Irene Papas, 96, passes away

Veteran Greek actress Irene Papas passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 96, following a long battle with Alzheimer’s.

Papas recorded a long and distinguished career, mostly in film, both in Europe and Hollywood, where, among others, she appeared in Michael Cacoyannis’ landmark “Zorba the Greek” and WWII classic “The Guns of Navarone.”

Papas, a native of the Corinth area of southern Greece, later played leading roles in subsequent well-received films, such Costa Gavras’ Z (1969), followed by a lead role as Catherine of Aragon in “Anne of the Thousand Days” (1969), opposite Richard Burton.

In 1982 she was reunited with Anthony Quinn in “Lion of the Desert”, while her last “big screen” appearance was in the 2001 film “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”.

Papas was praised in the press as exemplifying “Mediterranean” beauty in the 1950s and 1960s, as she also appeared in many films with a theme based rooted in ancient Greece.