Stella Greka

Stella Greka
Στέλλα Γκρέκα
Born
Styliani Lagada

(1922-04-01)1 April 1922
Athens, Greece
Died6 January 2025(2025-01-06) (aged 102)
Dionysos, Greece
Citizenship
  • Greece
  • United States
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actress
Years active1943–2017
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1942; div. 1947)​
John Avgerinos
​
​
(m. 1950, died 1987)​
Children2

Stella Greka (Greek: Στέλλα Γκρέκα; born Styliani Lagada; 1 April 1922 – 6 January 2025) was a Greek singer and actress.

Early life

Greka was born in Athens, Attica, on 1 April 1922, the youngest of nine children in a poor family. Her birth name was Styliani Lagada (Στυλιανή Λαγκαδά). Her father was born in Plaka, in 1868. He was a set designer and worked with Evangelia Paraskevopoulou, as well as having relationships with other important people, including Pantelis Horn. At home, the family listened to operas and music.

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 suggested the name Stella Greka since she did not want to sing as Stella Laskou. She recorded a series of hits by well-known creators, such as "Let's go into the unknown" (Πάμε στο άγνωστο), "Last night" (Χθές το βράδυ), "Turn around" (Γύρισε), "Whatever you lose" (Τί κι αν χάθεις), and "Marina's song" (Το τραγούδι της Μαρίνας).

Career

Laskos convinced her to act in his film Broken Hearts (1945). Originally, Greka was going to star in Giorgios Tzavella's Applause alongside Attik and Dimitris Horn, but her husband wanted her to take part in his own film instead. Then, she acted in the film Forgotten Faces (1946) by Tzavellas, alongside Emilios Veakis, Giorgos Pappas and Lambros Konstandaras. The director, who appeared in one scene of the play as a car driver, denounced his creation as his biggest failure. She continued her film career with only one more film, Marina, where she again took the lead role. The film, written by Alekos Sakellarios and Christos Gianakopoulos and directed by Sakellarios, was a production of Filopimin Finos, a close friend of Greka and her husband, and was screened in March 1947. The film also starred Dimitris Myrat and Lambros Konstantaras. It was a great success due to Sakellarios's direction and the songs performed by Greka.

Later life and death

Greka, who had divorced Laskos, moved to the United States in the fall of 1947, staying with her brother Aggelos in New York City. In 1950, she married the Greek-American John Avgerinos, who was involved in shipbuilding. She devoted herself to her family and left her career behind, therefore her involvement in singing in America was limited.

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

Greka returned to Greece in 1987 and lived in Dionysos. She turned 100 on 1 April 2022.

Greka died from lung cancer complications on 6 January 2025, at the age of 102.

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Finos Film – Στέλλα Γκρέκα". 2 May 2016. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Επτακοίλη, Τασούλα (14 November 2017). "Στέλλα Γκρέκα: Έφηβη ετών 95". Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ (in Greek). Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  3. ↑ "Η Στέλλα Γκρέκα αφηγείται τη ζωή της στη LIFO | LiFO". www.lifo.gr (in Greek). 20 November 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  4. ↑ Πασσά, Μαρία (6 February 2022). "Στέλλα Γκρέκα: Η γυναίκα που τραγούδησε τα «Δύο πράσινα μάτια με μπλε βλεφαρίδες»". Pagenews.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  5. ↑ "Στέλλα Γκρέκα: Ένας θρύλος των 78 στροφών | Greek News". 24 April 2016. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  6. ↑ Démopoulos, Michel (1995). Le cinéma grec (in French). Centre Georges Pompidou. ISBN 978-2-85850-813-6.
  7. ↑ Πανσέληνος, Αλέξης. Ελαφρά ελληνικά τραγούδια (in Greek). Metaichmio Publications. ISBN 978-618-03-1518-9.
  8. ↑ Ρούβας, Άγγελος; Σταθακοπουλος, Χρηστος (2005). Ελληνικος κινηματογραφος: 1905–1970 (in Greek). Ελληνικα Γραμματα. ISBN 978-960-406-777-0.
  9. ↑ Γιαννακοπούλου, Ντόρα (6 July 2015). Μια ζωή σαν πρόβα (in Greek). Εκδόσεις Καστανιώτη. ISBN 978-960-03-5929-9.
  10. ↑ Μιχαηλιδης, Γιωργος (2000). Της επανάστασης, της μοναξιάς και της λαγνείας: μυθιστόρημα (in Greek). Εκδοσεις Καστανιωτη. ISBN 978-960-03-2762-5.
  11. ↑ Tachydromos (in Greek). 1990.
  12. ↑ "Στέλλα Γκρέκα & Αγγελος Παπαδημητρίου: H ντίβα και ο τζέντλεμαν". ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ (in Greek). 3 July 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  13. ↑ Μαγουλά, Μαίρη. Κύματα του Βοσπόρου (in Greek). Metaichmio Publications. ISBN 978-618-03-0315-5.
  14. ↑ Λιζάρδος, Αλέξανδρος Ρωμανός (1 April 2022). "Η Στέλλα Γκρέκα γίνεται 100 ετών". ertnews.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  15. ↑ "Η Στέλλα Γκρέκα γίνεται 100 ετών - Η γηραιότερη Ελληνίδα ηθοποιός και τραγουδίστρια - OLAFAQ". olafaq.gr (in Greek). 1 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  16. ↑ "Η Στέλλα Γκρέκα συμπλήρωσε έναν αιώνα ζωής και αυτή είναι η πλούσια βιογραφία της". Jenny (in Greek). 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  17. ↑ "Στέλλα Γκρέκα - 6 Ιανουαρίου 2025". www.ert.gr (in Greek). 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  18. ↑ IEFIMERIDA.GR, NEWSROOM (6 January 2025). "Πέθανε η Στέλλα Γκρέκα σε ηλικία 102 ετών -Tραγουδίστρια και ηθοποιός, είχε σαγηνεύσει με τη φωνή της τον βασιλιά Παύλο". iefimerida.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  19. ↑ Team, Gossip-tv (6 January 2025). "Στέλλα Γκρέκα: Έφυγε από τη ζωή η μεγαλύτερη σε ηλικία ελληνίδα ηθοποιός & τραγουδίστρια". Gossip-tv.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 6 January 2025.