Michalis Kakogiannis (; ; 11 June 1922 – 25 July 2011), usually credited as Michael Cacoyannis or Michael Yannis, was a Greek Cypriot filmmaker, theatre director, and playwright. He is best known for writing, directing, producing, and editing '' Zorba the Greek'' (1964), an adaptation of

Nikos Kazantzakis Nikos Kazantzakis (; ; 2 March (Old Style and New Style dates, OS 18 February) 188326 October 1957) was a Greeks, Greek writer, journalist, politician, poet and philosopher. Widely considered a giant of modern Greek literature, he was nominate ...

' novel of the same name. He also directed the 1983 Broadway revival of the musical based on the film in addition to writing, directing, designing, and translating dozens of stage play and opera productions. Cacoyannis was nominated for five

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

, more than any other any Cypriot: three of the nominations were for ''Zorba the Greek'' ( Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay) whilst the other two were Best Foreign Language Film nominations for ''

Electra Electra, also spelt Elektra (; ; ), is one of the most popular Greek mythology, mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, ''Electra (Sophocles play), Electra'' by Sophocles and ''Ele ...

'' (1962) and ''

Iphigenia In Greek mythology, Iphigenia (; , ) was a daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and thus a princess of Mycenae. In the story, Agamemnon offends the goddess Artemis on his way to the Trojan War by hunting and killing one of Artem ...

'' (1977). He received many other accolades, including the Technical Grand Prize and six

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

nominations at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

Early life

Cacoyannis was born Michalis Kakogiannis in on 11 June 1922 in

Limassol Limassol, also known as Lemesos, is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the Limassol district. Limassol is the second-largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population of 195,139 and a district population o ...

, which was then part of

British Cyprus British Cyprus (Modern Greek, Greek: Βρετανική Κύπρος; Turkish language, Turkish: ''Britanya Kıbrısı'') was the island of Cyprus under the dominion of the British Empire, administered sequentially from 1878 to 1914 as a British ...

. His father, Panayotis Loizou Cacoyannis, had been knighted in

King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

's 1936 Birthday Honours for public services in Cyprus. His sister, Stella Soulioti, became a politician.

Career

In 1939, Cacoyannis was sent to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

by his father to become a lawyer; however, after graduating from law school, he joined the

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

and soon took charge of its new Cyprus Service. His deputy there was Beba Clerides, sister of Glafkos Clerides, a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

fighter pilot who later became President of Cyprus. After producing Greek-language programmes for the World Service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

,Erickson, Hal (2006)
Allmovie Biography
/ref> he enjoyed a brief stage acting career under the name Michael Yannis at

The Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, nonprofit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. It was established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

before he began pursuing a filmmaking career. After having trouble finding a directing job in the British film industry, he moved to

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 ...

in 1952 to instead work in the Greek film industry, where he soon made his directorial debut with '' Windfall in Athens'' (1953). Cacoyannis' film ''

'' (1962) received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination Best Foreign Language Film. His most notable work came when he wrote, directed, produced, and edited the film '' Zorba the Greek'' (1964), an adaptation of

' novel of the same name, which earned him nominations for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. His film ''

'' (1977) also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, bringing his Academy Award nominations to a total of five, more than any other Cypriot. His other accolades included the Technical Grand Prize and six

nominations at the

. He was offered the chance to direct

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

and

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

in the film '' Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967), but he declined and the job went to American filmmaker

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

. Cacoyannis translated some of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's plays such as ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...

'', ''

Coriolanus ''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same ...

'', and ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' into Greek, and

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

' play ''

The Bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; , ''Bakkhai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. It premiered posthumou ...

'' into English. He directed the 1983 Broadway revival of the musical based on the film in addition to writing, directing, designing, and translating dozens of stage play and opera productions.

Personal life

From 1959 to 1967, Cacoyannis was in a relationship with Israeli politician and author Yael Dayan, with whom he lived in

Death

Cacoyannis died in

on 25 July 2011 at the age of 89.

