Olympia Dukakis

Olympia Dukakis

1931-06-20 Lowell, Massachusetts, USA 98 Credits

Biography

Olympia Dukakis (June 20, 1931 – May 1, 2021) was an American actress. She performed in more than 130 stage productions, more than 60 films and in 50 television series. Best known as a screen actress, she started her career in theater. Not long after her arrival in New York City, she won an Obie Award for Best Actress in 1963 for her off-Broadway performance in Bertolt Brecht's Man Equals Man. She later moved to film acting and won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, among other accolades, for...

Known For

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Complete Filmography

Not to Forget

Not to Forget

2021

as Judge

6.7
Acting

A judge sentences a self-centered millennial to take care of his grandmother, who's affected by Alzheimer's. As he realizes the extent of the elderly ...

Cher: In Her Own Words

Cher: In Her Own Words

2021

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

6.0
Acting

Cher, the star who refused to be boxed in, stood up to conformity, and championed female independence. Proving the doubters wrong with every change of...

The New Abolitionists

The New Abolitionists

2020

as Self

Acting

Filmmaker Christina Zorich follows abolitionists throughout Southeast Asia that have dedicated their lives to rescuing, rehabilitating, preventing and...

The New Abolitionists

The New Abolitionists

2020

Producer

Producing

Filmmaker Christina Zorich follows abolitionists throughout Southeast Asia that have dedicated their lives to rescuing, rehabilitating, preventing and...

The New Greek Americans

The New Greek Americans

2020

as Narrator

Acting

A chronicle of the Greek diaspora in the United States, starting from the 60s, when young Greek Americans, despite their conservative and uptight upbr...

Olympia

Olympia

2018

as Herself

8.0
Acting

Follow Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis behind the scenes in this affectionate profile of a stalwart New Yorker and beloved stage and screen treas...

Change in the Air

Change in the Air

2018

as Margaret Lemke

5.7
Acting

A peaceful community is forever changed when a mysterious young woman moves in. As the quirky locals embrace her, their lives soon improve. But, they ...

The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin

The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin

2017

as Self

6.6
Acting

The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin celebrates one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, following his evolution from a conservative son of the O...

The Infiltrator

The Infiltrator

2016

as Aunt Vicky

6.7
Acting

A U.S Customs official uncovers a massive money laundering scheme involving Pablo Escobar.

Starring Austin Pendleton

Starring Austin Pendleton

2016

as Self

6.7
Acting

A quirky and inspirational documentary film on the philosophical approach to the life and work of character actor, Austin Pendleton.

Her Secret Sessions

Her Secret Sessions

2016

as Arlene

Acting

After losing her daughter and a difficult divorce, an attractive woman finds herself exploring the world of online dating, but her adventures lead her...

Emily & Tim

Emily & Tim

2015

as Emily (Segment 6)

6.1
Acting

The movie is comprised of six vignettes. A look at the tumultuous marriage of Tim and Emily Hanratty over half a century.

7 Chinese Brothers

7 Chinese Brothers

2015

as Grandma

5.3
Acting

Larry is an unqualified, unemployable, inebriated prankster who rides a tide of booze onto the glorious shores of an undiscriminating Quick-Lube. Tak...

Irene & Marie

Irene & Marie

2015

as Marie

Acting

Olympia Dukakis and Rose Gregorio play Greek-American women in their 70s who create stories to avoid the realities of growing older.

Beneath the Olive Tree

Beneath the Olive Tree

2015

Acting

The departure point for this film is a series of notebooks created during the Greek civil war of 1946-49 and first discovered years later, under an ol...

Big Driver

Big Driver

2014

as Doreen

5.7
Acting

Tess Thorne, a famous writer, is determined to seek revenge on the man who brutally assaulted and raped her on a desolate New England road.

A Little Game

A Little Game

2014

as Yaya

6.5
Acting

Ostracized at her posh new uptown school and shaken by the death of her beloved grandmother, a 10 year-old downtown girl finds an unlikely mentor in t...

The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas Spirit

2013

as Gwen Hollander

5.0
Acting

Charlotte Hart, a distinguished journalist, is spending time with her family over the holidays when a real estate developer approaches their small tow...

