Stella Greka

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Stella Greka
Born
Styliani Lagada

(1922-04-01) 1 April 1922 (age 102)
Athens, Greece
Occupation(s)Singer, former actress
Years active1945–present
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1942, divorced)​
  • John Avgerinos
    ​
    (m. 1950)​

Stella Greka (Greek: Στέλλα Γκρέκα; born Styliani Lagada; 1 April 1922) is a Greek singer who appeared occasionally in the cinema as an actress,[1] and a centenarian.

Early years[edit]

Greka was born in Athens on 1 April 1922. One of nine children in a poor family. Her father was a set designer and had friendly relations with important people in the field, such as Pantelis Horn.[2]

She appeared young on the music scene of the capital, and from the age of 8 the Athenian press had mentioned her. In 1942, she married the poet and director Orestis Laskos, who artistically christened her Stella Greka, because she did not want to sing as Stella Laskou. He recorded a series of hits by well-known creators such as "Let's go into the unknown", "Last night", "Turn around", "Whatever you lose", "Marina's song".[3]

Career[edit]

Laskos convinced her to act in his film Broken Hearts (1945). Originally, Greka was going to star in G. Tzavella's Applause alongside Attikus and Dimitris Horn, but her husband turned her down to take part in his own film.[4] Then, he played in the film Forgotten Faces (1946) by Tzavellas, alongside Emilios Veakis, Giorgos Pappas and Lambros Konstandaras.[5] The director, who appeared in one scene of the play as a car driver, denounced his creation as his biggest failure.[6] She continued her film career with only one more film, Marina, where she again took the lead role. The film, written by Sakellariou - Giannakopoulos and directed by the former, was a production of her best man Philopoimena Fino and was screened in March 1947. Greka was accompanied by Dimitris Myrat and Lambros Konstandara. It was a simple romance, which became a great success, due to Sakellario's direction and the songs performed by Greca.[7][8]

Later life[edit]

Greka, who had divorced Lasko, went to the US in the fall of 1947, staying with her brother Angelos in New York City. In 1950, she married the Greek-American John Avgerinos, who was involved in shipbuilding. She devoted herself to the family and left the issue of her career behind, therefore her involvement in singing in America was limited.[9]

Greka appeared on Greek television as a guest of producer Giorgos Papastefanou. On December 16, 2013, a concert-tribute to Greka was organized in Athens, curated by Michalis Koubios, with the participation of various singers, as well as the 92-year-old Greka herself.[10]

Greka returned to Greece in 1987 and now lives permanently in Dionysos.[11] She turned 100 in 2022.[12][13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Athene. Athene Enterprises, Incorporated. 1948.
  2. ^ "Η Στέλλα Γκρέκα αφηγείται τη ζωή της στη LIFO | LiFO". www.lifo.gr (in Greek). 20 November 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Στέλλα Γκρέκα: Ένας θρύλος των 78 στροφών | Greek News". 24 April 2016. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  4. ^ Démopoulos, Michel (1995). Le cinéma grec (in French). Centre Georges Pompidou. ISBN 978-2-85850-813-6.
  5. ^ Πανσέληνος, Αλέξης. Ελαφρά ελληνικά τραγούδια (in Greek). Metaichmio Publications. ISBN 978-618-03-1518-9.
  6. ^ Ρούβας, Άγγελος; Σταθακοπουλος, Χρηστος (2005). Ελληνικος κινηματογραφος: 1905–1970 (in Greek). Ελληνικα Γραμματα. ISBN 978-960-406-777-0.
  7. ^ Γιαννακοπούλου, Ντόρα (6 July 2015). Μια ζωή σαν πρόβα (in Greek). Εκδόσεις Καστανιώτη. ISBN 978-960-03-5929-9.
  8. ^ Μιχαηλιδης, Γιωργος (2000). Της επανάστασης, της μοναξιάς και της λαγνείας: μυθιστόρημα (in Greek). Εκδοσεις Καστανιωτη. ISBN 978-960-03-2762-5.
  9. ^ Tachydromos (in Greek). 1990.
  10. ^ "Στέλλα Γκρέκα & Αγγελος Παπαδημητρίου: H ντίβα και ο τζέντλεμαν". ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ (in Greek). 3 July 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  11. ^ Μαγουλά, Μαίρη. Κύματα του Βοσπόρου (in Greek). Metaichmio Publications. ISBN 978-618-03-0315-5.
  12. ^ "Η Στέλλα Γκρέκα συμπλήρωσε έναν αιώνα ζωής και αυτή είναι η πλούσια βιογραφία της". Jenny (in Greek). Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Η Στέλλα Γκρέκα γίνεται 100 ετών – Η γηραιότερη Ελληνίδα ηθοποιός και τραγουδίστρια – OIafaq". 1 April 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
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