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((Short description|Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician (1920–1994)))
((Use dmy dates|date=March 2021))
((More citations needed|date=May 2022))
((Infobox officeholder
| name                = Melina Mercouri
| image               = Melina Mercouri.JPG
| caption             = Mercouri in 1982
| office              = [[Minister for Culture of Greece|Minister for Culture]]
| primeminister       = [[Andreas Papandreou]]
| term_start          = 13 October 1993
| term_end            = 6 March 1994
| predecessor         = [[Dora Bakoyanni]]
| successor           = [[Thanos Mikroutsikos]]
| primeminister1      = [[Andreas Papandreou]]
| term_start1         = 21 October 1981
| term_end1           = 2 July 1989
| predecessor1        = Andreas Andrianopoulos
| successor1          = [[Anna Psarouda-Benaki]]
| parliament2         = Hellenic
| constituency_MP2    = [[Piraeus B]]
| term_start2         = 20 November 1977
| term_end2           = 7 May 1985
| parliament3         = Hellenic
| constituency_MP3    =[[Closed list|National list]]
| term_start3         = 17 June 1985
| term_end3           = 6 March 1994
| birth_name          = Maria Amalia Mercouri
| birth_date          = ((birth date|1920|10|18|df=y))
| birth_place         = [[Athens]], Greece
| death_date          = ((death date and age|1994|03|06|1920|12|18|df=y))
| death_place         = [[Upper East Side]], [[New York City]], U.S.
| resting_place       = [[First Cemetery of Athens]]
| party               = [[Panhellenic Socialist Movement|PASOK]]
| spouse              = ((Unbulleted list | ((marriage|Panos Harokopos|1941|1962|end=divorced)) | ((marriage|[[Jules Dassin]]|1966)) ))
| parents             = ((Unbulleted list | [[Stamatis Mercouris]] | Irene Lappa ))
| alma_mater          = [[National Theatre of Greece Drama School]]
| occupation          = ((hlist|Actress|singer)) (1945–1977)
))

'''Maria Amalia''' "'''Melina'''" '''Mercouri''' (((Lang-el|Μαρία Αμαλία "Μελίνα" Μερκούρη)), 18 October 1920((efn|New style: 31 October 1920))<ref>She once gave her year of birth as [https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/1277/images/42804_336379-03395?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=lYZ51&_phstart=successSource&pId=7856042 1922], ancestrylibrary.com. Accessed 4 May 2022.</ref> – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a political family that was prominent over multiple generations. She received an [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Academy Award]] nomination and won a [[Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress|Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award]] for her performance in the film ''[[Never on Sunday]]'' (1960). Mercouri was also nominated for one Tony Award, three [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globes]] and two [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Awards]] in her acting career. In 1987 she was awarded a special prize in the first edition of the [[Europe Theatre Prize]].<ref>((Cite web |title=I Edizione |url=https://www.premioeuropa.org/i-edizione/ |access-date=2022-12-11 |website=Premio Europa per il Teatro |language=it-IT))</ref>

As a politician, she was a member of the [[PASOK]] and the [[Hellenic Parliament]]. In October 1981, Mercouri became the first female [[Ministry of Culture and Sports (Greece)|Minister of Culture and Sports]]. She was the longest-lived Minister of Culture in Greece - serving during the years 1981-89 and 1993 till her death in 1994, in all [[PASOK]] governments. Mercouri's political activism included her long campaign for the return of the [[Elgin Marbles|Parthenon Marbles]].<ref>((Cite web |title=The Parhenon Marbles – Melina Mercouri Foundation |url=https://melinamercourifoundation.com/en/the-parthenon-marbles/the-parhenon-marbles/ |access-date=2023-07-12 |language=en-US))</ref> One of her greatest achievements was the establishment of the [[European Capital of Culture|European Capitals of Culture]], with Athens chosen as the first capital in 1985.<ref name=":0">[https://european-union.europa.eu/system/files/2021-06/eu_pioneers_melina_mercouri_en.pdf Melina Mercouri: Actor, politician and champion of culture (1920-1994)] (PDF), ''europa.eu'' Retrieved 2023-7-12</ref>

