Kyriaki "Corinna" Tsopei ( el, Κυριακή (Κορίννα) Τσοπέη; born 21 June 1944) is a Greek actress, model and beauty queen who won

Miss Universe 1964 Miss Universe 1964, the 13th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 1 August 1964 at the Miami Beach Convention Hall in Miami Beach, Florida, United States. Corinna Tsopei of Kingdom of Greece, Greece was crowned by the outgoing titleholder, Ieda Maria ...

Career

On 20 June 1964, Tsopei was crowned

Miss Star Hellas Star Hellas ( el, Σταρ Ελλάς, Μις Ελλάς, Μις Γιάνγκ) is a national beauty pageant in Greece. The Star Hellas, Miss Hellas, Miss Young title is a trademark for Vassilis Prevelakis and Associates E.E. George Prevelakis, ...

by Miss Star Hellas 1963, Despina Orgeta. She moved on to represent

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

at the

pageant in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, where she beat out Miss

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Miss

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, Miss

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, and Miss

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

to be crowned

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...

, bringing the title to Greece for the first time. She has since returned several times to judge the pageant. After completing her reign as Miss Universe, she went on to pursue a brief movie career, making five uncredited or minor appearances (including a "Girl in Cage" in ''

Caprice Caprice, from the Italian ''capriccio'', may refer to: Art and entertainment * ''Caprice'' (1913 film), a film starring Mary Pickford * ''Caprices'' (film), a 1942 French comedy film * ''Caprice'' (1967 film), a film starring Richard Harris ...

'', a "Telethon telephone operator" in '' Valley of the Dolls'', and a "Tennis Girl" in ''

The Sweet Ride ''The Sweet Ride'' is a 1968 American drama film with a few surfer/ biker exploitation film elements. It stars Tony Franciosa, Michael Sarrazin and Jacqueline Bisset in an early starring role. The film also features Bob Denver in the role of Choo ...

'') in 1967 and 1968, before appearing in her only prominent role as the love interest of the lead character in '' A Man Called Horse'' (1970). Tsopei also guest-starred in a 1967 episode of the television series ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...

'' ("Castles in Space") and a 1968 episode of ''

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

''. Apart from her beauty pageant work and acting career, Tsopei also is a

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

of an organisation for children with

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

Family

Tsopei was born on June 21, 1944, to George and Maria Tsopei. Her father, George (1914–1997), was a

Greek Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...

major, originally from

Mani Mani may refer to: Geography * Maní, Casanare, a town and municipality in Casanare Department, Colombia * Mani, Chad, a town and sub-prefecture in Chad * Mani, Evros, a village in northeastern Greece * Mani, Karnataka, a village in Dakshi ...

in the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...

. She has one brother, Basil, and one sister, Despina. Tsopei was married twice. Her first marriage was to Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. Steven Zax, from 1968 to 1978. Tsopei's three sons were born to the couple during this marriage: Andrew, Steven, and Paris Zax. Tsopei's second marriage was to Hollywood theatrical agent and movie producer

Freddie Fields Freddie Fields (July 12, 1923 – December 11, 2007),
December 12, 2007 born Fred ...

, brother of band leader

Shep Fields Shep may refer to: People Given name *Shep Fields, American band leader *Shep Goodman, American music producer and songwriter *Shep Gordon, American talent manager, Hollywood film agent, and producer * Shep Mayer, Canadian ice hockey player *Shep ...

, from 1981 until his death from lung cancer in December 2007. Tsopei resides in Los Angeles, California, but pays frequent visits to Greece to visit relatives.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tsopei, Corinna 1944 births 20th-century Greek actresses Greek beauty pageant winners Greek female models Greek film actresses Living people Miss Universe 1964 contestants Miss Universe winners Actresses from Athens