Maria Nafpliotou
Encyclopedia
Maria Nafpliotou is a Greek
actress.She was born and raised in Athens, where she still resides. She took up dancing while at school. She initially started her dancing lessons at the Rodopi Kouvari Dancing School but continued her studies at the Rallou Manou
Professional Dancing School, whence she graduated. After she completed her studies, she started her professional career as a dancer, as a member of Rallou Manou's Greek Chorodram between 1987 and 1992 and a member of the modern dancing group Andromeda between 1990-1992. From 1992 to 1996 she was the lead dancer for the dancetheater group Roes, formed by Sofia Spyratou.
In 1992 she made her first appearance on the big screen in the movie Island. In 1993 she was the leading lady of the short-length film From Now On ( Apo do kai pera) by Maria Douza. From 1996 to 1998 she studied drama at the George Kimoulis Modern Theater Of Athens drama school. She had previously had acting lessons at the Giannis Rigas workshop.In 1996 she appeared on television for the first time, taking part in the TV film Niovi Was Dancing Her Life (I Niovi horeve ti zoi tis) by Alexandros Papailiou, while in the season 1998-1999 she became widely known and recognised starring in the critically acclaimed TV series The Room Of The Throne (I Aithousa tou Thronou), under the direction of Pigi Dimitrakopoulou ( Mega Channel). Since then she has starred in selected TV productions, namely Stand by Me (Meine dipla mou) by Reina Eskenazi and 10 again by Pigi Dimitrakopoulou. In January 1999 she made her first appearance on stage as Catherine Holly in Tennessee Williams
' Suddenly, Last Summer
at the New Stage of the National Theatre of Greece
under the direction of Korais Damatis. In the summer of the same year she held the role of Antigone in Euripides' Foinisses, a production of the National Theatre of Northern Greece in Epidavros, Herodion and other ancient theaters She has a remarkable career at theater working mostly at the National Theatre. She has participated at plays such as Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Love's labour's lost, King Lear
, Dostoevsky's The idiot, Ibsen’s Ellida in The Lady From the Sea, Molière
's Don Juan
, Euripides
's Iphigeneia in Tauris
and The Trojan Women, Aeschylus
's Oresteia. She has also participated in two dance theater performances written and directed by Constantinos Rigos. Much of her work has been as a member of the successful Experimental Theatrical Group of the National Theatre of Greece under the direction of Stathis Livathinos, with whom she continued working in Mikhail Lermontov's Masquerade
, in J.M.Synge's Playboy of the Western World and in Carmen
,an adaptation of Bizet’s opera and Merime’s work. In September 2010 she portrayed Dushanka in Goran Bregovic
’s monologue Diaries of a Sad Queen, successfully presented in Herodion. Her movie career includes 3 films: Hariton’s Choir (I Horodia tou Haritona),for which she received a Best Actress Award in the 22nd Alexandreia’s Film Festival, Soul Kicking (I psychi sto stoma-Best Supporting Actress National Award) and Dying In Athens(Pethainontas stin Athina).
Maria Nafpliotou, playing an ancient Greek high priestess, lit the Olympic torch for the 2008 Beijing Olympics using the sun's rays, starting the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay.
On October 22, 2009, she repeated the performance, starting the 2010 Winter Olympics torch relay.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
actress.She was born and raised in Athens, where she still resides. She took up dancing while at school. She initially started her dancing lessons at the Rodopi Kouvari Dancing School but continued her studies at the Rallou Manou
Rallou Manou
Rallou Manou was a noted Greek choreographer and modern dancer. She lived on the island of Hydra.She led the Hellenic Choreodrama, a group that presented dance-dramas based on Ancient Greek literature. Her works were often performed at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus of Athens...
Professional Dancing School, whence she graduated. After she completed her studies, she started her professional career as a dancer, as a member of Rallou Manou's Greek Chorodram between 1987 and 1992 and a member of the modern dancing group Andromeda between 1990-1992. From 1992 to 1996 she was the lead dancer for the dancetheater group Roes, formed by Sofia Spyratou.