==Biography==
((Refimprove-section|date=July 2023))
=== Family ===
The Mercouri family were an [[Arvanite]] family from [[Argolis|Argolida]] who settled in [[Athens]].<ref>((cite book |author=Eberhard Rondholz |title=Griechenland: Ein Länderporträt |publisher=Ch. Links Verlag |date=2012-01-01 |isbn=9783862841196 |page= 50|quote=Und über diese andere Melina, diese politische Powerfrau, wissen wir eigentlich noch immer zu wenig. Wie keine Frau vor ihr hat sie, ihre Prominenz einsetzend, in der griechischen MachoMännerwelt ein Zeichen gesetzt. Dabei half ihr auch ihr arvanitiko kefali, der sprichwörtliche Dickschädel der Arvaniten, stammt sie doch aus einer Familie albanischen Ursprungs.))</ref> Its members had fought in the [[Greek War of Independence|Greek war of independence]] of 1821. Melina's grandfather, [[Spyridon Mercouris]], had served for many years as mayor of [[Athens]]. Her father, [[Stamatis Mercouris]], was an officer of the cavalry and served as a member of parliament and minister (People's Party, [[National Radical Party (Greece)|National Radical Party]]), and for many years he participated in the administration of the [[Panathinaikos A.O.|Panathinaikos]] team. During the [[Axis occupation of Greece]], Stamatis Mercouris founded the resistance organisation called 'Radical Organisation' in January 1942.((cn|date=November 2023))

Her mother, Irene Lappa, was the sister of Admiral [[Pyrros Lappas]], who served as Chief of the Naval Staff, Secretary General of the Olympic Games Committee and Chief of the Military House of [[Paul of Greece|King Paul]]. Her uncle, [[George S. Mercouris]], held extreme right-wing political views. He was a founder of the [[Greek National Socialist Party]] and a governor of the [[National Bank of Greece|National Bank]] during the occupation. This so angered the Mercouri family that they refused to attend his funeral in 1943.

=== Education ===
In September 1938, she was accepted at the [[Drama school|Drama School]] of the [[National Theatre of Greece|National Theatre]] with fellow students including [[Despo Diamantidou]] and [[Alexis Damianos]].

=== Marriage ===
In the winter of 1939 she married the much older wealthy landowner Panagis Harokopos.((Citation needed|date=January 2023)) She travelled as Melina Harokopou or Melina Charocopou. 

=== During the occupation ===
During the occupation, Melina became romantically involved with businessman Phidias Yadikiaroglou while still married to Harokopos although their marital relationship had effectively ended. 

Mercouri was later criticized for living in comfort in a 400 sq. m. apartment at avenue Akademias 4, much of which had been commandeered by the Germans at a time when the Greek people were starving, and of not contributing to the national resistance.((Citation needed|date=January 2023)) Melina had commented on this period of her life, both in her autobiography, "I was born a Greek," and on television as [[Culture minister|Minister of Culture]], taking responsibility for her non-participation in the [[Resistance movement|Resistance]] during the Occupation.

Lycurgos Kallergis, a member of [[National Liberation Front (Greece)|EAM]] and the Left during the Occupation, said: "Although I was and am a left-winger, the issue of the opulence in which she lived did not bother me. After all, Melina was hosting people, feeding people, helping friends.[...] " ((Citation needed|date=January 2023))The great Greek writer [[Alki Zei|Alkis Zei]] also agrees with this view, stating that during the period of occupation, Melina was hiding left-wingers and giving them money.((Citation needed|date=January 2023))

At the same time, her brother, Spyros Mercouris, had joined the Resistance as a member of the [[United Panhellenic Organization of Youth|EPON]]. Many times, according to testimonies,((Citation needed|date=January 2023)) Melina would secretly take Yadikiaroglou's money and give it to her brother for the Resistance, hiding both him and his comrades in the organization while helping her impoverished colleagues. It was known that during the occupation, despite her then husband's objections, Melina's house, on her own instruction, was always open and welcoming to many people in need, providing them with food and shelter.

Despite occasional criticisms, her dislike of the Nazi occupiers is demonstrated by an incident during the occupation where she disobeyed [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] men while at a bar, despite the threat of being shot.((Citation needed|date=January 2023))

A number of people with strong resistance activities during the occupation became close friends of hers, including writer [[Iakovos Kambanellis]] (who wrote '[[Stella (1955 film)|Stella]] with the Red Gloves' especially for her), actress Olympia Papadouka, actor [[Manos Katrakis]], actor and secretary of the EAM theatre Dimitris Myrat, writer Alkis Zei, director [[Nikos Koundouros]], and [[Manolis Glezos]].