Montana Amazon

Montana Amazon

2013

as Ira

6.8
Acting

The Dunderheads are an eccentric Montana family who've been in the mountains for far too long. Now one step ahead of the law, matriarch Grandma Ira fl...

The Last Keepers

The Last Keepers

2013

as Rosmarie Carver

4.9
Acting

This romantic fantasy movie is about two people who are the last survivors of an ancient line of goddess worshipers, who sell art at a shop. When thei...

Joe Papp in Five Acts

Joe Papp in Five Acts

2012

as Self

4.5
Acting

Joe Papp, the founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival and, subsequently, The Public Theater—arguably the most important theatre in North America—...

Cloudburst

Cloudburst

2011

as Stella

6.4
Acting

When Dot's granddaughter puts her into a nursing home, Stella stages a breakout, and takes Dot to Canada so they can get married. They pick up a hitch...

Birds of a Feather

Birds of a Feather

2011

as Olympia

2.0
Acting

A coming of age film for 40 year olds. Three middle-aged friends reunite to put on a play and find themselves again.

I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale

I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale

2009

as Self

6.9
Acting

John Cazale was in only five films – The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather: Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter – each was nominat...

Away from Her

Away from Her

2007

as Marian

7.0
Acting

Fiona and Grant have been married for nearly 50 years. They have to face the fact that Fiona’s absent-mindedness is a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. ...

In the Land of Women

In the Land of Women

2007

as Phyllis

5.9
Acting

After a bad breakup with his girlfriend leaves him heartbroken, Carter Webb moves to Michigan to take care of his ailing grandmother. Once there, he g...

The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines

The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines

2006

as Margie Carsen

6.2
Acting

After retrieving the Crystal Skull in Utah, Flynn Carsen receives a map in the mail with the secret location of King Solomon's Mines. When the scroll ...

Day On Fire

Day On Fire

2006

as Dr. Mary Wade

5.0
Acting

The lives of a Palestinian journalist and a Jewish model become inextricably, and shockingly, intertwined after they meet by accident in New York.

Moonstruck: At the Heart of an Italian Family

Moonstruck: At the Heart of an Italian Family

2006

as Self

6.0
Acting

Documentary highlighting the development of the screenplay into a film with the desired cast. It also describes the closeness among Italian families, ...

Jesus, Mary and Joey

Jesus, Mary and Joey

2006

as Sophia Vitello

4.0
Acting

Twenty-something and aimless, Joey Vitello still lives at home with his colorful Italian-American family when he is reunited with a childhood schoolma...

Whiskey School

2005

as Ellen Haywood

6.0
Acting

Leopold De Angeli is a talented playwright, but like many scribes he fancies the drink a little too much. In the hopes of saving Leopold's life, his t...

3 Needles

3 Needles

2005

as Hilde

6.0
Acting

A three-paneled look at the worldwide AIDS crisis: in Montreal, a porn actor schemes to pass his mandatory blood test; a young nun makes a personal sa...

The Thing About My Folks

The Thing About My Folks

2005

as Muriel Kleinman

6.3
Acting

Ben's dad Sam shows up one night with a note from Ben's mother (Sam's wife of 46 years), that she has left. While Ben's wife and his three sisters try...

The Great New Wonderful

The Great New Wonderful

2005

as Judy Hillerman

4.8
Acting

The Great New Wonderful weaves five stories against the backdrop of an anxious and uncertain post-9-11 New York City.

Signs Out of Time: The Life of Archaeologist Marija Gimbutas

Signs Out of Time: The Life of Archaeologist Marija Gimbutas

2004

as Narrator

Acting

Weaving together interviews, archival footage, photographs, animation, and narration, "Signs Out Of Time" is an incredible journey that delves into th...

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear

2004

as Margie Carsen

6.3
Acting

When a magical artifact is lifted from his library, a meek librarian sets out to ensure its safe return.

Charlie's War

Charlie's War

2003

as Charlie

6.0
Acting

Charlie's War is the story of Charlotte Lewis, a woman who is experiencing serious emotional and mental turmoil brought about by nightmares of increas...

