Katina Paxinou facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katina Paxinou
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| Κατίνα Παξινού | |
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| Born |
Ekaterini Konstantopoulou
17 December 1900 |
| Died | 22 February 1973 (aged 72) Athens, Greece
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| Resting place | First Cemetery of Athens |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1928–1970 |
| Spouse(s) |
Ioannis Paxinos
(m. 1917; div. 1923) |
| Children | 2 |
Katina Paxinou (Greek: Κατίνα Παξινού; born Ekaterini Konstantopoulou; December 17, 1900 – February 22, 1973) was a famous Greek actress. She was known for her powerful performances on both stage and in movies.
Katina Paxinou started her acting career in Greece in 1928. She was one of the people who helped create the National Theatre of Greece in 1932. When World War II began, she was in the United Kingdom. She then moved to the United States. There, she made her first movie, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). For this role, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (an Oscar!) and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture. She acted in a few more Hollywood films before returning to Greece in the early 1950s. She also became a citizen of the United States in 1951. After that, she focused on her stage career and appeared in several European movies, like Rocco and His Brothers (1960).
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Her Early Life and Training
Katina Paxinou was born Ekaterini Konstantopoulou in 1900. Her parents were Vassilis Konstantopoulos and Eleni Malandrinou. She first trained to be an opera singer. She studied music in Geneva, Switzerland, and later in Berlin and Vienna.
According to a biography from 1942, her family was not happy when she decided to become a full-time actress. They even disowned her for choosing a career on stage.
Becoming a Famous Actress
Katina Paxinou made her first stage appearance in 1920. It was at the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus in an opera called Sister Beatrice. In 1931, she joined an acting group with Alexis Minotis, who later became her husband. She helped bring the first play by American writer Eugene O'Neill, Desire Under the Elms, to the Greek stage. She also acted in famous plays like Uncle Vanya and The Father.
In 1932, Katina Paxinou was one of the actors who helped open the new National Theatre of Greece. She worked there until 1940. During her time at the National Theatre, she became a very important actress in Greece. She starred in major plays such as Electra, Ghosts, and Hamlet. Some of these plays were also performed in big cities like London, Frankfurt, and Berlin.
Her Hollywood Success
When World War II started, Katina Paxinou was performing in London. She could not go back to Greece. So, in May 1941, she moved to the United States. She had actually performed there before, in 1931.
In the U.S., she was chosen for a big role in the movie For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). She played the character Pilar. For this role, she won an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture. These are two of the highest awards in the movie industry!
After this success, she made a British film called Uncle Silas (1947). She also worked in Italy for a movie studio, playing a mother in Prince of Foxes (1949). Katina Paxinou only worked for a Hollywood studio one more time after that. She played a gypsy woman in the movie The Miracle (1959).
Returning to the Stage
In 1950, Katina Paxinou went back to acting on stage. In Greece, she and her husband, Alexis Minotis, started the Royal Theatre of Athens. He was also her main director.
Katina Paxinou also performed on Broadway in New York City and on television. She played the main role in Hedda Gabler in New York in 1942. She also starred in the first English version of a play called The House of Bernarda Alba in 1951. She even appeared in a BBC television show called Blood Wedding in 1959.
Her Later Years and Legacy
Katina Paxinou sadly passed away in Athens on February 22, 1973. She was 72 years old and had been battling cancer for a long time. Her husband, Alexis Minotis, and her daughter from her first marriage survived her. She is buried at the First Cemetery of Athens.
The Paxinou-Minotis Museum
Today, there is a special place in Athens called the Paxinou-Minotis Museum. This museum has many items that belonged to Katina Paxinou. These include furniture, paintings, photos, books, and personal belongings. Her husband, Alexis Minotis, donated these items. The museum also has his personal library and theater records. It helps people remember the amazing lives and careers of both Katina Paxinou and Alexis Minotis.
Selected Filmography
Katina Paxinou starred in many films. Here are some of her most well-known movie roles:
- 1943: For Whom the Bell Tolls – She played Pilar and won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for this role.
- 1947: Uncle Silas – She played Madame de la Rougierre.
- 1949: Prince of Foxes – She played Mona Constanza Zoppo.
- 1959: The Miracle – She played La Roca.
- 1960: Rocco e i suoi Fratelli – She played Rosaria Parondi.
See also
In Spanish: Katina Paxinou para niños
