OR Mary Chronopoulou, she could play a femme fatale, with particular persuasiveness, if she were American, but even in Greek cinema, she managed to be one of the few protagonists who successfully interpreted dynamic women – often fatal ones. She managed to fascinate without possessing the distinctive beauty or attractive curves, which is to her credit, in a space where views of attractive female leads were one-dimensional and even cheesy.
But she possessed the finesse, the necessary temperament and of course the acting talent, which she worked, even more in her maturity, not to end up with the laurels of an outdated cinema, as was the old commercial cinema.
She was the actress, who excelled as a dame, next to almost all the important and beautiful protagonists of Greek cinema, the femme fatale, in complex roles, but even in the demanding comedy, which was dominated by the great post-war generation of her male colleagues.
A week ago it was one year since her death and while the keyboards are still “hot”, the publications and speculations about the way she lost her life and other legal matters. However, there is also her contribution to the field of entertainment, her artistic value and the brave life attitude she kept until the end. The “mermaid” of Greek cinema, lived a life full of triumphs, good and bad moments, knew love through the good and the bad, while her difficult oppressive childhood years did not prevent her from reaching high, experiencing apotheosis, although in the end he had to struggle with disability after a car accident.
The oppressive mother and the ad of Rondiris
Vera Athenaia, Chronopoulou will be born in Kolonaki, on July 16, 1933, growing up in a house full of women and her oppressive mother, as her father abandoned them when she was only 8 years old. Suffocatingly limited by her strict and domineering mother, but also by her German nanny, she will not be able to follow her dream, which was to become a ballerina. He will, however, find the opportunity to enter the theater when he discovers an ad by Dimitris Rodiris, who was looking for tall girls for the dance of the ancient tragedies. This small ad will lead her to the National Drama School, while at the same time she participated in performances alongside Katina Paxinos and Alexis Minotis.
A special talent
In 1953, she will make her debut in the cinema, playing a roller in the musical comedy of Dino Dimopoulos “Happy Awakening”, while at the urging of Despos Diamantidou, she will go out to the free theater, initially with works by Sakellariou – Giannakopoulos, after she had previously obtained permission practice, going through a committee to get her diploma as a special talent.
The “brother” of Kourkoulos
In 1958, he will participate in Michalis Kakogiannis’s excellent drama “The Last Lie”, with Elli Lampeti, while in the 60s he will rise quickly and become the star of Finos Film, playing alongside all the zen premieres of the time, most notably Nikos Kourkoulos, with whom they met at the school of Ethnikos and who stood as a father and as a brother to her, something she lacked in her life.
Red Lights
In 1963, she will make her first dynamic appearance as a co-star in “Red Lights” by Vassilis Georgiadis, a film that will reach nominations for the foreign language Oscar, while in the same year she will star alongside Dimitris Papamichael in the comedy “The Lazy Dog”. and in 1965 in the interesting social drama of Dinos Katsouridis “The Rogues” alongside Nikos Kourkoulos.
The milestone year
1966 would be a landmark year for her career as she would star in four huge hits. In the Greek dramatic “western” by Vassilis Georgiadis “The Soil Was Painted Red”, another film that was nominated for the foreign language Oscar, again having Kourokoulos alongside it, as well as Manos Katrakis and Yiannis Voglis. In the bold drama “Tears for Electra” with Zoe Laskaris and Alekos Alexandrakis. In the dull social drama “Zero Hour Society” again alongside Kourokoulos, while she will be excellent in the remarkable drama “Fear” by Kostas Manousakis. The following year will continue with two more huge successes that will mark it, two musical and dance comedies by Dalianidis, “Thalassies tis Hadres” and a “Lady in the Bouzoukis”. Especially in the second film, on which the whole story will be based, she will leave an era holding “in one hand the beglerie and in the other the cigarette” and having by her side almost all the stars of the time – from Phaidona Georgitsis and Kostas Voutsas to Zoi Laskaris and Martha Karagianni – and of course the entire staff of Fino.
From Angelopoulos to Vretakos
Until the beginning of the 70s, when the fall of commercial cinema will come and its complete obsolescence, Chronopoulou will have several other successes, such as “Visibility Zero”, “In the Name of the Law”, “The Jungle of Cities” etc. However, Chronopoulou, like many of her colleagues, did not rest on her laurels in the 60s and dared to take courageous steps towards interpretive challenges of the “new Greek cinema”. She will be chosen by Thodoros Angelopoulos to play in “Hunters” and “Journey to Kythira”, while Kostas Vretakos will give her the opportunity to star in the rather good drama “The Swallow’s Children”, with which she will win the A ‘ Female Performance Award at the 1987 Thessaloniki Festival.
The man of her life
Although she had declared that “I have always been the man of my life” and being single for years, she will have an intense love life. Her first relationship, which became known, was the one with Andreas Barkoulis, to whom she was engaged, but did not marry. On the contrary, after several years, in 1975, she will marry the then mayor of Spata, Dimitris Botsaris, but they will soon divorce. She will also fall in love with several other men, inside and outside the artistic circle, without ever succumbing to relationships of interest or compromise and always following the beats of her heart.
Elastic
During her life, Chronopoulou will face difficult situations, even death. In 1999, after a car accident, she will face serious mobility problems for a long time, while a few years later, when her house catches fire, she will come out with many burns and go through another health adventure. All this did not bend her and three years before her fatal injury, she had begun to show that she wanted to return to the artistic scene – also playing in the TV series “Other Me”, making public appearances and designs.
Proud to the end
Mary Chronopoulou, after another accident in her home, will take her last breath on October 6, 2023, at the age of 90, leaving all her property to the “Smile of a Child”, showing her love for children , which he failed to obtain. But she gained the respect and appreciation of a good actress who managed to impose a different model of a leading lady and an independent woman who walked her life proudly and faced adversity bravely.
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