Mafia Doctor

Mafia Doctor

2003

as Rose Dellarusso

4.5
Acting

Growing up poor on the streets of New Jersey, Frank Siena (Danny Nucci) has little hope of realizing his dream of becoming a doctor. But "fate" has a ...

The Event

The Event

2003

as Lila Shapiro

5.9
Acting

Manhattan prosecutor Nick is charged with looking into the untimely death of city resident Matt, a musician who had AIDS. As she questions Matt's loya...

The Intended

The Intended

2002

as Erina

5.3
Acting

A period drama/thriller about a surveyor and his fiancée who arrive in a remote Malaysian trading post and encounter a closed-fisted ivory trader and ...

Guilty Hearts

Guilty Hearts

2002

as Amanda Patterson

4.3
Acting

Quiet and unassuming church organist Jenny Moran is depressed with her marriage to working-class Matt and leaves him. Jenny begins an affair with the ...

Ladies and The Champ

Ladies and The Champ

2001

as Sara Stevens

Acting

Two retired women (Olympia Dukakis, Marion Ross) find their lives rejuvenated when they decide to train a street thug (David deLuise) to become a priz...

And Never Let Her Go

And Never Let Her Go

2001

as Marguerite Capano

6.6
Acting

The true story of a woman's suspicious disappearance after ending an affair with a powerful, married attorney.

Strange Relations

Strange Relations

2001

as Esther Lipman

Acting

Drama - A NYC psychiatrist is diagnosed with leukemia - and when he finds out he was adopted, he travels to England in search of his birth mother and ...

Borough of Kings

Borough of Kings

2000

as Helen Manners

Acting

Toil and trouble. Jimmy, an aspiring actor, wants out of South Brooklyn where hoods run the show. Since the death of his firefighter father, Jimmy's f...

The Last of the Blonde Bombshells

The Last of the Blonde Bombshells

2000

as Dinah

6.7
Acting

After Elizabeth's husband dies, she begins to play her tenor saxophone again, and remembers when she was 15 and a member of the Blonde Bombshells, an ...

Crimes of Honour

1999

as Narrator

5.2
Acting

Throughout the Islamic world, each year hundreds of women are shot, stabbed, strangled or burned to death by male relatives because they are thought t...

Crimes of Honour

1999

5.2
Acting

Throughout the Islamic world, each year hundreds of women are shot, stabbed, strangled or burned to death by male relatives because they are thought t...

Better Living

Better Living

1998

as Nora

1.5
Acting

A comedy about families, the elements that bind them together, and about hope in the face of hardship.

Jane Austen's Mafia!

Jane Austen's Mafia!

1998

as Sophia

5.5
Acting

Takeoff on the Godfather with the son of a mafia king taking over for his dying father.

The Pentagon Wars

The Pentagon Wars

1998

as Madam Chairwoman

6.8
Acting

From the director of “Made In America” and “The Money Pit” comes a hilarious look at one of the most expensive blunders in military history. Over 17 y...

Scattering Dad

Scattering Dad

1998

as Dotty

10.0
Acting

An agoraphobic woman who hasn't left her home in 20 years receives a visit from the spirit of her deceased husband who reminds her of a promise she ma...

A Life for a Life

1998

as Charlotte Kiszko

Acting

The 1998 dramatization of a 1970s UK miscarriage of justice, centered around Stefan Khizcho, and his mother's subsequent battle for his freedom.

Picture Perfect

Picture Perfect

1997

as Rita

5.8
Acting

A young advertising executive's life becomes increasingly complicated when, in order to impress her boss, she pretends to be engaged to a man she has ...

A Match Made in Heaven

A Match Made in Heaven

1997

as Helen Rosner

6.4
Acting

A dying widow plays matchmaker to her 32-year-old unmarried son and sets him up with a nurse that she meets.

Milk & Money

Milk & Money

1996

as Goneril Plogg

4.0
Acting

When David drops out of medical school, he finds out what life isn't really like. He meets beautiful women, holds a box, helps make a movie, and takes...

Jerusalem

Jerusalem

1996

as Mother (Mrs. Gordon)

7.2
Acting

Members of a devout Christian congregation try to start a new life in Palestine.

