Elena Nathanael (

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 ...

: Έλενα Ναθαναήλ, January 19, 1947 – March 4, 2008) was a Greek film actress.

Biography

Early life

Elena Nathanael was born Eleni Delivassili-Nathanael, in

Nea Filadelfeia Nea Filadelfeia (, meaning ''New Philadelphia'') is a suburban town in the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it has been part of Nea Filadelfeia-Nea Chalkidona municipality of Central Athens regional unit, o ...

, a town near

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 ...

, to a well-off family. ''Delivassili'' was her father's surname and ''Nathanael'' was her mother's one, but she had kept both of them, although she was credited and became famous as Nathanael. Her father was a textile designer and manufacturer, an

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from Aivali, while her mother was a

Maniot The Maniots () or Maniates () are an ethnic Greeks, Greek subgroup that traditionally inhabit the Mani Peninsula; located in western Laconia and eastern Messenia, in the southern Peloponnese, Greece. They were also formerly known as Mainotes, an ...

. She studied

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

at the Pelos Katselis Drama School.

Career

Her impressively good looks got her noticed in the 1960s by producers and directors of the then-flourishing Greek cinema. She first appeared at the cinema, in the movie in 1964, directed by Giannis Dalianidis. Her second screen role was in 1965, in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

movie '' The Blood of the Walsungs'', directed by

Rolf Thiele Rolf Thiele (7 March 1918 – 9 October 1994) was a German film director, film producer, producer and screenwriter. He directed 42 films between 1951 and 1977. He was born in Ústí nad Labem, Prödlitz, then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. ...

and based on a

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...

novel. A few more parts followed in Greek movies of the late sixties and in most of her roles she was featured as a spoilt rich girl. In 1968 she got the "Best Actress Award" in the

International Thessaloniki 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 international ...

for her role in the movie . In the early 1970s she established her screen persona as a free-spirited, beautiful young woman and became a fashion icon. The abrupt decline of the Greek commercial cinema during that decade had an unpleasant impact on her career which was something usual for the Greek film stars of the period. After a seven-year absence she made a comeback with a number of straight-to-video movies, usually light comedies. After that she faded away and she made only some special appearances. One of her roles worthy of her beauty and acting abilities was that of "Julia" in the hugely successful

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

, , in 1998. Her last appearance was the role of "Maya Hoover" in the popular

TV series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

aired on

Mega Channel MEGA Channel, also known as MEGA TV or just MEGA, is a television network in Greece, that broadcasts a mix of foreign and Greek programming. It is the first and the oldest private television network in Greece. History Mega Channel (1989–2018 ...

, ''Gorgones'', in 2007, and her return was warmly received by the audience .

Personal life

Elena Nathanael had a relationship with Giorgos Tsagkaris, with whom gave birth to her daughter named Inka, in 1973. After her retirement, she had been living for several years at her farm in

Euboea Euboea ( ; , ), also known by its modern spelling Evia ( ; , ), is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete, and the sixth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by ...

, with her life partner

Tasos Mitropoulos Anastasios "Tasos" Mitropoulos (, born 23 August 1957) is a Greek politician and former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was given the nickname "Rambo" by Olympiacos fans. Club career Mitropoulos was born in Volos, and sta ...

, a veteran

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

, where she had taken up wine production. She died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

on March 4, 2008, and the Greek press referred to her as the "Enchantress of the Greek cinema" (). Her funeral took place on March 5, in the cemetery of Nea Filadelfeia, where a lot of people took leave of her.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nathanael, Elena 1947 births 2008 deaths Greek film actresses Greek stage actresses Actresses from Athens Deaths from lung cancer in Greece