During the civil war, although Melina Mercouri lived in [[Kolonaki]], which was controlled by the British, she visited her friends and colleagues who had been arrested for their political beliefs. Years later, Aleka Paizi gratefully recounted Melina's visit to the prison where she was being held, to support her.((Citation needed|date=January 2023))

=== Later relationships ===
In the late 1940s, Melina met [[Pyrros Spyromilios]], whom she was with for seven years. He was alleged to be the great love of her life before she met [[Jules Dassin]]. Pyrros Spyromilios was a naval officer and a hero of the Albanian front. He died in March 1961 due to [[Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy|heart hypertrophy]], which devastated Melina, even though five years had passed since their separation.((Citation needed|date=January 2023))

In 1955 she starred in her first feature film, ''[[Stella (1955 film)|Stella]]''. The film competed at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] and during its screening, she met and fell in love with [[Jules Dassin|Julius "Jules" Dassin]].  She was married to him until the end of her life.((Citation needed|date=January 2023))

==Performing career==
((unreferenced section|date=May 2022))

===Early years on stage===
After her graduation, Mercouri joined the [[National Theatre of Greece]] and played the role of [[Electra]] in [[Eugene O'Neill]]'s play ''[[Mourning Becomes Electra]]'' in 1945. In 1949, she had her first major success in the theatre playing [[Blanche DuBois]] in ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire (play)|A Streetcar Named Desire]]'', staged by [[Karolos Koun]]'s Art Theatre.

After 1950 she moved to [[Paris]], where she appeared in boulevard plays by [[Jacques Deval]] and [[Marcel Achard]], and met French playwrights and novelists such as [[Jean Cocteau]], [[Jean-Paul Sartre]], [[Colette]] and [[Françoise Sagan]]. In 1953, Mercouri received the [[Marika Kotopouli]] Prize. Mercouri returned to Greece in 1955. At the Kotopouli-Rex Theatre, Mercouri starred in ''[[Macbeth]]'' by [[William Shakespeare]] and ''[[L'Alouette (The Lark)|L'Alouette]]'' by [[Jean Anouilh]].<ref>((cite book|title=Thespis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gsxbiz4G-wAC|year=1964|page=44))</ref>

===International success===
[[File:Μελίνα Μερκούρη.jpg|thumb|Mercouri in 1962's ''[[Phaedra (film)|Phaedra]]'']]
Mercouri's first film was the [[Greek language]] film ''[[Stella (1955 film)|Stella]]'' (1955), directed by [[Michael Cacoyannis]], later known for ''[[Zorba the Greek (film)|Zorba the Greek]]'' (1964). The motion picture received special praise at the [[1956 Cannes Film Festival]], where she met expatriate American [[film director]] [[Jules Dassin]], with whom she would share not only her career but also her life. Their first professional pairing was ''[[He Who Must Die]]'' (1957). Other films by Dassin and featuring Mercouri followed, such as ''[[The Law (1959 film)|The Law]]'' (1959).

She garnered international acclaim when she starred in ''[[Never on Sunday]]'' (1960), of which Dassin was the director and co-star. For this film, she earned the [[Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Actress Award]] at the [[1960 Cannes Film Festival]] and was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] and the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role]].<ref>[http://www.bafta.org Profile], bafta.org; accessed 6 December 2014.</ref>

After this, she starred in ''[[Phaedra (film)|Phaedra]]'' (1962), for which she was nominated again for Best Actress in the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]] and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama|Golden Globe]] nominations. Her role in ''[[Topkapi (film)|Topkapi]]'' (1964) garnered her a nomination for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]]. Mercouri worked with such directors as [[Joseph Losey]], [[Vittorio De Sica]], [[Ronald Neame]], [[Carl Foreman]], and [[Norman Jewison]]. She starred the [[Spanish language]] film ''[[The Uninhibited]]'' (1965) by [[Juan Antonio Bardem]].

