And who hasn’t fallen in love with the beautiful Greek Penelope. With that carved Mediterranean face that, out of loyalty to her love, wove and unwound fabrics for 20 years in a row. Because that’s what love is. She survived the years with her strength. And if Greek literature has brought us images of women like Helen who caused a war for love, the story of Penelope has fascinated us with her loyalty.
Played by one of the most famous Greek artists, a legend named Irene Papas, this role is engraved in world history.
This beautiful, strong female figure, with those deep eyes that show human suffering and beauty, is deeply engraved in the memory of every person who learned the morality of life through cinema. Who learned the greatness and purity of love in an epochal film such as Odysseus.
And a role played with greatness remains for a lifetime and becomes a myth. Irene Papas is one of them.
Her latest statements, of this great and unique diva of cinema who with her career became a world legend, really impress. “I cannot leave this world without telling the truth that I am Albanian”, declared the diva of cinema. Her real name is Irene Leleku and that her father’s origin was Albanian. “My mother was from Epirus and my father from Albania. He was a literature teacher and hated priests”, declared the diva in her biography in IDM.
A statement that has truly shocked all of Greece because she is one of the greatest heroines of Greek cinema, an idol of this nation, but which further confirms the belief that Albanians in Greece are truly an important factor and have contributed to all areas of life. The fact that she is Arvanite is also confirmed by important historians in the field.
Irene Papas managed to achieve a brilliant career. She was born on September 3, 1926 and starred in 70 films in a career that spanned more than five decades.
Her biography states that her childhood name is Irene Leleku and she was born in Corinth, Greece, and her father was a classical drama teacher.
With an unparalleled beauty, with her portrait carved like a natural diva, she would catch the eye of Elia Kazan, immediately achieving fame in Greece and would then be chosen as the protagonist in the films “The Guns of Navarone” (1961) and “Zorba the Greek” (1964), but also in the great films that were written on famous Greek stories. Thus, she would play in the films “Helen The Women of Troy” (1971) alongside the renowned actress Katharine Hepburn, Clytemnestra in Iphigenia (1977), and the parts “Eponymous in Antigone” (1961) and “Electra” (1962). Papas also appeared as Catherine of Aragon in the film “Anne of the Thousand Days”, opposite Richard Burton and Geneviève Bujold.
In 1976, she starred in the film “Mohammad, Messenger of God” (known as The Message) about the origins of Islam and the message of Muhammad.
Since beginning her career as a singer in 1978, Papas has collaborated with composer Vangelis on an electronic interpretation of eight Greek folk songs, released as a record called “Odes.” They collaborated once again in 1986 on “Rhapsodies,” an electronic interpretation of seven Byzantine liturgical hymns.
In 1982, she appeared in the film “The Lion of the Desert”, alongside the great actor Anthony Quinn. But her biggest and most famous role remains that of “Ulysses” where she played alongside the famous Albanian actor Bekim Fehmiu.
Despite her long career and the great fame she gained throughout the world, Irene never won the coveted Oscar, which she expresses disappointment about.
It is said that her beliefs were communist and she was a member of the Greek Communist Party and a close friend of Prime Minister Papandreou.
Irene will be remembered in Greek history not only for her iconic roles in Greek and world cinema, but above all for her interpretations of Greek music, the most famous of which is “Zorba”.
Regarding her private life, it is said that she was the wife of Alkisa Papas and currently lives in Italy. The actress has also been rumored for her love affair with the great actor Marlon Brando.
(The materials were referenced from data published by Beqir Sina, New York)
