Olympia Dukakis, Star Of ‘Steel Magnolias’ And ‘Moonstruck’, Has Died At 89
Olympia Dukakis, the character actress who found fame overnight after putting in an Oscar-winning supporting turn inMoonstruck, has unfortunately given her final performance. The co-star ofSteel Magnoliasand three-time Emmy nominee has died at age 89.
The death of Olympia Dukakis was first announced onFacebook(viaYahoo News) by her brother Apollo Dukakis, who wrote, “y beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City. After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her Louis.” The passing of Dukakis was also confirmed toAssociated Pressby her agent Allison Levy.
The career of Olympia Dukakis on screen began in the 1960s with bit parts in shows likeThe Doctors and the NursesandDr. Kildare, but she soon jumped to the big screen with small roles in movies such as the shortTwice a ManandJohn and Mary. Her work in movies increased significantly throughout the 1970s with small roles in movies likeMade for Each Other,The Rehearsal, andDeath Wish, but she also returned to TV with a role in theGreat Performancesproduction ofThe SeagullandThe Doctors.
The 1980s saw Dukakis star in movies likeThe IdolmakerandWalls of Glass, TV shows such asSearch for TomorrowandThe Equalizer, and the TV movieOne of the Boys. But in 1987 came her big break with the Oscar-winning supporting performance inMoonstruckalongside Cher and Nicolas Cage. When she won the award, she declared 1988 as “the year of the Dukakii” because it was also the year Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, her cousin, was the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. But it’s safe to say that things went better for Olympia than Michael.
After her Oscar win, Dukakis could be spotted playing similar kind of mother-type characters inLook Who’s Talkingand the two sequels that followed, as well as the wealthy widow inSteel Magnolias. She also appeared inThe Cemetery Club,I Love Trouble,Mighty Aphrodite, andMr. Holland’s Opus. Dukakis also had an uncredited role as herself in the spoof sequelThe Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult.
Though Dukakis only earned one Oscar nomination and win, she was nominated for three Emmys in the 1990s, two supporting actress turns in the TV movieLucky Dayand the miniseriesJoan of Arc, and a lead actress nomination forMore Tales of the City, in which she reprised her miniseries role that she originated inTales of the Cityin 1993. She would play the same role again inFurther Tales of the Cityin 2001 and in the revivalTales of the Cityin 2019.
Other roles included TV moviesThe Pentagon WarsandThe Last of the Blonde Bombshells, as well as TV show appearances inTouched by an Angel,The Simpsons,Frasier,Bored to Death,Numb3rs, andLaw & Order: SVU. And Dukakis kept working in movies withThe Infiltrator,Change is in the Air,The Last Keepers, andA Little Game.
It appears we’ll see Dukakis' last performance as a judge in the upcoming movieNot to Forget. The actress was slated to appear in a movie calledYou Can Call Me Eveand and rumored to appear in a production calledThe Secret of the Gods, but the former was in pre-production and the latter had only been announced, so we likely won’t see her appearing in those films.
If you’d like to dig into the career of Olympia Dukakis, there’s an entire documentary about the actress and her surprising rise to fame.Learn more about it over here. Our thoughts go our to her family and friends during this difficult time.Rest in peace.
