Irene Papas (September 3, 1929-September 14, 2022) became an international star with her roles in the films “The Guns of Navarone” and “Zorba the Greek.”
She appeared in more than 80 movies and TV programs, from classical tragedies (“Antigone,” “Electra,” “The Trojan Women,” “Iphigenia”) to Walt Disney family fare (“The Moon Spinners”). Among her films were “Tribute to a Bad Man,” The Brotherhood,” “Z,” “Anne of the Thousand Days,” “Christ Stopped at Eboli,” “Mohammad, Messenger of God,” “Chronicle of a Death Foretold,” “Lion of the Desert,” “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin,” and the miniseries “Moses the Lawgiver.”
Of her stage work she was particularly celebrated for Greek tragedies, appearing on Broadway in “Medea” and “The Bacchae.”
Her recordings included collaborations with Mikis Theodorakis, Aphrodite’s Child, and one of that band’s founding members, Vangelis.
In 1992, starring in a production of “Medea” in Barcelona, Papas evoked the mystery of acting: “I don’t know if I am living memory, or a ghost that encourages.”
