Beloved Greek actress Anna Panagiotopoulou who starred in some of the most popular series on television passed away on Saturday in Athens. She was 76.
Panagiotopoulou has been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in recent years.
She became famous after starring in the Greek series “Madame Sousou” in 1986. A major hit of her career was starring as one of the three Haritou sisters in the Greek hit series “Oi treis harites” during 1990-1992. Another major hit was playing Christina Markatou in the “Dolce Vita” Greek series from 1995-1996.
Panagiotopoulou was born in Kypseli, Athens on July 30, 1947. She grew up in a family that had nothing to do with acting, but she expressed her desire to become an actress from an early age.
Her parents were against it and they urged her to take advantage of a scholarship she had and go to study in Switzerland.
However, as she humorously stated in an interview, she “spent the money” of the scholarship and went back to pursue her dream by studying at the National Theater in Athens.
She began appearing in plays at Athens’ theaters and she gradually became recognized for her talents by the public. She became a founding member of the “Free Theatre” (Ελεύθερο Θέατρο) in 1973, an initiative that brought together many actors that revolutionized the Greek theater.
She was appearing on stage but at the same time, she was doing other part-time jobs to earn a living. Next stop was television where she became a household name.
Anna Panagiotopoulou starred in among the best Greek TV series
In 1986, she starred in a television series that became a milestone in her career, the ERT series, “Madame Sousou”.
She became particularly loved by younger people from her roles in “Oi treis harites” with Mina Adamaki and Nena Mendi and “Dolce Vita” who played Christina, a widow, who fell in love with her daughter’s much younger partner.
She has also starred in major Greek films such as “Safe Sex” on 1999, and “To klama vgike apo ton paradeiso” in 2001.
In addition to acting she also was a TV presnter. During the 2003-2004 television season, she co-presented together the game show “The Millions Show”, which premiered in October 2003 on MEGA TV.
Anna Panagiotopoulou, despite the great success she had as an actress, had managed to keep her personal life out of the public eye. She married in 1972 and had a son, Dimitris.
She gave a few interviews during her life. The following is in Greek.