HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Aliki Stamatina Vougiouklaki (
Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...
: Αλίκη Σταματίνα Βουγιουκλάκη Greek pronunciation: ˈlici stamaˈtina vuʝuˈklaci 20 July 1934 – 23 July 1996) was a
Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...
cinema and theater
actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
,
singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...
and theatrical producer. She is one of the most popular actresses in
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, and was often referred to as "the National Star of Greece". Theatrically, she mostly starred in renditions of widely known
Broadway musicals Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), many of the extant or closed Broadway venues use or used the spelling ''Theatr ...
as well as multiple Greek tragedy plays. Vougiouklaki died in 1996 at the age of 62, just three months after being diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...
. Aliki Vougiouklaki made her stage debut in a 1953
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
production of Molière's ''
Le Malade imaginaire ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' ( French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act ''comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes ( H.495, H ...
''. Around the same time, she made her movie debut in ''The Little Mouse'' (1954). She then appeared in over 41 films, one of which, apart from the original Greek, also had a Turkish version but was never officially released in Turkey because of political issues between the two neighboring countries. The majority of her movies met with great success and in 1960 she won the award for Best Actress at the
Thessaloniki International Film Festival The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) is a film festival held every November in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is organized by the Thessaloniki Film Festival under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture. It features internationa ...
for her performance in the movie '' Madalena''.


Biography

Vougiouklaki was born in
Marousi Marousi or Maroussi (), also known as Amarousio (), is a city and a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens#Athens Urban Area, Athens urban area, Greece. Marousi dates back to the era of the History of Athens, ancient Athenian Republic; its ...
to Emmy Koumoundourou and Ioannis Vougiouklakis, who was the provincial governor of Arcadia in the Peloponnese during the war and was executed by the resistance organisation ELAS as a collaborator. She had two brothers,
Takis Vougiouklakis Panagiotis "Takis" Vougiouklakis (; 6 March 1939 – 8 April 2021) was a Greece, Greek director and producer. Biography Vougiouklakis was born in Athens and is the relative of the former prefectural leader of Arcadia (regional unit), Arcadia, j ...
(
film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...
) and Antonis (an
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
). As a student, she participated in school plays, which eventually led her to an acting career. In 1952, she secretly auditioned for
National Theatre of Greece The National Theatre of Greece () is based in Athens, Greece. History The first permanent theatre in modern Greece had been the Boukoura Theatre from 1840, but it had difficulty in managing its operation and stood empty for long periods of tim ...
, passed the exams, and started attending classes. She graduated three years later.


Career

Her first theatrical role was in ''
The Imaginary Invalid ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' ( French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act ''comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes ( H.495, H ...
'',
Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...
, in 1953, while her first movie, The Little Mouse, was in 1954. She appeared in 42 movies, mostly
musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
, television programs, and theatrical productions. She co-starred with Dimitris Papamichail in most of the movies and in a number of theatrical plays. She received the prize for lead woman's role at the inaugural Greek Cinema Festival in
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
in 1960 for her starring role in Madalena while the movie
Ipolochagos Natassa ''Ipolochagos Natassa'' (Greek: ''Υπολοχαγός Νατάσσα'', ''Lieutenant Natasha'', also known outside Greece as ''Battlefield Constantinople'') is a 1970 Greek film. It starred Aliki Vougiouklaki as Natassa, Dimitris Papamichael as O ...
(1970) was the biggest box office success in Greek Cinema. In 1961 she established her own theatre company and presented successful theatrical plays. In 1962 she was contracted to star in
Finos Films Finos Film (Greek: Φίνος Φιλμ) is a Greek film production and distribution company that dominated the Greek film industry from 1943 to 1977. It was founded by Filopimin Finos in 1942 during World War II. It was the biggest film productio ...
' English language film '' Aliki, My love'' (also known as ''Aliki''). It premiered in London and New York in June 1963, and in Athens in 1964. However, it didn't receive the expected success. This failure to make it internationally was the reason she never again attempted an "international movie star" career. She was popularly known in the press as the National Star of Greece—a term first coined by journalist Eleni Vlahou in 1959. Her last movie was "Nelly, The Spy" (Κατάσκοπος Νέλλη), in 1981. The decline of Greek Cinema prompted her to concentrate on her theatrical career, producing 53 plays. In 1975 she brought to the stage large scale musicals, which changed the usual Greek style of theatrical musical. In 2008, her son published a biography of Vougiouklaki, ''Eho Ena Mistiko'' (''I Have A Secret''), the title of a song she sang in ''
Maiden's Cheek Maiden's Cheek () is a 1959 Greek comedy film directed by Alekos Sakellarios, literally translated as "The beating came from paradise". Cast * Aliki Vougiouklaki - ''Liza Papastavrou'' * Dimitris Papamichael - ''Panos Floras'' * Christos Tsag ...
''. That same year, a television series based on the book aired on the
Alpha TV Alpha TV is a Greece, Greek free-to-air channel, one of the biggest stations in Greece. The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on information. The studios are located in Kifissia and Pallini. Alpha TV is owned by A ...
channel.


