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Marika Kotopouli | |
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| Born | 3 May 1887 Athens, Greece |
| Died | 11 September 1954 (aged 67) Athens, Greece |
| Occupation | Actress |
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Marika Kotopouli (Greek:Μαρίκα Κοτοπούλη[kotoˈpuli]; 3 May 1887 – 11 September 1954) was aGreek stage actress during the first half of the 20th century.
Kotopouli was born on 3 May 1887 inAthens 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 theRoyal Theatre in 1903, before going toParis 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. The two had very devoted fans, and during theNational Schism, their rivalry acquired political overtones also: whilst Cybele was favoured by theVenizelists, Kotopouli became a symbol of the royalist camp. In 1912 Kotopouli also had a personal love relationship withIon Dragoumis, who became a major opponent of the Venizelists and was eventually assassinated.[citation needed] Kotopouli and Cybele collaborated in joint productions from 1932–1934 and again from 1950-52.[citation needed]
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 theUnited States. In 1933, she played in her only movie, the Greek-Turkish productionBad Road, based on a novel byGrigorios Xenopoulos. A new theatre, theRex, was built specifically for her troupe inPanepistimiou Street in central Athens in 1936. It still stands, as theRex/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 fromAeschylus toGoethe andIbsen.[citation needed]
Her final appearance was inSyros on 24 March 1953. Kotopouli died on 11 September 1954, aged 67, in her native Athens, from undisclosed causes.[1] She received a state funeral.[2]
