June 11, 2014
<Back to Index>
This page is sponsored by:
PAGE SPONSOR
   
Michalis Kakogiannis or Michael Cacoyannis (Greek: Μιχάλης Κακογιάννης; June 11, 1922 – July 25, 2011) was a prominent Greek filmmaker from Cyprus, best known for his 1964 film Zorba the Greek. He directed the 1983 Broadway revival of the musical based on the film. Much of his work was rooted in classical texts, especially those of the Greek tragedian Euripides. He was nominated for an Academy Award five times, a record for any Greek Cypriot film artist. He received Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film nominations for Zorba the Greek, and two nominations in the Foreign Language Film category for Electra and Iphigenia.

Cacoyannis was born on June 11, 1922 in Limassol, Cyprus, under the name Μιχάλης Κακογιάννης (Mikhalis Kakogiannis). In 1939, he was sent by his father, Sir Panayotis Loizou Cacoyannis, to London to become a lawyer. However, after producing Greek - language programs for the BBC World Service during World War II, Kakogiannis found an interest in film instead. He ended up at the Old Vic school, and enjoyed a brief stage career there under the name "Michael Yannis" before he began working on films. After having trouble finding a directing job in the British film industry, Cacoyannis returned to Greece, and in 1953 he made his first film, Windfall in Athens. He was offered the chance to direct Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando in the film Reflections in a Golden Eye, but declined.

Cacoyannis had worked on many occasions with the Greek actress Irene Papas and especially Elli Lambeti with whom he was in love. In 1971, he teamed up once more with Papas for the film The Trojan Women, starring Hollywood legend Katharine Hepburn. He was a close friend of Darryl F. Zanuck and George Cukor.

Cacoyannis died on July 25, 2011 in Athens, Greece.