The news of Kali Kalo’s death was announced by Spyros Bibilas with his post on social media:
“She left us a little while ago, today, which is Women’s Day, the wonderful Kali Kalo, the star of the revue of the 40s, 50s, 60s, with such a turbulent life marked by shocking events, as she states in her autobiography, “what the wind”, with social struggles, with intense trade union action in the actors’ union and in TASEI.. The last ten months with actions of TASEI and me personally who honored me with her friendship was transferred to the Athens nursing home where all the staff took care of her from the first moment with a lot of love and care and for that we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for all the social work they carry out with so much responsibility.. Have a nice trip my love…” he wrote regarding it.
Just a few 24 hours ago, Spyros Bibilas was a Alex Reed on Manos Niflis’ show on ONE, where he talked regarding Kali Kalo and her difficult times in the Athens Nursing Home.
“A great name of the past is Kali Kalo. She is 98 years old now, she has spent a lifetime with theaters and schools of her own. A turbulent life and at this moment she was left an old lady with a small pension. He is in the Athens Nursing Home but is no longer well. And other old actors are like that, they have been left without any relatives”, said Spyros Bibilas.
Who was Kali Kalo?
Kalliopi Damvergi (Athens, December 20, 1926, March 8, 2024), known by the stage name Kali Kalo, was a Greek theater actress.
Kalliopi was born in Athens but her origin is from Rethymnon. Her mother was Chrysa, daughter of general G. Kalochristianakis, assistant to Venizelos, also an actress and an emancipated woman for the time. Her father was Nikos Damvergis, from a family of pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Kali’s first appearance in a theater performance was at the age of just three, in Daskalitsa by Dario Nikkontemi, following a decision by Marika Kotopoulis, in whose theater her mother was performing. However, her first real role was at the age of 5, specially written for her by Spyros Melas in his play Dad is Educating, where she achieved great success playing alongside Vassilis Logothetides and the Mousouri couple at the “Aliki” theater.
Such was the success that Atticus sent the director of his “Madras”, Chr. Dimitropoulos, to ask her mother for cooperation. And when she gave her consent, he wrote ‘Bemba’ songs and ballads, taught her acting, gave her the nickname ‘Kali Kalo’ and featured her in his shows.
At the same time, he studied for many years at the classical ballet school of the Royal (now National) Theater and others. An image of her as a child prodigy was being formed, something like the Shirley Temple of Greece, however her mother’s divorce and the war with the Occupation interrupted this development, as mother and daughter began to tour with “packs” in the countryside for the their survival. Her post-war membership in the KKE led to her arrest in 1947 from the theater, while appearing in the revue “To pardalo katsiki”, and to her displacement for six months in Ikaria.
After returning from exile, coinciding with her coming of age, Kali Kalo created her own troupe (1950) and performed roles in all genres of theater, namely vaudeville, revue, operetta, free theater, and prose. He collaborated with, among others, Minoti, Kyveli, Miranda Myrat, Katraki, Traiforo, Christoforo Nezer, Avlonitis, Mavrea, Kokkini, Stavridis, Kaloutas, Rena Dor and Rena Vlachopoulou. He also starred at the National Theater and the Greek Theater, playing works by Brecht, Pirandello and others. However, the fact that she was not interested in cinema, so she only appeared in 4 films, contributed to her being almost unknown to the younger generations. At the end of her career she also appeared in a few television series.
In addition to her theatrical career, Kalo taught herself foreign languages and pursued university studies in child psychology in Lausanne, more specifically in the Montessori, Decroly and Pestalozzi systems. He is, in fact, the creator of the “Model Schools of Good Damvergi”.
Author’s work
In 1998, Kali Kalo published her autobiography, with the title What the Wind Gone and the subtitle “The autobiography of a theater actress” (published by Agra, 275 pp.). The book of memories entitled A Walk of the Soul in Athens of Once… of Now… of Then… (Published by Oikos A.A. Livani, 95 pp.) was released in 2011.
Personal life
The actress had three marriages: The first as a minor, in 1945, with George Mamalakis, a student at the Icaron School at the time, who was killed a year later, before their daughter Iuli was born. In 1957 she married Dimitris Valmas, whom she had met on a tour in Syros, and with whom they lived in Thessaloniki (the “Military Theater” there now bears her name). Finally, from 1959 to 1979 she was married to captain Kostas Karanikolas, with whom she had a son, Christos. But at the age of 13 Christos was seriously injured in an explosion in a chemistry experiment and, despite his mother spending all her fortune to get him cured, he died in 1988, aged 27. For years following the loss of her son, the actress had withdrawn to Astypalaia.
Among the personalities who “kept her on their knees” as a baby (Kostas Varnalis, Georgios Pappas, Lili Iakovidou, Veakis, Ludemis, Pantelis Horn, etc.), Kali Kalo maintained a close acquaintance and friendship with the poet Yiannis Ritsos until his death of.
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