On June 11, 1967, Mercouri appeared on one of the final episodes of "[[What's My Line]]" (the venerable panel show would leave the air that fall, after eighteen years). After the panel were blindfolded, a strange man appeared on-stage and proclaimed himself "the second mystery guest". Host [[John Charles Daly|John Daly]] quickly called for "the relieving unit" and said "schedule two" (a code word used on live broadcasts in case of an emergency: the cameras are turned to a neutral position and the sound is cut off). The man talked a bit about a dating service he apparently owned before being hustled off the stage by announcer [[Johnny Olsen]] and [[executive producer]] [[Gil Fates]]. Daly merely apologized to the panel, and the program continued. <ref>((cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckKcDI51c08 | title=Melina Mercouri on "What's my line? " | website=[[YouTube]] ))</ref>

Mercouri continued her stage career in the Greek production of [[Tennessee Williams]]'s ''[[Sweet Bird of Youth]]'' (1960), under the direction of [[Karolos Koun]]. In 1967, she played the leading role in ''[[Illya Darling]]'' (from 11 April 1967 to 13 January 1968) on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]],<ref name="ibdb">((iBDB name|52785))</ref> for which she was nominated for the [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical]]. Mercouri's performance in ''[[Promise at Dawn (1970 film)|Promise at Dawn]]'' (1970) earned her another [[Golden Globe Award]] nomination.

Mercouri concentrated on her stage career in the following years, playing in the Greek productions of ''[[The Threepenny Opera]]'' and, for a second time, ''Sweet Bird of Youth'', in addition to the [[Theatre of ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] [[Tragedy|tragedies]] ''[[Medea (play)|Medea]]'' and ''[[Oresteia]]''. She retired from film acting after her role in her last film, ''[[A Dream of Passion]]'' (1978), directed by her husband, [[Jules Dassin]].

In 1987 the jury of the [[Europe Theatre Prize]] awarded her a special prize of the presidency with the motivation: "For the devotion and the commitment of an artist who joins her own theatrical experience with the political belief and the ideal of European culture.".<ref>((Cite web |date=2016-03-24 |title=Europe Theatre Prize - I Edition - Prize winners and reasons |url=http://www.premio-europa.org/open_page.php?id=247 |access-date=2022-12-11 |archive-date=24 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324230548/http://www.premio-europa.org/open_page.php?id=247 |url-status=bot: unknown ))</ref>

Mercouri's last performance on stage was in the opera ''Pylades'' at the [[Athens Concert Hall]] in 1992, portraying [[Clytemnestra]].

===Work as a singer===
One of her first songs was by [[Manos Hadjidakis]] and [[Nikos Gatsos]]. It was titled "Hartino to Fengaraki" ("Papermoon")<ref>((cite book|author=Nana Mouskouri|title=Itinéraire intime|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IX3VAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT81|date=19 September 2013|publisher=Cherche Midi|isbn=978-2-7491-3099-6|pages=81|language=fr))</ref> and was a part of the Greek production of ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' in 1949, in which she starred as [[Blanche DuBois]]. The first official recording of this song was made by [[Nana Mouskouri]] in 1960, although the company Sirius, created by Hadjidakis, issued a recording Mercouri made for [[France|French]] television during the 1960s in 2004.

Her recordings of "Athenes, ma Ville", a collaboration with [[Vangelis]],<ref>((cite book|title=Qui est qui en France|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZntCcMBV8lAC|year=2013|publisher=J. Lafitte|isbn=978-2-85784-053-4|language=fr|page=1357))</ref> and "Melinaki", were popular in France. Her recording of "Feggari mou, Agapi mou" (Phaedra) was later covered by [[Marinella]] in 1965.

==Political career==

===Activism against the Greek junta===
At the time of the [[coup d'état]] in [[Greece]] by a group of colonels of the [[Military of Greece|Greek military]] on 21 April 1967, she was in the [[United States]], playing in ''[[Illya Darling]]'' on Broadway. She immediately joined the struggle against the [[Greek military junta of 1967–1974|Greek military junta]] and started an international campaign, travelling all over the world to inform the public and contribute to the isolation and fall of the colonels. As a result, the dictatorial regime revoked her [[Greek nationality law|Greek citizenship]] and confiscated her property.<ref name="Newsweek2">((cite book|title=Newsweek|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XRHkAAAAMAAJ|access-date=17 March 2013|year=1967|publisher=Newsweek|quote=Greek word for honey (rneli), but there was acid in her throaty voice last week as vibrant Melina Mercouri condemned Brig. Gen. Stylianos Pattakos, strong man of the Greek revolutionary junta which had just stripped her of citizenship and property ... Those bastards were born Fascists; they will die Fascists", said the passionate performer who until the recent coup did as ...))</ref>