Never Too Late

Never Too Late

1996

as Rose

4.0
Acting

Four old friends reunite to investigate the death of a good friend.

Mr. Holland's Opus

Mr. Holland's Opus

1995

as Principal Jacobs

7.0
Acting

In 1965, passionate musician Glenn Holland takes a day job as a high school music teacher, convinced it's just a small obstacle on the road to his tru...

Mighty Aphrodite

Mighty Aphrodite

1995

as Jocasta

6.7
Acting

When Lenny and his wife, Amanda, adopt a baby, Lenny realizes that his son is a genius and becomes obsessed with finding the boy's biological mother i...

Jeffrey

Jeffrey

1995

as Mrs. Marcangelo

6.3
Acting

Jeffrey, a gay man living in New York City with an overwhelming fear of contracting AIDS, concludes that being celibate is the only option to protect ...

Dead Badge

Dead Badge

1995

as Dr. Doris Rice

6.8
Acting

After a cop dies, his shield goes back on duty. They call it a "dead badge" - a way to honor a fallen officer. Badge #2424 used to belong to Many Tor...

Young at Heart

Young at Heart

1995

as Rose Garaventi

Acting

A matriarch of three generations born and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey, discovers that her recently-deceased husband has lost their bar and home to a...

Mother

Mother

1995

as Mrs. Jay

5.4
Acting

Weisser is a young college bound man whose future is threatened when his mother interferes with his love life and a pending scholarship. He also disco...

Dream Journey

Dream Journey

1995

as Self

Acting

Mime performances by the Japanese-born artist Yass Hakoshima, interspersed with video images reflecting his Japanese heritage

I Love Trouble

I Love Trouble

1994

as Jeannie

5.5
Acting

Rival Chicago reporters Sabrina Peterson and Peter Brackett join forces to uncover a train wreck conspiracy.

Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult

Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult

1994

as Olympia Dukakis (uncredited)

6.5
Acting

Frank Drebin is persuaded out of retirement to go undercover in a state prison. There he has to find out what top terrorist, Rocco, has planned for wh...

Look Who's Talking Now!

Look Who's Talking Now!

1993

as Rosie

5.3
Acting

When high-powered executive Samantha LeBon hatches a scheme to spend a romantic Christmas with her new employee – the unsuspecting, blithesome James –...

Digger

Digger

1993

as Bea

6.4
Acting

A young boy is sent to live with relatives when his parents break up. He befriends a dying boy who has an eerie connection with nature.

The Cemetery Club

The Cemetery Club

1993

as Doris Silverman

5.3
Acting

The story of three Pittsburgh widows who meet every year to visit their husband's graves and talk about perspectives in their lives.

Over the Hill

Over the Hill

1992

as Alma Harris

4.2
Acting

Alma can't stand to have one more birthday without seeing her estranged daughter, Elizabeth, who lives in Sydney, Australia.

Fire in the Dark

Fire in the Dark

1991

as Emily Miller

Acting

A 75-year old widow with battles herself as she struggles with being a burden to those she loves. Though determined not to rely on her children, she i...

Lucky Day

Lucky Day

1991

as Katherine Campbell

7.0
Acting

When 30-year-old Allison Campbell wins a $2 million lottery, her family life turns upside down not just because of her winnings but because Allison is...

Look Who's Talking Too

Look Who's Talking Too

1990

as Rosie

5.5
Acting

Mollie and James are together and raising a family, which now consists of an older Mikey and his baby sister, Julie. Tension between the siblings aris...

In the Spirit

In the Spirit

1990

as Sue

3.3
Acting

After her husband loses his job, Marianne moves from Beverly Hills to a nightmare New York City. She hires ditzy psychic Reva to redecorate her apartm...

Steel Magnolias

Steel Magnolias

1989

as Clairee Belcher

7.2
Acting

A young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friends...

Dad

Dad

1989

as Bette Tremont

6.3
Acting

A busy executive learns during a meeting that his mother may be dying and rushes home to her side. He ends up being his father's caretaker and becomes...

Look Who's Talking

Look Who's Talking

1989

as Rosie

6.3
Acting

Mollie is a single working mother who's out to find the perfect father for her child. Her baby, Mikey, prefers James, a cab driver turned babysitter w...