Filmography

*'' Windfall in Athens'' (''Kyriakatiko xypnima'') (1954): director, screenwriter *'' Stella'' (1955): director, screenwriter, producer *'' A Girl in Black'' (''To koritsi me ta mavra'') (1956): director, screenwriter *'' A Matter of Dignity'' (''To telefteo psemma'') (1957): director, screenwriter, producer *'' Eroica'' (''Our Last Spring'') (1960): director, screenwriter, producer *'' The Wastrel'' (''Il Relitto'') (1961): director, screenwriter *''

'' (1962): director, screenwriter, producer *'' Zorba the Greek'' (''Alexis Zorbas'') (1964): director, screenwriter, producer *''

The Day the Fish Came Out ''The Day the Fish Came Out'' (Greece: Όταν τα ψάρια βγήκαν στη στεριά ''Ótan ta psária vgíkan sti steriá'') is a 1967 DeLuxe Color Greek–British comedy film directed and written by Michael Cacoyannis, who also ...

'' (''Otan ta psaria vgikan sti steria'') (1967): director, screenwriter, producer *''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' (, lit. "The Female Trojans") is a tragedy by the Ancient Greece, Greek playwright Euripides, produced in 415 BCE. Also translated as ''The Women of Troy,'' or as its transliterated Greek title ''Troades, The Trojan Women'' ...

'' (1971): director, screenwriter, producer *'' The Story of Jacob and Joseph'', director *'' Attilas '74'' (1975): director, producer *''

'' (1977): director, screenwriter *'' Sweet Country'' (''Glykeia patrida'') (1986): director, screenwriter, producer *''Up, Down and Sideways'' (''Pano kato ke plagios'') (1993): director, screenwriter, producer *''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

'' (1999): director, screenwriter, producer

Bibliography

* Cacoyiannis, Michael. ''Diladi''. Athens: Kastaniotis, 1990.

Awards and nominations

Cannes Film Festival *1954 : ''Golden Palm'' for "Windfall in Athens" – nominated *1955 : ''Golden Palm'' for "Stella" – nominated *1956 : ''Golden Palm'' for "A Girl in Black" – nominated *1957 : ''Golden Palm'' for "A Matter of Dignity" – nominated *1961 : ''Golden Palm'' for "The Wastrel" – nominated *1962 : ''Golden Palm'' for "Elektra" – nominated *1962 : ''Grand Jury Prize'' for "Elektra" – won *1962 : ''Technical Award'' for "Elektra" – won *1977 : ''Golden Palm'' for "Iphigenia" – nominated Berlin International Film Festival *

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

: ''

Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

'' for "Our Last Spring" – nominated *1963 : ''David O. Selznick Award'' for "Elektra" – won Academy Award (Oscar) *1963 : ''Best Foreign Language Film'' for "Elektra" – nominated *1964 : ''Best Picture'' for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated *1964 : ''Best Director'' for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated *1964 : ''Best Adapted Screenplay'' for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated *1977 : ''Best Foreign Language Film'' for "Iphigenia" – nominated Golden Globe *1956 : ''Best Foreign Language Film'' for "Stella" – won *1957 : ''Best Foreign Language Film'' for "A Girl in Black" – won *1965 : ''Best Director'' for "Zorba the Greek – nominated British Academy Award (BAFTA) *1966 : ''Best Film'' for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated *1966 : ''UN Award'' for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated New York Film Critics *1964 : ''Best Film'' for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated *1964 : ''Best Director'' for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated *1964 : ''Best Screenplay'' for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated David di Donatello Award *1964 : ''Special Plaque'' for "Zorba the Greek" – won Thessaloniki Film Festival *1960 : ''Special Contribution Award'' – won *1961 : ''Best Director'' for "Our Last Spring" – won *1962 : ''Best Film'' for "Elektra" – won *1962 : ''Best Director'' for "Elektra" – won *1977 : ''Best Film'' for "Iphigenia" – won *1999 : ''Union of Film and Television Technicians Award'' for "The Cherry Orchard" – won Moscow Film Festival *1956 : ''Silver Medal'' for "A Girl in Black" – Won Edinburgh Film Festival *1954 : ''Diploma of Merit'' for "Windfall in Athens" – won *1962 : ''Diploma of Merit'' for "Elektra" – won Montreal World Film Festival *1999 : ''Special Contribution Award'' – won Jerusalem Film Festival *1999 : ''Lifetime Achievement Award'' – won Cairo International Film Festival *2001 : ''Lifetime Achievement Award'' – won

References

External links.

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cacoyannis, Michael 1922 births 2011 deaths People from Limassol Greek Cypriots Greek film directors Cypriot film directors Cypriot screenwriters Cypriot film producers Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Members of Gray's Inn Cypriot emigrants to England Cypriot emigrants to Greece Translators of William Shakespeare Translators of Ancient Greek texts Greek–English translators Cypriot theatre people