When her Greek citizenship was revoked, she said: "I was born a [[Greeks|Greek]] and I will die a Greek. Those bastards were born fascists and they will die fascists".<ref name="Newsweek">((cite book|title=Newsweek|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wMgmAQAAIAAJ|access-date=17 March 2013|year=1967|publisher=Newsweek, Incorporated|quote="I was born a Greek; I will die a Greek. Mr. Pattakos was born a Fascist; he will die a Fascist", said the passionate performer who until the recent coup did as much to spur Greek tourism as all the ancient ruins combined. ...))</ref><ref name="Books and Bookmen">((cite book|title=Books and Bookmen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7RJVAAAAYAAJ|access-date=17 March 2013|year=1971|publisher=Hansom Books|quote=When asked if she had any comment on this she replied: 'I was born Greek. I shall die Greek. Those bastards were born fascists and they will die fascists.))</ref><ref name="Labor Today">((cite book|title=Labor Today|year = 1965|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lTe9AAAAIAAJ|access-date=17 March 2013|publisher=National Center for Trade Union Action and Democracy|quote=No wonder the talented actress Melina Mercouri, after being stripped of her Greek citizenship in absentia, said of junta member Colonel Pattakos : "I was born a Greek and I will die a Greek. Pattakos was born a Fascist and will die a Fascist.))</ref><ref name="Vlachos1971">((cite book|author=Helen Vlachos|title=Free Greek voices: a political anthology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lp4JAQAAIAAJ|access-date=17 March 2013|year=1971|publisher=(10 Gayfere St., SWIP 3HN), Doric Publications Ltd.|isbn=9780902999008|quote=He repeated it. And my answer came like water from a fountain: 'I was born a Greek, I will die a Greek; Pattakos was born Fascist, he will die Fascist . . .' "And now what will happen, Melina?" I am asked. Now there will be a trial at some ...))</ref><ref name="Balkania">((cite book|title=Balkania|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sGIMAQAAMAAJ|access-date=17 March 2013|year=1967|publisher=Balkania Publishing Company|quote=... Patakos was born a fascist and will die a fascist," Miss Mercouri said at a press conference she called shortly after hearing that her citizenship had been ...))</ref> In London, she worked with [[Amalia Fleming]] and [[Helen Vlachos]] of [[Kathimerini]] against the junta of the colonels.<ref name="independent.co.uk">((cite news|author=RICHARD CLOGG|title=Obituary: Helen Vlachos|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-helen-vlachos-1578044.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-helen-vlachos-1578044.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=17 October 1995|access-date=15 March 2013))</ref>

===Involvement in politics===
After the fall of the Junta and during the ''[[metapolitefsi]]'' in 1974, Mercouri settled in Greece and was one of the founding members of the [[Panhellenic Socialist Movement]] (PASOK), a [[centre-left]] [[political party]]. She was a member of the party's Central Committee and a rapporteur for the Culture Section, while being involved in the women's movement as well.<ref>((cite book|title=Problems of Communism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r5MqAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA46|year=1979|publisher=Documentary Studies Section, International Information Administration|pages=2))</ref>

In the [[1974 Greek legislative election|Greek legislative elections of 1974]], she was a PASOK candidate in the [[Piraeus Prefecture|Piraeus B]] [[List of parliamentary constituencies of Greece|constituency]], but the 7,500 votes were not enough to secure a seat for her in the [[Hellenic Parliament]] (she needed 33 more votes), but she was successful in the [[1977 Greek legislative election|elections of 1977]], after conducting a grass-roots campaign.<ref>((cite book|author1=David Butler|author2=Howard Rae Penniman|author3=Austin Ranney|title=Democracy at the Polls: A Comparative Study of Competitive National Elections|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p46FAAAAMAAJ|year=1981|publisher=American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research|isbn=978-0-8447-3405-7|page=116))</ref>

===Minister for Culture: 1981–1989===
[[File:Melina Mercouri (1985).jpg|thumb|Mercouri in 1985]]
When PASOK won the elections of 1981, Mercouri was appointed [[Minister for Culture (Greece)|Minister for Culture of Greece]], being the first woman in the post. She would serve in that position for two terms until 1989, when PASOK lost the elections and [[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]] formed a cabinet.

