain Gavras was no stranger to films as a child. Apart from making films such as The World Is Yours and countless ads, he has also directed iconic music videos such as Jamie xx’s Gosh and M.I.A.’s Bad Girls.

Stefania Liberakakis is a Greek-Dutch singer, YouTuber, and voice actress. She is best known for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021 where she represented Greece with the song Last Dance; Stefania finished tenth in the contest. Stefania Liberakakis has also voiced important characters in the Dutch version of films like Dolittle and Wonder Park.

Alexi Pappas is a Greek-American runner, actor, writer, and filmmaker. In 2016, she set the national record for 10,000m at the Rio Olympics where she represented Greece. As a filmmaker, Alexi Pappas is credited with bankrolling and writing Olympic Dreams, the first fictional film to be shot in an Olympic village. 

Greek actor and theater director Angeliki Papoulia is best known for her Heart of Sarajevo award-winning role in Dogtooth. She is a co-founder of the Blitz Theater Group, for which she has written, directed, and acted. Her other notable films include Alps and A Blast.

Greek actor and producer Tonia Sotiropoulou gained fame as the first Greek Bond girl when she appeared in the 2012 James Bond thriller Skyfall. She has also appeared in films such as Hercules and Man of God and in Greek TV series such as Our Best Years.

While he initially aspired to be a civil engineer, Alexis Georgoulis later joined a drama school. He soared to fame as an actor with the sitcom You Are My Mate and later appeared in films such as Oxygono. He became an international sensation with the film My Life in Ruins.

Greek filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter Theo Angelopoulos is remembered for his Palme d'Or-winning film Eternity and a Day. He dropped out of law school to study film and later became known for his signature slow narratives and long takes. He died after being hit by a motorcycle while shooting the film The Other Sea.

Greek poet Thespis is not just believed to be the first actor of Greek drama but also the inventor of tragedy. He is also said to have introduced dialogues into choral tragedies and was the first to stage a Greek tragedy at the City Dionysia.

Mary Tsoni was a Greek singer and actress best remembered for playing important roles in films like Evil, Evil: In the Time of Heroes, and Dogtooth. She was honored at the Sarajevo Film Festival with the Best Actress award for her performance in Dogtooth. A month before her 30th birthday, Mary Tsoni was found dead due to pulmonary edema.

Elena Tsagrinou is a Greek singer best known for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021 where she represented Cyprus with the song El Diablo; Tsagrinou finished 16th in the contest. She is also a voice actress and has voiced important characters in the Greek version of films like Free Birds (2013) and Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017).

Greek-Irish model Georgia Salpa had begun her modeling career even before leaving school. She featured on FHM’s list of the sexiest women in the world twice and later gained fame with her appearance in the 2012 season of Celebrity Big Brother. The Podge and Rodge Show star is now married to millionaire Joe Penna.

Greek-Romanian model and actor Anastasia Tsilimpiou started her career as a child actor. She soared to fame with her roles in the Greek series Gia tin kardia enos Angelou and To Nisi and the Turkish series Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem. She also delivered an award-winning performance as Helen Keller in To thafma tis Anne Sullivan.

German-born Greek singer Despina Vandi initially gained fame with her successful collaborations with songwriter Phoebus. Her 2000 single Ipofero was 6-time platinum and became Greece’s best-selling track of all time. She has also released hit Billboard-charting tracks such as Gia and Opa Opa, and has starred in musicals too.

A Greek music icon, Anna Vissi had started training in music at age 6 and won her first talent contest at age 12. Born in Cyprus, the singer later moved to Athens and also briefly studied law. After soaring to fame with Eurovision, she gradually became one of Greece’s best-selling artists ever.

Andreas Voutsinas was a Sudanese-Greek theater director and actor. He is remembered for playing important roles in films like The Producers, The Twelve Chairs, and History of the World, Part I. From 2002 to 2009, he worked as an acting teacher in Northern Greece’s State Theatre. Andreas Voutsinas is also credited with founding a drama school called Superior Drama School.

Legendary Greek folk singer Tolis Voskopoulos is best remembered for his theatrical hit Oi Erastes tou Oneirou. With a career spanning over 6 decades, he also starred in many plays and movies. He was later married to Greek politician Antzela Gerekou and passed away at age 80.

Swiss-born Greek singer-actor Panos Mouzourakis is best known for his roles in the Greek series S1ngles and 4. He had first gained attention with the play Acharnis, which toured around the globe. He has also lent his voice to the Greek version of the hit Disney animated film Frozen.

Marinella is a Greek singer best known for her longevity and versatility. Marinella, whose singing career has spanned over 65 years, is one of the most popular and respected singers in Greece. Apart from releasing several solo albums, she has also collaborated with other prominent musicians over the course of her illustrious career.

Greek filmmaker Michael Cacoyannis is best remembered for his Academy Award-nominated film Zorba the Greek. Born to a public servant father who was knighted for his work, in Cyprus, he initially studied law and then joined the BBC World Service. He had also performed on stage as Michael Yannis.

Nicholas Pettas is a Greek-Danish martial artist and an exponent of karate. He is also a former kickboxer and actor. Pettas is renowned for his powerful low kicks and has scored victories over kickboxers like Yusuke Fujimoto and Gökhan Saki. In 1995, Pettas won the European Heavyweight Championship title and became the tenth Shin Karate World Championships champion in 2000. 

Katy Garbi is a singer who is credited with recording two of the best-selling Greek albums of the 1990s: Arhizo Polemo and Evaisthisies. In 2010, Garbi was included in Alpha TV's list of top-certified female Greek artists since 1960. Garbi is also known for her philanthropic efforts; she has participated in several fund-raising events to benefit homeless and sick children.

Eleni Karaindrou is a Greek composer best known for her work with Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos; Karaindrou has scored many of Angelopoulos' films. A prolific composer, Eleni Karaindrou has also composed music for theatrical productions, TV series, and TV movies. In 2021, she was honored at the Ghent Festival's World Soundtrack Awards with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Vicky Kaya is a Greek television presenter, fashion model, actress, and entrepreneur. Kaya has graced the covers of several international fashion magazines like Elle, Marie Claire, Vogue, Madame Figaro, and Esquire. As an entrepreneur, Vicky Kaya is credited with founding a couple of brands, namely Great for Women and The Fashion Workshop, with the former focusing on women's well-being.

Agnes Baltsa is a Greek mezzo-soprano singer, often counted among the best in the genre. Musically gifted from childhood, she started playing the piano at six. She later trained at the Greek National Conservatoire and made her professional debut in the opera The Marriage of Figaro at Frankfurt Opera. She has collaborated many times with noted tenor José Carreras.  

Iakovos Kambanellis was a Greek playwright, screenwriter, poet, lyricist, and novelist. Widely regarded as the father of modern Greek theater, Kambanellis is also considered one of the most important Greek playwrights of the 20th century. In 2000, Iakovos Kambanellis was honored by the President of the Greek Republic with the prestigious medal of the Order of Phoenix.