Michael Cacoyannis

@Film Director, Timeline and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Michael Cacoyannis was a distinguished Greek Cypriot film director, producer and screenwriter Greek Film & Theater Personalities Directors Gemini Celebrities Michael Cacoyannis was a distinguished Greek Cypriot film director, producer and screenwriter considered as one of the prominent torch bearers of Greek cinema in the international platform. He was most noted for the film ‘Zorba the Greek’ (‘Alexis Zorbas’) made in 1964 that drew international audience to Greek cinema. The film bagged several nominations including seven ‘Academy Awards’, of which it won three; one ‘Grammy Award’; five ‘Golden Globe Award’; and four ‘BAFTA’ awards. He was also a director of operas and stage plays that included a 1983 musical version of the ‘Zorba the Greek’. Several of his works were based on classical books, particularly the ones from the Greek tragedian Euripides. Over the years he had delivered a number of remarkable films that were both critically acclaimed and also garnered commercial success. Some notable films of Cacoyannis included ‘Windfall in Athens’ (‘Kyriakatiko xypnima’), ‘Stella’, ‘A Girl in Black’ (‘To koritsi me ta mavra’), ‘A Matter of Dignity’ (‘To telefteo psemma’), ‘Electra’, ‘The Wastrel’ (‘Il Relitto’) and ‘Iphigenia’. Among other awards and achievements he earned five ‘Academy Awards’ nominations, a record in itself for any Cypriot film personality. These included three for ‘Zorba the Greek’ for Best Film, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director; and one each in the category of Foreign Language Film for ‘Iphigenia’ and ‘Electra’.

Personal Details

Birthday: June 11, 1921 Died on: July 25, 2011 Nationality: Greek Famous: Film Director, Greek Men, Film & Theater Personalities, Directors Birth Place: Limassol, Cyprus Gender: Male Father: Sir Panayotis Loizou Cacoyannis Information Detail Birthday June 11, 1921 Died on July 25, 2011 Nationality Greek Famous Film Director, Greek Men, Film & Theater Personalities, Directors Birth Place Limassol, Cyprus Gender Male Father Sir Panayotis Loizou Cacoyannis Mother Lady Cacoyannis Sun Sign Gemini Born in Limassol, Cyprus Famous as Film Director Died at Age 90

Limassol, Cyprus

Michael Cacoyannis born at Unsplash Birth Place

Cacoyannis was romantically associated with Yael Dayan, an Israeli politician and author from 1959 to sometime in 1967. Unsplash Personal Life

On July 25, 2011, he passed away in Athens at the age of 90 years. Unsplash Personal Life

He was born on June 11, 1921, in Limassol, Cyprus, as the eldest son of Sir Panayotis Loizou Cacoyannis and Lady Cacoyannis. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

The government of the United Kingdom conferred knighthood to his father in 1936 for public services in Cyprus. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

His father sent him to London in 1939 in pursuit of making him a lawyer. He graduated in Law from London and was called to the Bar (Barrister-at-law) in 1943. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Cacoyannis joined the ‘BBC World Service’, the largest international broadcaster of the world, and within a short span of time took charge of the broadcaster’s newly set up Cyprus service. Unsplash Career

Initially he worked as a news announcer at the Cyprus service of BBC and later became a producer of cultural programs. Beba Clerides worked as his deputy there. She was sister of Glafkos Clerides, a RAF fighter pilot who later became President of Cyprus. Unsplash Career

During the ‘Second World War’, Cacoyannis produced several Greek-language shows for the ‘BBC World Service’. Simultaneously he attended the Central School of Dramatic Art in London to study acting. Unsplash Career

For a brief period he performed at the ‘Old Vic’, a theatre situated south-east of Waterloo Station in London, adopting the name Michael Yannis. However later he switched his focus on direction. Unsplash Career

As he was struggling in getting a proper opening as a director in the British film industry, he relocated to Greece in 1952 and settled in Athens. Unsplash Career

Information	Detail
Birthday	June 11, 1921
Died on	July 25, 2011
Nationality	Greek
Famous	Film Director, Greek Men, Film & Theater Personalities, Directors
Birth Place	Limassol, Cyprus
Gender	Male
Father	Sir Panayotis Loizou Cacoyannis
Mother	Lady Cacoyannis
Sun Sign	Gemini
Born in	Limassol, Cyprus
Famous as	Film Director
Died at Age	90

Michael Cacoyannis

Greek

Jun 11, 1921

Biography

Personal Details

Limassol, Cyprus