Marika Kotopouli ( el, Μαρίκα Κοτοπούλη; 3 May 1887 – 11 September 1954) was a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
stage actress during the first half of the 20th century.
Biography
Kotopouli was born on 3 May 1887 in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
to actor parents, Dimitrios Kotopoulis and his wife, Eleni. Marika's first stage appearance came during one of their tours, in the play "The Coachman of the Alps". She made her official debut in the
Royal Theatre in 1903, before going to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in 1906 for theatrical studies. From 1908, she had her own troupe, and theatre, the "Kotopouli Theatre". In this period she developed an intense artistic rivalry with another young actress,
Cybele
Cybele ( ; Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya/Kubeleya'' "Kubileya/Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian ''Kuvava''; el, Κυβέλη ''Kybele'', ''Kybebe'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother goddess; she may have a possible forer ...
. The two had very devoted fans, and during the
National Schism
The National Schism ( el, Εθνικός Διχασμός, Ethnikós Dichasmós), also sometimes called The Great Division, was a series of disagreements between Constantine I of Greece, King Constantine I and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizel ...
, their rivalry acquired political overtones also: whilst Cybele was favoured by the
Venizelists, Kotopouli became a symbol of the royalist camp. In 1912 Kotopouli also had a personal love relationship with
Ion Dragoumis
Ion Dragoumis (; 14 September 1878 – 31 July 1920) was a Greek diplomat, philosopher, writer and revolutionary.
Biography
Born in Athens, Dragoumis was the son of Stephanos Dragoumis who was foreign minister under Charilaos Trikoupis. The ...
, who became a major opponent of the Venizelists and was eventually assassinated. Kotopouli and Cybele collaborated in joint productions from 1932–1934 and again from 1950-52.
She married Georgios Chelmis in 1923. Later, with Spyros Melas and Dimitris Myrat, she co-founded and participated in the "Free Scene" (Ελεύθερη Σκηνή, June 1929 to spring 1930), before embarking on a tour of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. In 1933, she played in her only movie, the Greek-Turkish production ''
Bad Road'', based on a novel by
Grigorios Xenopoulos
Gregorios Xenopoulos ( el, Γρηγόριος Ξενόπουλος; December 9, 1867 – 14 January 1951) was a novelist, journalist and playwright from Zakynthos. He was lead editor in the magazine ''The Education of Children'' (Η Διάπλασ ...
. A new theatre, the ''Rex'', was built specifically for her troupe in
Panepistimiou Street
Panepistimiou Street ( el, Οδός Πανεπιστημίου, "University Street", named after the University of Athens, the central building of which is on the upper corner) is a major street in Athens that has run one way for non-transit v ...
in central Athens in 1936. It still stands, as the ''Rex/Kotopouli'' theatre, and functions as a branch of the National Theatre of Greece. Her repertoire included many classic plays, both ancient Greek and modern ones, ranging from
Aeschylus
Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek ...
to
Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...
and
Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...
.
Death
Her final appearance was in
Syros
Syros ( el, Σύρος ), also known as Siros or Syra, is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is south-east of Athens. The area of the island is and it has 21,507 inhabitants (2011 census).
The largest towns are Ermoupoli, A ...
on 24 March 1953. Kotopouli died on 11 September 1954, aged 67, in her native Athens, from undisclosed causes. She received a state funeral.
Honours/legacy
* Gold Cross of the
Order of George I
The Royal Order of George I ( el, Βασιλικόν Τάγμα Γεωργίου Α') is a Greek order instituted by King Constantine I in 1915. Since the monarchy's abolition in 1973, it has been considered a dynastic order of the former Greek r ...
in 1921 (with the Education Ministry's Arts and Letters Prize in 1923)
* Marika Kotopouli Award (founded in 1951 to honour Greek actors)
* Her home in
Zografou
Zografou ( el, Ζωγράφου) is a suburb of approximately 71,000 in the eastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. It was named after the Greek politician Ioannis Zografos. To the east of Zografou lies mount Hymettus. The area, being ...
was converted into the
Marika Kotopouli Museum
The Marika Kotopouli Museum is a modern art museum in Zografou, Athens, Greece. The building housing the museum was built by the famous Greek theater actress Marika Kotopouli
Marika Kotopouli ( el, Μαρίκα Κοτοπούλη; 3 May 1887 ...
, which opened in 1990 and features exhibitions of modern art.
Marika Kotopouli Museum infosite
odysseus.culture.gr; accessed 31 March 2015.
References
*''This article incorporate
text
from LivePedia.gr; licensed under the GFDL
The GNU Free Documentation License (GNU FDL or simply GFDL) is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the r ...
''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotopouli, Marika
1887 births
1954 deaths
Actresses from Athens
Theatre in Greece
Greek stage actresses
Gold crosses of the Order of George I
Burials at the First Cemetery of Athens