Working Girl

Working Girl

1988

as Personnel Director

6.6
Acting

Tess McGill is an ambitious secretary with a unique approach for climbing the ladder to success. When her classy, but villainous boss breaks a leg ski...

Moonstruck

Moonstruck

1987

as Rose Castorini

6.9
Acting

37-year-old Italian-American widow Loretta Castorini believes she is unlucky in love, and so accepts a marriage proposal from her boyfriend Johnny, ev...

Flanagan

Flanagan

1985

as Mary

Acting

Aging New York cabbie Flanagan still has hopes of making it as a stage actor. He can recite any Shakespeare sonnet and is facile with accents, but he ...

The Neighborhood

The Neighborhood

1982

as Mrs. St Paul

Acting

A neighborhood in Brooklyn reacts to the first black families moving into the community.

National Lampoon's Movie Madness

National Lampoon's Movie Madness

1982

as Helena Naxos ("Success Wanters")

3.1
Acting

A parody of film genres composed of three shorts, spoofing personal growth films, glossy soap operas, and police stories.

King of America

King of America

1982

as Mama Nicola

Acting

Hot-tempered Greek immigrant Andreas arrives in America in 1915. He finds work on a railroad, but soon gives his corrupt foreman Mekakis a savage beat...

The Idolmaker

The Idolmaker

1980

as Mrs. Vacarri

5.5
Acting

Based on the life of rock promoter/producer Bob Marucci, who discovered, among others, Frankie Avalon and Fabian.

F.D.R.: The Last Year

F.D.R.: The Last Year

1980

5.8
Acting

Though visibly frail and weary, President Franklin D. Roosevelt runs for a precedent-setting fourth term. He also oversees plans for the D-Day Invasio...

Rich Kids

Rich Kids

1979

as Lawyer

5.0
Acting

Two 12-year-olds, the products of Upper West Side broken homes, struggle to make sense of their parents lives and their own adolescent feelings.

The Wanderers

The Wanderers

1979

as Joey's Mother (uncredited)

7.0
Acting

The streets of the Bronx are owned by '60s youth gangs where the joy and pain of adolescence is lived. Philip Kaufman tells his take on the novel by R...

The Seagull

The Seagull

1975

as Pauline

Acting

Anton Chekhov's play "The Seagull" is brought to life in this acclaimed 1975 production directed by John Desmond. Seeking to reform the theater, Konst...

Death Wish

Death Wish

1974

as Cop at the Precinct (uncredited)

6.9
Acting

After his wife is murdered by street punks, a pacifistic New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad, prowling the streets for would-be ...

Nicky's World

1974

as Irene Kaminios

Acting

A close-knit Greek-American family, jeopardized when its Manhattan bakery goes up in flames, looks desperately for ways to solve the financial dilemma...

The Rehearsal

The Rehearsal

1974

4.8
Acting

An indictment of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974. The film tries to give a reconstruction of the events during the students' uprising in the Ath...

Sisters

Sisters

1973

as Louise Wilanski

6.7
Acting

Inquisitive journalist Grace Collier is horrified when she witnesses her neighbor, fashion model Danielle Breton, violently murder a man. Panicking, s...

Made For Each Other

Made For Each Other

1971

as Gig's Mother

5.0
Acting

An eccentric woman meets an equally odd man at a group therapy session and they begin a relationship.

John and Mary

John and Mary

1969

as John's Mother

6.0
Acting

John and Mary meet in a singles bar, sleep together, and spend the next day getting to know each other.

Stiletto

Stiletto

1969

as Mrs. Amato (uncredited)

5.2
Acting

A rich, jet-setting playboy has a secret life: he's also a professional Mafia hitman. When he decides it's time to retire from that life, he finds tha...

Lilith

Lilith

1964

as Patient (uncredited)

6.5
Acting

Vincent Bruce, a war veteran, begins working as an occupational therapist at Poplar Lodge, a private psychiatric facility for wealthy people where he ...

Twice a Man

Twice a Man

1963

as Young Mother

5.6
Acting

A reworking of the myth of Hippolytus, in which a chaste youth rejects the incestuous advances of his mother and is saved from death by a caring physi...