Oscar-winning American Olympia Dukakis dies at the age of 89 celebrity

“My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away in New York City this morning. After several months of illness, I finally found peace while she is with Louis.” Dukakis married actor Louis Zuresh, who passed away in 2018, and has three children with him.

The Massachusetts-born daughter of Greek immigrants has worked as a theater, television and film actress for decades when she gained world fame at the age of 56 for her role in the romantic comedy Moonstruck. When asked how she found out so late, at an age when other actresses are having a hard time getting roles, she answered The Guardian in 2012: “Coincidence, fate or both.” But I’m glad I took on that role because it meant I woke up the next day I was finally able to pay the bills. ”

Dukakis, the niece of US presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988, won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for the role, in which she starred as the mother of the main actor Cher. Cher won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film.

Dukakis went on to star in films such as Look Who’s Talking (1989) and Steel Magnolias (1989) with Shirley MacLaine, Sally Field, Julia Roberts and Mighty Aphrodite (1995) by Woody Allen. She continued acting even after the age of eighty.