As Minister for Culture, Mercouri took advantage of her earlier career to promote Greece to other European leaders. She strongly advocated the return to [[Athens]] of the [[Elgin Marbles|Parthenon Marbles]] that were removed from [[Parthenon]] and other buildings on the [[Acropolis of Athens]] by [[Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin]], and are now part of the [[British Museum]] collection in [[London]].

In 1983, she engaged in a televised debate with the then director of the British Museum, [[David M. Wilson]], which was interpreted by many as a public relations disaster for the British Museum.<ref name="embarassment">((cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-mercouri-tackled-britain-in-1983-battle-of-the-marbles-mq3ssxzfr9k |title=How Mercouri tackled Britain in 1983 battle of the Marbles |newspaper=The Times of London))</ref> In anticipation of the return of the marbles, she held an international competition for the construction of the [[New Acropolis Museum]], designated to display them and finally established in 2009.<ref name="Casey">((cite web|last=Casey|first=Christopher|date=30 October 2008|title="Grecian Grandeurs and the Rude Wasting of Old Time": Britain, the Elgin Marbles, and Post-Revolutionary Hellenism|url=http://ww2.jhu.edu/foundations/?p=8|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513053304/http://ww2.jhu.edu/foundations/?p=8|archive-date=13 May 2009|access-date=25 June 2009|work=Foundations. Volume III, Number 1))</ref>

One of her greatest achievements was the establishment of the institution of the [[European Capital of Culture]] within the framework of cultural policy of the [[European Union]], that she had conceived and proposed in 1983, with Athens inaugurating this institution being the first title-holder in 1985, while she was a devoted supporter of the [[1996 Summer Olympics bids|Athens bid]] to host the [[1996 Summer Olympics|Centennial Olympic Games]].

In 1983, during the first Greek [[presidency of the Council of the European Union]], Mercouri invited the Ministers for Culture of the other nine [[Member State of the European Union|member states of the European Union]] at [[Zappeion]], in order to increase the people's cultural awareness, since there was not any reference to cultural questions in the [[Treaties of Rome|Treaty of Rome]], which led to the establishment of formal sessions between the Ministers of Culture of the European Union.

During the second presidency of Greece in 1988, she supported the cooperation between [[Eastern Europe]] and the European Union, which was finally implemented one year later with the celebration of the Month of Culture in Eastern countries.<ref>((cite book|author=Kiran Klaus Patel|title=The Cultural Politics of Europe: European Capitals of Culture and European Union since the 1980s|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2qNvFjgr024C&pg=PT183|date=7 June 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-17153-6|pages=183))</ref>

Mercouri commissioned a study for the integration of all the archaeological sites of Athens to create a traffic-free archaeological park to promote the [[Culture of Greece|Greek culture]]. She introduced free access to museums and archaeological sites for Greek citizens, organized a series of exhibitions of Greek cultural heritage and [[modern Greek art]] worldwide, supported the restoration of buildings of special architectural interest and the completion of the [[Athens Concert Hall]], and backed the establishment of the [[Museum of Byzantine culture]] in [[Thessaloniki]].<ref>((cite book|author1=Elijah Howarth|author2=F. R. Rowley|author3=W. Ruskin Butterfield|author4=Charles Madeley|title=The Museums Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3XouAAAAMAAJ|year=1994|publisher=Museums Association|page=13))</ref>

In June 1986, Melina Mercouri spoke at the [[Oxford Union]], the debating society, on the matter of the Parthenon Marbles and whether they should remain in London or be returned to Greece. She argued passionately for the Marbles' reunification. She said the Marbles are more to Greece than just works of art: they are an essential element of Greek heritage, which ties directly into cultural identity. She said: "You must understand what the Parthenon Marbles mean to us. They are our pride. They are our sacrifices. They are our noblest symbol of excellence. They are a tribute to the democratic philosophy. They are our aspirations and our name. They are the essence of Greekness."<ref name="oxford">((cite web|author = Ian Windale|title = The Parthenon Marbles, Melina's Speech to the Oxford Union|url = http://www.parthenon.newmentor.net/speech.htm|date=9 February 1997))</ref>

===Minister for Culture: 1993–1994===
In the [[November 1989 Greek legislative election|legislative elections of November 1989]], PASOK lost and Mercouri was elected a member of the Hellenic Parliament and remained a member of the party's Executive Bureau. In 1990, she was a candidate for [[List of mayors of Athens|Mayor of Athens]] but she was defeated by [[Antonis Tritsis]].<ref>((cite book|title=Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o5UrAQAAIAAJ|year=1991|publisher=Delegation of the Commission of the European Communities|page=33))</ref>

