Smaro Stefanidou was a Greek

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 theatre, film, television and radio actress.

Biography

Her family's origin is from Asia Minor

Asia Minor

Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...

. She graduated from Business School in Athens, she learned foreign languages and the piano. From a very young age she presented plays for children. Without telling her parents, she worked to pay for her tuition at the National Theatre

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...

 Drama School, as her parents didn't want her to become an actress.

After her graduation from the Drama School, in 1937, she was hired by the top theatre star of these times, Marika Kotopouli

Marika Kotopouli

-Biography:Kotopouli was born on 3 May 1887 in Athens, to Dimitris and Eleni. Her parents were also actors, and Marika's first stage appearance came during one of their tours, in the play "The Coachman of the Alps"...

. Since 1952 she was the main character actress in the company of Vassilis Logothetidis, with whom she stayed until his death, in 1960.

She also she acted alongside Katerina, Elli Lampeti, Dimitris Horn

Dimitris Horn

Dimitris Horn was a Greek theatrical and film performer. He is regarded probably as the greatest Greek actor of modern times.-Biography:...

, Lambros Konstantaras

Lambros Konstantaras

Lambros Konstantaras was a Greek stage and screen actor, one of the best actors in Greece. Konstantaras was born in Athens on March 13, 1913. He studied acting in Paris and graduated in 1933, making his theatre debut in France in 1937. He debuted in Greece the following year...

, Giannis Fertis, Xenia Kalogeropoulou, Aliki Vougiouklaki

Aliki Vougiouklaki

Aliki Vougiouklaki was a Greek actress. She is considered as one of the most popular and successful actresses of Greek cinema.-Biography:...

, Stefanos Lineos, Giannis Gkionakis, Nikos Kourkoulos

Nikos Kourkoulos

Nikos Kourkoulos was a highly respected Greek theatrical and film performer, one of the most talented and recognizable actors in Greece of modern times...

, Antonis Antypas and many more.

A bright point in her career was her rendition of queen Hecuba

Hecuba

Hecuba was a queen in Greek mythology, the wife of King Priam of Troy during the Trojan War, with whom she had 19 children. These children included several major characters of Homer's Iliad such as the warriors Hector and Paris, and the prophetess Cassandra...

 in the play Trojan Women by 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...

 translated and directed by Giannis Tsarouchis at a makeshift theatre on Kaplanon Street and in Delphi

Delphi

Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god...

  At the "Tsarouhis Academy", as she playfully called it, she learned a lot from the charismatic artist.

She made her first cinema appearance in 1951, with G. Zervos' film "Four steps". Since then, she appeared in many movies, among which adaptations of theatre plays in which she had played. She also worked a lot for the radio, taking part in radio serials, radio theatre and readings of novels.

She married singer - chansonnier Vassos Seitanidis (1913–1965) and in 1951 they had a daughter, Leda - Irene, now known as Leda Shantala, a yoga teacher, Bharata natyam dancer/teacher/choreographer and dance therapist.

Smaro Stefanidou and her daughter, in the fall of 2003, created the "Shantom House of Culture", in Chalandri (a suburb of Athens), a centre hosting lessons, workshops and seminars (dance, yoga, martial arts, theatre, alternative therapies etc...) as well as performances.
She died in 2010, at the age of 97.

1937-1940: Marika Kotopouli Company

• Anghelos Terzakis Gamilio emvatirio (Wedding March)
• Geri 6th floor
• D'Usseau - Gau Deep are the roots
• Bernard Shaw Mrs Warren's profession
• Dimitris Bogris Kainourgia zoi (New Life)
• Dimitris Bogris Everything will change ... Mrs Asprodonti
• Andre Aube Don Juan
• Pandelis Horn Meltemaki (Light breeze)
• Sophokles Electra ... Chorus leader
• and more

1940-1942: Katerina Andreadi Company

• Yalamas - Oekonomidis - Thisvios War quadrilles
• Hayermann Good faith
• S. Bekefy Come on the first of the month
• and others

1942-1944: Art Theatre

• Ibsen Wild Goose
• Strindberg Swanevit
• G. Sevastikoglou Konstantine and Helene
• Pirandello Cosi' e', se vi pare (As you like it)
• Erkin Cauldwell For a piece of land
• Grigorios Xenopoulos Stella Violandi ... Stella's mother, Maria Violandi
• and others

