Aliki Vougiouklaki

Aliki Stamatina Vougiouklaki (Greek: Αλίκη Σταματίνα Βουγιουκλάκη Greek pronunciation: [aˈlici stamaˈtina vuʝuˈklaci]; 20 July 1934 – 23 July 1996) was a Greek cinema and theater actress, singer and theatrical producer. She is one of the most popular actresses in Greece, and was given the title of the National Star of Greece. Theatrically, she mostly starred in renditions of widely known Broadway musicals 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. Aliki Vougiouklaki made her stage debut in a 1953 Athens production of Molière's Le Malade imaginaire. 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 for her performance in the movie Madalena. Biography Vougiouklaki was born in Marousi 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 (film director) and Antonis (an architect). 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, passed the exams, and started attending classes. She graduated three years later.