Smaro Stefanidou

Smaro Stefanidou (; 9 April 1913 – 7 November 2010 ) was a Greek theatre, film, television and radio actress.

Biography Stefanidou family originated in Asia Minor. From a very young age, she acted in plays for children. She learned foreign languages and the piano while attending business school in Athens, and worked to pay for her tuition at the National Theatre Drama School without her parents knowing, as they did not want her to become an actress. She graduated from the Drama School in 1937, after which she was hired by Marika Kotopouli. In 1952, she joined Vassilis Logothetidis's acting company, where she stayed until his death in 1960. During her career, she acted alongside Katerina, Elli Lampeti, Dimitris Horn, Lambros Konstantaras, Giannis Fertis, Xenia Kalogeropoulou, Aliki Vougiouklaki, Stefanos Lineos, Giannis Gkionakis, Nikos Kourkoulos, Antonis Antypas and many more. She played Queen Hecuba in the play Trojan Women, translated and directed by Giannis Tsarouchis and performed at a makeshift theatre on Kaplanon Street and in Delphi.

In 1951, she made her cinematic debut in The Four Steps. From there, she appeared in many movies, including adaptations of theatre plays she had performed onstage. She also worked in radio, taking part in radio serials, radio theatre and readings of novels. Her radio serials included The tongue that embroiders and Baroness Staff, and she read, in installments, A hundred years of solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, The third wreath by Kostas Tachtsis, and The decadence of the hard ones by Angelos Terzakis.

Stefanidou married singer-songwriter Vassos Seitanidis (1913–1965) and they had one daughter, Leda-Irene. Leda is a yoga teacher, Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, teacher, and dance therapist. In 2003, Stefanidou and Leda opened the Shantom House of Culture in Chalandri, where they hosted lessons, workshops, seminars, and performances. Stefanidou died in 2010, at the age of 97, and is buried in the First Cemetery.