After PASOK's win in the [[1993 Greek legislative election|election of 1993]], she was reappointed to the Ministry for Culture.<ref name="yppo">((Cite web |title=ΥΠΟΥΡΓΕΙΟ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΑΘΛΗΤΙΣΜΟΥ- Αρχική Σελίδα |url=https://www.culture.gov.gr/el/SitePages/default.aspx |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=www.culture.gov.gr))</ref> Her major goals in this brief second term in office were: to create a cultural park in the [[Aegean Sea]] in order to protect and enhance the environment and civilization of the [[Aegean Islands]], and to link culture with education at all [[Education in Greece|education levels]], introducing a system of post-training of teachers.

==Death==
Mercouri died on 6 March 1994 at [[Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center]], [[New York City]], from [[lung cancer]].<ref>((Cite news |last=Flint |first=Peter B. |date=1994-03-07 |title=Melina Mercouri, Actress and Politician, Is Dead |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/07/obituaries/melina-mercouri-actress-and-politician-is-dead.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331))</ref>

Her sole immediate survivor was her husband, Jules Dassin. The couple had no children. She received a [[state funeral]] with [[Prime Minister of Greece|Prime Minister]]'s honors. She was buried at the [[First Cemetery of Athens]] four days later.

The Melina Mercouri Foundation was founded by her widower. After her death, [[UNESCO]] established the Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes (UNESCO-Greece) which rewards outstanding examples of action to safeguard and enhance the world's major cultural landscapes.<ref name="yppo" /><ref name="foundation">((Cite web |title=Melina Mercouri Foundation |url=http://www.melinamercourifoundation.org.gr/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=www.melinamercourifoundation.org.gr))</ref>

==Works==
===Filmography===
{| class="wikitable" 
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Stella (1955 film)|Stella]]''
| Stella
| 
|-
| 1957
| ''[[He Who Must Die]]''
| Katerina
|
|-
| 1958
| ''[[The Gypsy and the Gentleman]]''
| Belle
|
|-
| 1959
| ''[[The Law (1959 film)|The Law]]''
| Donna Lucrezia
|
|-
| 1960
| ''[[Never on Sunday]]''
| Ilya
| Won—[[Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award]] <br />Nominated—[[Academy Award for Best Actress]]<br />Nominated—[[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress]]<br />Nominated—[[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress]]
|-
| rowspan=2|1961
| ''Long Live Henry IV... Long Live Love''
| Marie de Médicis
|
|-
| ''[[The Last Judgment (1961 film)|The Last Judgment]]''
| Foreign lady 
|
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Phaedra (film)|Phaedra]]''
| Phaedra
| Nominated—[[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress]]<br />Nominated—[[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
|-
| rowspan=2|1963
| ''[[The Victors (1963 film)|The Victors]]''
| Magda
|
|-
| ''Canzoni nel mondo''
| Himself
|
|-
| 1964
| ''[[Topkapi (film)|Topkapi]]''
| Elizabeth Lipp 
| Won—[[David di Donatello Awards|Golden Plate David di Donatello Award]]<br />Nominated—[[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical]]
|-
| 1965
| ''[[The Uninhibited]]''
| Jenny
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1966
| ''[[A Man Could Get Killed]]''
| Aurora
|
|-
| ''[[10:30 P.M. Summer]]''
| Maria
|
|-
| 1969
| ''[[Gaily, Gaily]]''
| Lil
|
|-
| 1970
| ''[[Promise at Dawn (1970 film)|Promise at Dawn]]''
| Nina Kacew
| Nominated—[[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
|-
| 1974
| ''[[The Rehearsal (1974 film)|The Rehearsal]]''
| Belle
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1975
| ''[[Once Is Not Enough (film)|Once Is Not Enough]]''
| Karla
|
|-
| ''Kipros''
| Herself
|
|-
| 1977
| ''Nasty Habits''
| Sister Gertrude
|
|-
| 1978
| ''[[A Dream of Passion]]''
| Maya
|
|-
| 1981
| ''Gynaikes stin exoria''
| Narrator
| Voice, short, (final film role)
|}

