Marika Kotopouli (1887-1954) was a Greek actress, who stood out mainly as a tragedian. Her performance is considered unrepeatable and she received many accolades and honors for her work. Later she got her own theater in Athens. Great Greek actresses such as Eleni Papadaki, Katina Paxinou, Anna Sikelianou, Melina Merkouri and Elli Lampeti studied under her. Her personal life was also fascinating. Her legendary youthful relationship (1908) with the politician and thinker Ionas Dragoumis stands out. In 1923, Marika Kotopouli married the theater entrepreneur Giorgos Helmis.
She was buried at public expense the day after her death, after her coffin was first exposed in the Athens Cathedral in a popular pilgrimage. Her grave was unearthed in the luxury zone of the First Cemetery of Athens by her husband. She is adorned with a full-length bronze statue representing her acting on stage. It is the work of the sculptor Klearchos Loukopoulos (1906-1995). This is the first and only full-length female figure in the cemetery square.
City of Athens, Department of Culrural Heritage, 2023
@ text: Georgia Antonopoulou, PhD
@ photo: Victoria Kaisari, Georgia Antonopoulou