Personal life

Vougiouklaki married her co-student in National Theater and co-player, Dimitris Papamichail, on 18 January 1965. On 4 June 1969 she gave birth to their son, Yiannis Papamichail. The couple got divorced in 1975 due to "Irreconcilable Differences". In 1992, in an interview with
Nikos Hadjinikolaou Nikos Chatzinikolaou () also spelled as Hatzinikolaou, Hatzinicolaou,Chatzinikolaou or Hadjinikolaou (born 1962 in Alexandroupoli) is a Greek journalist and media entrepreneur. Biography Chatzinikolaou studied at Panteion University without r ...
, Vougiouklaki revealed that she secretly married Giorgos Iliadis, a
Greek Cypriot Greek Cypriots (, ) are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2023 census, 719,252 respondents recorded their ethnicity as Greek, forming almost 99% of the 737,196 Cypri ...
businessman, on 25 January 1982 in Athens. They had met in 1976. The couple divorced only a couple of months later, for personal reasons cited by Iliadis, which Vougiouklaki respected.


Death

In April 1996, while on tour in Thessaloniki performing the
Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...
version of ''
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...
'' play, Vougiouklaki had severe stomachaches which she believed were caused by the antibiotics she was taking due to a case of bronchitis which had been bothering her. After performing tests at the Express Service, a medical diagnostic centre in
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
, she was diagnosed with
hepatoma Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer in adults and is currently the most common cause of death in people with cirrhosis. HCC is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. HCC most common ...
, a malignant tumour in her
liver The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...
. Not having realised the gravity of the situation, she continued performing for another week before the tour was finally cancelled, with her last performance onstage on 28 April. In Athens, a group of three doctors discovered that the actress had
pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...
. On 7 May she travelled to
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, where she underwent a series of additional tests. On 10 May Vougiouklaki returned to Greece. On 15 May she traveled to
Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...
in the U.S. in a final effort to be cured. On 19 May she returned permanently to Athens and finally, on 22 May, entered the Athens Medical Centre. On 14 July she fell into hepatic coma and had no communication with those around her. After two months in hospital, she died on 23 July 1996, three days after her 62nd birthday, in Athens Medical Centre. Her funeral was held in Athens Cathedral on 25 July 1996 and she was buried in the
First Cemetery of Athens The First Cemetery of Athens (, ''Próto Nekrotafeío Athinón'') is the official cemetery of the City of Athens and the first to be built. It opened in 1837 and soon became a prestigious cemetery for Greeks and foreigners. The cemetery is lo ...
.


Trivia

*The film ''I Aliki Sto Nautiko'' (1961) was filmed aboard the active Greek naval vessel ''Aetos'' D01, which previously saw action during World War 2 with the United States Navy as USS ''Slater'' DE-766. ''Slater'' now operates as a museum ship in
Albany, NY Albany ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldest city in New York, and the county seat of and most popu ...
. * ''Chtipokardia sto thranio'' (1963) was shot simultaneously in Greek and Turkish, with two different crews. Vougiouklaki starred in both versions, with her voice being dubbed in the Turkish version, ''Siralardaki heyecanlar''. * The film, ''
Ipolochagos Natassa ''Ipolochagos Natassa'' (Greek: ''Υπολοχαγός Νατάσσα'', ''Lieutenant Natasha'', also known outside Greece as ''Battlefield Constantinople'') is a 1970 Greek film. It starred Aliki Vougiouklaki as Natassa, Dimitris Papamichael as O ...
'' (1970) sold 751,000 tickets in Athens, which made it the most successful film in Greece, a record held for almost three decades before being broken by
Safe Sex Safe sex is sexual activity using methods or contraceptive devices (such as condoms) to reduce the risk of transmitting or acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. "Safe sex" is also sometimes referred to as safer ...
. * She worked with writer
Willy Russell William Russell (born 23 August 1946) is an English dramatist, lyricist and composer. His best known works are '' Educating Rita'', '' Shirley Valentine'', '' Blood Brothers'' and '' Our Day Out''. Early life Russell was born in Whiston, Lanc ...
when she performed in '' Shirley Valentine'' onstage in 1989. * Scottish writer
Ali Smith Ali Smith CBE FRSL (born 24 August 1962) is a Scottish author, playwright, academic and journalist. Sebastian Barry described her in 2016 as "Scotland's Nobel laureate-in-waiting". Early life and education Smith was born in Inverness on 24 A ...
used a portrait of Vougiouklaki (from the picture Klotsoskoufi by Dinos Dimopoulos, 1960) in her book ''Artful'' about four lectures given at
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
by the writer.


Filmography


Cinema


Television


References


External links

*
Aliki Vougiouklaki profile
Cine.gr {{DEFAULTSORT:Vougiouklaki, Aliki 1934 births 1996 deaths Actresses from Athens 20th-century Greek women singers Greek stage actresses Greek film actresses Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Greece Burials at the First Cemetery of Athens 20th-century Greek actresses