===Tribute===
The song "Melina" by [[Camilo Sesto]] (from the 1975 album ''Amor libre'') is dedicated to Melína Merkoúri.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.elconfidencial.com/cultura/2019-09-10/camilo-sesto-cancion-melina-mercouri_2216319/|title=¿Quién fue 'Melina'? La extraordinaria mujer que da título a la canción de Camilo Sesto|date=10 September 2019|website=El Confidencial|language=es|access-date=11 September 2019))</ref><ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/es-mx/entretenimiento/famosos/%C2%BFqui%C3%A9n-es-melina-la-de-la-famosa-canci%C3%B3n-de-camilo-sesto-es-una-mujer-y-no-es-un-tema-de-amor%E2%80%A6/ar-AAGZw2Y|title=¿Quién es Melina, la de la famosa canción de Camilo Sesto? Es una mujer. Y no es un tema de amor…|website=www.msn.com|access-date=11 September 2019))</ref>

On 18 October 2015, [[Google Doodle]] commemorated her 95th birthday.<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.google.com/doodles/melina-mercouris-95th-birthday|title=Melina Mercouri's 95th Birthday|date=18 October 2015))</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Athens Metro Acropolis station.jpg|[[Athens Metro]] Acropolis station. Melina's photograph on the right.
File:Aankomst Melina Mercouri . Melina Mercouri, Bestanddeelnr 921-3505.jpg|Melina Mercouri (14 May 1968), Nijs, Jac. de, Anefo
File:Aankomst Melina Mercouri . Melina Mercouri, Bestanddeelnr 921-3506.jpg|Melina Mercouri (14 May 1968), Nijs, Jac. de, Anefo
File:Aankomst Melina Mercouri op CS Amsterdam met baret en Griekse vlag op CS, Bestanddeelnr 921-3496.jpg|Melina Mercouri, Amsterdam, Greek flag (1968), Nijs, Jac. de, Anefo
File:Melina Mercouri signature.svg|Melina Mercouri's signature (14 May 1989), Visitors Book of the [[Kavala]] Municipal Library
File:Statue of Melina Mercouri (5986565301).jpg|Statue of Melina Mercouri, Vasilisis Amalias Avenue, Athens (2010)

</gallery>

==Notes==
((notelist))

==References==
((Reflist))

==External links==
*((IMDb name|id=0580479|name=Melina Mercouri))
*((IBDB name))
*Facebook: [https://facebook.com/melinamercouriofficial/ Melina Mercouri on Facebook]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071208225625/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/1015117/Melina-Mercouri Melina Mercouri] at ''[[The New York Times]] Movies''

((s-start))
((s-off))
((s-bef|before=Andreas Andrianopoulos))
((s-ttl|title=[[Minister for Culture (Greece)|Minister for Culture of Greece]]|years=1981–1989))
((s-aft|after=[[Georgios Mylonas]]))
((s-bef|before=[[Dora Bakoyannis]]))
((s-ttl|title=[[Minister for Culture (Greece)|Minister for Culture of Greece]]|years=1993–1994))
((s-aft|after=[[Thanos Mikroutsikos]]))
((s-end))

((Prix d'interprétation féminine 1960–1979))
((Authority control))

((DEFAULTSORT:Mercouri, Melina))
[[Category:Greek film actresses]]
[[Category:Greek stage actresses]]
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:Culture ministers of Greece]]
[[Category:Greek actor-politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Greek women singers]]
[[Category:Actresses from Athens]]
[[Category:Singers from Athens]]
[[Category:Greek women activists]]
[[Category:Greek democracy activists]]
[[Category:Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in New York (state)]]
[[Category:European integration pioneers]]
[[Category:Greek socialists]]
[[Category:Greek socialist feminists]]
[[Category:Members of the Panhellenic Liberation Movement]]
[[Category:PASOK politicians]]
[[Category:Greek MPs 1977–1981]]
[[Category:Greek MPs 1981–1985]]
[[Category:Greek MPs 1985–1989]]
[[Category:Greek MPs 1989 (June–November)]]
[[Category:Greek MPs 1989–1990]]
[[Category:Greek MPs 1990–1993]]
[[Category:Greek MPs 1993–1996]]
[[Category:Women government ministers of Greece]]
[[Category:Burials at the First Cemetery of Athens]]
[[Category:20th-century Greek actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century Greek women politicians]]
[[Category:Politicians from Athens]]
[[Category:Greek expatriates in France]]
[[Category:Greek expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:Elgin Marbles]]
[[Category:Arvanites]]

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