Selected works Theatre

Company Year Play Transliteration Playwright Role Notes Ref(s) Kotopouli Company 1937–1940 Wedding March Gamilio emvatirio Terzakis 6th floor Ékto pátoma Gehri Deep Are the Roots Vathiés eínai oi rízes d'Usseau Mrs. Warren's Profession To epángelma tis kyrías Gouóren Shaw The New Life Kainourgia zoi Bogris Everything will change Όλα θ' αλλάξουν Mrs Asprodonti Don Juan Don Zouán Aube Light breeze Meltemaki Horn Electra Iléktra Sophokles Chorus leader Andreadi Company 1940–1942 War quadrilles Polemikés kantrílies Yalamas, Oekonomidis, and Thisvios Good faith Í kalí elpída Hagermann Come on the first of the month Peráste tin próti tou minós Békeffy 1944 Madame Sans-Gêne Sardou Lady I love you Kyría sas agapó Lenz Art Theatre 1942–1944 The Wild Duck I agriópapia Ibsen Swanevit Souánevit Strindberg Konstantine and Helen Konstantínou kai Elénis Sevastikoglou Right You Are (if you think so) Étsi eínai, an étsi nomízete Pirandello For a piece of land Gia éna kommáti gis Cauldwell Stella Violandi Stélla Violánti Xenopoulos Maria Violandi United Artists Troupe 1946 Theodora Theodóra Fotiadis If you work, you'll eat An doulépseis, tha fas Manolidou-Pappas Company 1949–50 Logothetidis Company 1952–1960 An old maid of 39 Despinis eton 39 Sakellarios and Giannakopoulos A Pebble in the Lake Ena votsalo sti limni Roussos Tuesday and the 13th Triti kai dekatris Sakellarios and Giannakopoulos A very stupid fellow Enas vlakas kai misos Psathas The lovers arrive O erastis erchetai Tzavellas A beating on the bottom Feydeau The Last Honest Man O teleftaios timios Tsiforos Horn Company 1960–1962 The coward and the bold O deilós ki o tolmirós Allan and MacDougal Woe to the young Aloímono stous néous Sakellarios and Giannakopoulos Le Voyageur sans bagage Taxidiótis chorís aposkevés Anouilh 1962–63 What is Zamor? Ti eínai o Zamór Neveux Girls up in the air Korítsia ston aéra Camoletti 1967-1984 Hit Chit Kappa Theatre Park Theatre 1962 Beautiful City Ómorfi póli Bost and Theodorakis Konstantaras Company 1962–63 Carre of Queens Karre tis damas Roussos With Kyrou and Konstantaras Rain Vrochí Maugham With Konstantaras and Kontou Lambeti Company 1964–65 Barefoot in the Park Xypólitoi sto párko Simon A Streetcar Named Desire Leoforeíon o póthos Williams Minoa Theatre 1965 Threepenny Youth Mias pendaras niata Pretenteris and Yalamas Marika Summer season Amiral Theatre Winter season Kontou-Linaios-Rizos-Stefanidou Company 1966 The Countess of the Factory I komissa tis fabrikas Gionakis-Silva-Michalopoulos-Stefanidou Company 1967 The Insatiable O achórtagos Psathas At the Alhambra Theatre Six times per week Exi fores tin evdomada Roussos Summer season at the Bournelli Theatre Fertis-Kalogeropoulou Company 1967–1984 The Pleasure of Honesty I idoní tis timiótitas Pirandello Butterflies are Free Oi petaloúdes eínai eléftheres Gershe Voglis-Stefanidou company Zorbas Aléxis Zormpás Kazantzakis Directed by Nikos Charalambous Vougiouklaki company Julia Tzoúlia La Dame aux Camélias I kyría me tis kamélies Dumas Directed by Bolognini Kaplanon Street Theatre The Trojan Women Troádes Euripides Hecuba Translated and directed by Tsarouchis Voutsas Company Twenty Women and I Ikosi yinekes ki ego Dalianidis Kalouta Theatre Eight Women Októ gynaíkes katigoroúntai Thomas Bournelli Theatre The Ship of Fools To ploío ton trelón Gershe Politis - Antypas Company Bonheur, impair et passe Sagan At the Simple Theatre Vandis Company 1984 Retro Retró Galin Broadway Theatre

Films Year Film Transliteration Role Ref(s) 1951 The Four Steps Ta tessera skalopatia Loukia Asprokotsyfa 1952 The Tower of Knights O pyrgos ton ippoton Orsa Delarossa 1953 Santa Chiquita Sánta Tsikíta Mrs. Delacovia 1954 Despoinis eton 39 Despinis eton 39 Chrysanthi Karantari 1956 The Lovers Arrive O ziliarogatos Mina Moutsopoulou 1957 The lover of all women O ghinaikas Korina Frabala-Zouboulou 1960 Three dolls and myself! Treis koukles ki ego Chrysa 1960 Madalena Pipitsa 1961 Woe to the Young Allimono stous neous Eleni Voyage Taxidi Loula The lovers arrive O erastis erchetai Lucky for me I've gone mad Evtyhos trellathika 1964 My Greek Wedding Gamos ala Ellinika Petros' mother Aristeidis and his Ladies O Aristidis ke ta koritsia tou Evdokia Delaporta 1967 Threepenny youth Mia pendaras niata Marika Konstandinou 1968 The madman is the sanest of all O trellós táchei 400 Sultana 1973 20 Ladies and I 20 yinekes ki ego Smaro Filippou

Television Year Title Transliteration Role Notes Ref(s) 1971-1973 The mister, the mistress and the mama 1977 Monday Theatre Edim Bilingli Episode: "O deilos kai o tolmiros" by Dimitris Psathas 1986 Theodora Episode: "Enas vlakas kai misos" by Dimitris Psathas 1991 The last grandsons Elisavet Mangou Based on a novel by Tasos Athanasiadis 1992-1994 All four of them were wonderful Mirella ? Never lose faith ? Love stories By Yannis Tziotis