Olympia Dukakis: Oscar Winner for Moonstruck Dies at 89

Olympia Dukakis was an American actress, best known for her Academy Award-winning performance as Rose Castorini in Moonstruck. Born on June 20, 1931, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Greek immigrant parents, she was the cousin of former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis.

Dukakis won an Obie Award in 1963 for her off-Broadway work in Man Equals Man. In 1988 she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe for Moonstruck. She received a Primetime Emmy nomination for More Tales of the City in 1998 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.

Dukakis was married to actor Louis Zorich from 1962 until his death in 2018, and they had three children. She earned a bachelor's degree in physical therapy and used it to treat polio patients, and as a girl she was a three-time New England fencing champion. She died at her home in Manhattan on May 1, 2021, at age 89, under hospice care. Remembered for her warmth and presence, she was a force on stage and screen.

Achievements: Won an Obie Award (1963), won the Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Moonstruck (1988), Emmy nominated for More Tales of the City (1998), star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2013).

Birth: June 20, 1931 - Lowell, Massachusetts.

Profession: Actress.

Interesting Facts: She was a three-time New England fencing champion as a girl. She trained as a physical therapist and treated polio patients.