Introduction

Melina Mercouri  (Greece, 1920 – 1994) was an Academy Award-nominated Greek actress, singer, and political activist. She was a member of the Hellenic Parliament, and in 1981 she became the first female Minister for Culture in Greece.  Her most famous film is Topkapi directed by an American film director Jules Dassin in 1964.

When she was asked who she would like to be if she was not Melina Mercouri, she answered that she wanted to be either Greta Garbo or Dolores Ibárruri. Mercouri was a huge Garbo fan and said that Garbo was the reason why she wanted to be an actress.

Melina Mercouri

Melina and Garbo!