Katina Paxinou was the first Greek actress to be successful in Hollywood. She was born on December 17th 1900 in Piraeus - Greece. She studied at the Geneva Conservatory as well as in various schools in Berlin and Geneva. Her first professional appearance was at the Municipal Theater of Piraeus in the opera "Sister Beatrice" of Dimitris Mitropoulos. From 1932 to 1940 she was part of the Greek Royal Theater of Greece. As part of the Greek Royal Theater of Greece she portrayed Electra (from Sophocles' play with the same name) and Hamlet's Gertrude in London, Frankfurt and Berlin. When the Second
… More World War broke out she was in London and thus unable to return to Greece. As a result she relocates in the USA where she performs in Broadway plays and movies. Her greatest accomplishments, while in the US were her Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1943).
She returns back to Greece in 1950 and appears with Alexis Minotis (her husband since 1940) in numerous plays of the Greek Royal of Greece that were performed in the US and around Europe.
In 1968 Alexis Minotis and Katina Paxinou for their own theatrical troop.
She made only 11 movie appearances.
Except for her participation in theater and movies she translated many of Eugene O'Neil's plays and composed the music for the theatrical play Oedipus Rex.
She was decorated with the Golden Senior Seneschal of George A' and the Senior Seneschal of West Germany.
She died on February 23rd 1973 of cancer. She was survived by her husband, and her two children from her first marriage to Ioannis Paxinos.
