Melina Mercouri

Christened "the last Greek goddess" by her many fans, Melina Mercouri was best known as an actress and cultural activist, but was also a talented singer who recorded successfully in multiple languages. The granddaughter of the former mayor of Athens, and the daughter of a Parliament member, she was born Anna Amalia Mercouri (sometimes spelled Merkouri) in Athens, Greece on October 18, 1923 (though some sources list that year anywhere from 1920 to 1925). She started acting in her teens, and eventually joined Greece's National Theater, where she found tremendous acclaim as a sta...