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1981
Greek Stardom and Celebrity: Histories and Methods
  • ISSN: 2052-3971
  • E-ISSN: 2052-398X

Abstract

Melina Mercouri has often attracted scholarly interest as regards the construction and development of her public image as a star. The origins of her stardom are to be found in her role in Mihalis Cacoyiannis , a film that paved the way for her international career as an actress, and in the role of Ilya in Jules Dassin’s that established her as a symbol of contemporary Greece. The type of dynamic woman she represented became the core trait in most cinematic characters she performed. In association with her role as a ‘cultural ambassador’ of contemporary Greece they became the prominent characteristics of the public image she promoted in her political career in the 1970s and 1980s. Focusing on , my intention is to discuss how Mercouri in her autobiographical text presents and reworks the key elements of her image as an actress and incorporates them in her identity as a political activist. Her autobiography is a reference text that she ‘quotes’, when, as a politician, she performs and readjusts her star image in the 1970s and 1980s. My discussion is informed by the recent emphasis on performativity and agency regarding women’s – and in particular actresses’ – autobiographical writing and the construction of stardom.

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2026-02-11
2026-04-16

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