In 1992 she made her first appearance on the big screen in the movie Island. In 1993 she was the leading lady of the short-length film From Now On ( Apo do kai pera) by Maria Douza. From 1996 to 1998 she studied drama at the George Kimoulis Modern Theater Of Athens drama school. She had previously had acting lessons at the Giannis Rigas workshop.In 1996 she appeared on television for the first time, taking part in the TV film Niovi Was Dancing Her Life (I Niovi horeve ti zoi tis) by Alexandros Papailiou, while in the season 1998-1999 she became widely known and recognised starring in the critically acclaimed TV series The Room Of The Throne (I Aithousa tou Thronou), under the direction of Pigi Dimitrakopoulou ( Mega Channel). Since then she has starred in selected TV productions, namely Stand by Me (Meine dipla mou) by Reina Eskenazi and 10 again by Pigi Dimitrakopoulou. In January 1999 she made her first appearance on stage as Catherine Holly in Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
' Suddenly, Last Summer
Suddenly, Last Summer
Suddenly, Last Summer is a one-act play by Tennessee Williams. It opened off Broadway on January 7, 1958, as part of a double bill with another of Williams's one-acts, Something Unspoken. The presentation of the two plays was given the overall title Garden District, but Suddenly, Last Summer is...
at the New Stage of the National Theatre of Greece
National Theatre of Greece
The National Theatre of Greece is based in Athens, Greece.-History:The theatre was originally founded in 1880 with a grant from King George I and Efstratios Rallis to give theatre a permanent home in Athens...
under the direction of Korais Damatis. In the summer of the same year she held the role of Antigone in Euripides' Foinisses, a production of the National Theatre of Northern Greece in Epidavros, Herodion and other ancient theaters She has a remarkable career at theater working mostly at the National Theatre. She has participated at plays such as Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Love's labour's lost, King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
, Dostoevsky's The idiot, Ibsen’s Ellida in The Lady From the Sea, Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's Don Juan
Don Juan
Don Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
, Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
's Iphigeneia in Tauris
Iphigeneia in Tauris
Iphigenia in Tauris is a drama by the playwright Euripides, written between 414 BC and 412 BC. It has much in common with another of Euripides's plays, Helen, and is often described as a romance, a melodrama or an escape play.-Background:...
and The Trojan Women, Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
's Oresteia. She has also participated in two dance theater performances written and directed by Constantinos Rigos. Much of her work has been as a member of the successful Experimental Theatrical Group of the National Theatre of Greece under the direction of Stathis Livathinos, with whom she continued working in Mikhail Lermontov's Masquerade
Masquerade (play)
Masquerade is a verse play written in 1835 by the Russian Romantic writer Mikhail Lermontov. The four-act play, set in 1830's St. Petersburg aristocratic society, highlights the rebellious spirit and noble mind of the protagonist, Eugene Arbenin.-Plot:...
, in J.M.Synge's Playboy of the Western World and in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
,an adaptation of Bizet’s opera and Merime’s work. In September 2010 she portrayed Dushanka in Goran Bregovic
Goran Bregovic
Goran Bregović is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Balkans. He currently splits his time between Paris and Belgrade, where he settled down during the Yugoslav Wars.Bregović has composed for such varied artists as Iggy Pop and Cesária Évora...
’s monologue Diaries of a Sad Queen, successfully presented in Herodion. Her movie career includes 3 films: Hariton’s Choir (I Horodia tou Haritona),for which she received a Best Actress Award in the 22nd Alexandreia’s Film Festival, Soul Kicking (I psychi sto stoma-Best Supporting Actress National Award) and Dying In Athens(Pethainontas stin Athina).
Maria Nafpliotou, playing an ancient Greek high priestess, lit the Olympic torch for the 2008 Beijing Olympics using the sun's rays, starting the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay.
On October 22, 2009, she repeated the performance, starting the 2010 Winter Olympics torch relay.