Moonstruck and Steel Magnolias Star Olympia Dukakis Dead at 89
Olympia Dukakis, the Oscar-winning actor known for Moonstruck and Steel Magnolias has passed away [...]
Olympia Dukakis, the Oscar-winning actor known for Moonstruck and Steel Magnolias has passed away at age 89. Dukakis' brother, Apollo Dukakis, took to Facebook to announce the death of his sister. "My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City. After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her Louis," he wrote.
Dukakis was borning in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1931 and received a BA in Physical Therapy from Boston University. She later returned to the school to receive her Master of Fine Arts. The actor married Louis Zorich in 1962 and they were together until his death in 2018.
Dukakis began her acting career on the stage and started to appear onscreen in the 1960s in various television shows. However, it wasn't until she was 56-years-old that she became a household name for playing Rose Castorini in Norman Jewison's Moonstruck. The role won Dukakis her first and only Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1988. The star went on to appear in many major films, including Working Girl and Look Who's Talking, but many fans will probably know her best as Clairee Belcher from Steel Magnolias (1989).
Dukakis has over 120 acting credits to her name, and she was last seen in Tales of the City (2019) where she reprised her role as Anna Madrigal from the 1993 mini-series of the same name. It appears she had already completed production on Valerio Zanoli's upcoming movie, Not To Forget, which is also set to feature the late Cloris Leachman. In addition to her Oscar, Dukakis won a Golden Globe for her role in Moonstruck and received another nomination in 1993 for portraying Dolly Sinatra in Sinatra. She was also nominated for three Emmys, two BAFTAs, and one SAG Award throughout her career. In 2003, Dukakis wrote an autobiography titled Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress, which was a national bestseller.
You can view Apollo Dukakis' Facebook post below:
My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City. After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her Louis.
Posted by Apollo Dukakis on Saturday, May 1, 2021
In 2018, a documentary titled Olympia was released and followed the life of the star. The film currently has an 83% critics score and 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and is available to rent or buy on various platforms.
Dukakis is survived by her daughter, Christina Zorich, and sons Peter and Stefan Zorich. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this time.