Summary:
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'''Melina Mercouri''' (born as '''Maria Amalia Mercouri''' (18 October 1920 - 6 March 1994) was a [[Greece|Greek]] actress, singer and [[politician]].
As an actress she made her film debut in ''[[Stella (1955 film)|Stella]]'' (1955) and met international success with her performances in ''[[Never on Sunday]]'', ''[[Phaedra (film)|Phaedra]]'', ''[[Topkapi (film)|Topkapi]]'' and ''[[Promise at Dawn]]''. She won the award for [[Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Actress]] at the [[1960 Cannes Film Festival]], and she was also nominated for an Academy Award, three [[Golden Globe Award]]s, and two [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA Awards]].
A political [[Activism|activist]] during the [[Greek military junta of 1967–1974]], she became a member of the [[Hellenic Parliament]] in 1977 and the first female [[Minister for Culture (Greece)|Minister for Culture of Greece]] in 1981. Mercouri was the person who, in 1983, conceived and proposed the programme of the [[European Capital of Culture]], which has been established by the [[European Union]] since 1985.
She was a strong advocate for the return to [[Athens]] of the [[Elgin Marbles|Parthenon Marbles]], which were removed from the [[Parthenon]], and are now displayed in the [[British Museum]].
{{GFDL}}
'''Melina Mercouri''' (born as '''Maria Amalia Mercouri''' (18 October 1920 - 6 March 1994) was a [[Greece|Greek]] actress, singer and [[politician]].
As an actress she made her film debut in ''[[Stella (1955 film)|Stella]]'' (1955) and met international success with her performances in ''[[Never on Sunday]]'', ''[[Phaedra (film)|Phaedra]]'', ''[[Topkapi (film)|Topkapi]]'' and ''[[Promise at Dawn]]''. She won the award for [[Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Actress]] at the [[1960 Cannes Film Festival]], and she was also nominated for an Academy Award, three [[Golden Globe Award]]s, and two [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA Awards]].
A political [[Activism|activist]] during the [[Greek military junta of 1967–1974]], she became a member of the [[Hellenic Parliament]] in 1977 and the first female [[Minister for Culture (Greece)|Minister for Culture of Greece]] in 1981. Mercouri was the person who, in 1983, conceived and proposed the programme of the [[European Capital of Culture]], which has been established by the [[European Union]] since 1985.
She was a strong advocate for the return to [[Athens]] of the [[Elgin Marbles|Parthenon Marbles]], which were removed from the [[Parthenon]], and are now displayed in the [[British Museum]].
{{GFDL}}