1944: Katerina Andreadi Company

• Victorien Sardou Madame Sans-Gene
• Leo Lentz Lady I love you

1952-1960: Vassilis Logothetidis Company

• Sakellarios - Yannakopoulos Despinis eton 39 (An old maid of 39)
• Yorgos Roussos Ena votsalo sti limni (A Pebble in the Lake,
• Sakellarios - Yannakopoulos Triti kai dekatris (Tuesday and the 13th,
• Dimitris Psathas Enas vlakas kai misos (A very stupid fellow),
• Yorgos Tzavellas O erastis erchetai (The Lover is Coming)
• Feydaux A beating on the bottom
• Nikos Tsiforos O teleftaios timios (The Last Honest Man)
• and many more

1960-1962: Dimitris Horn Company

• McDougall - Alan The coward and the bold
• Sakellarios - Yannakopoulos Woe to the young
• Anouil Travellers without luggage
• and more

1962-63

In the summer of 1962 she took part in the musical play by Bost - Theodorakis Omorfi poli (Beautiful City) (Park Theatre)
In the winter of 1962-63 she appeared again with Dimitris Horn in the plays

• Georges Neveux What is Zamor
• Marc Camoletti Girls up in the air

Immediately after, with the Lambros Konstandaras Company in the plays

• Yorgos Roussos Karre tis damas (Carre of Queens) (with Vylma Kyrou and Lambros Konstandaras)
• W. Somerset Maugham Rain (with L. Konstandaras and Maro Kondou).

1964-67: Various troupes

• 1964-65 Neil Simon Barefoot in the Park (Elli Lambeti Company)
• 1964-65 Tennessee Williams A Streetcar named design. (Elli Lambeti Company)
• 1965 Pretenderis - Yalamas Mias pendaras niata (Threepenny Youth) (during the summer season at the Minoa Theatre, and in the winter season at the Amiral Theatre)... Marika
• 1966 Yalamas - Pretenderis I komissa tis fabrikas (The Countess of the Factory) (Kondou - Linaios - Rizos - Stefanidou Company)
• 1967 Dimitris Psathas Achortagos (The Insatiable) (Yannis Gionakis - Christina Silva - Yannis Michalopoulos - Smaro Stefanidou company) at the Alhambra Theatre
• 1967 Yorgos Roussos Exi fores tin evdomada (Six times per week) (in the summer, with the same company, at the Bournelli Theatre)

1967-1984

A small selection of her many theatrical appearances

• Pirandello Il piacere dell'onesta' (The Pleasure of Honesty) (Yannis Fertis - Xenia Kalogeropoulou company)
• Leonard Gershe.Butterflies are Free (Yannis Fertis - Xenia Kalogeropoulou company)
• Kazantzakis Zorbas (Zorba the Greek) (Yannis Voglis - Smaro Stefanidou company, directed by Nikos Charalambous)
• Julia (Aliki Vouyuklaki company)
• Alexandre Dumas La dame aux camelias (Aliki Vouyuklaki company, directed by Mauro Bolognini)
• Hit (Dimitris Horn company, Kappa theatre)
• Euripides Trojan Women (translated and directed by Yannis Tsarouchis at the Kaplanon Street Theatre - in the role of Hecuba)
• Yannis Dalianidis Ikosi yinekes ki ego (Twenty Women and I (Kostas Voutsas Company)
• Robert Thomas Huit Femmes (Eight Women) (Kalouta Theatre)
• Leonard Gershe The Ship of Fools (Bournelli Theatre)
• Alexej Galin Retro (Titos Vandis Company, Broadway Theatre, 1984)
• Francoise Sagan Bonheur, impair et passe (Christos Politis - Andonis Andypas Company, at the Simple Theatre)

Films

Year	Film	Transliteration	Role
1951	The Four Steps	Τα τέσσερα σκαλοπάτια Ta tessera skalopatia	Loukia Asprokotsyfa
1952	The Tower of Knights	Ο πύργος των ιπποτών O pyrgos ton ippoton	Orsa Delarossa
1953	Santa Chiquita	Σάντα Τσικίτα	Mrs. Delacovia
1954	A' 39 Year Miss	Δεσποινίς ετών 39 Despinis eton 39	Chrysanthi Karadari
1956	The jealous husband	Ο ζηλιαρόγατος O ziliarogatos	Mina Moutsopoulou
1957	The lover of all women	Ο γυναικάς O ghinaikas	Kotina Frabala-Zouboulou
1960	Three dolls and myself!	Τρεις κούκλες κι εγώ! Treis koukles ki ego	Hrissa
1960	Maddalena	Μανταλένα '	Pipitsa
1961	Woe to the young!	Αλλοίμονο στους νέους Allimono stous neous	Eleni
...	Voyage Voyage - In music: :* Voyage * Voyage * Voyage , by In Fear and Faith* Voyage , by Ayumi Hamasaki* Voyage , a disco music group** Voyage, an album by the eponymous band...	Ταξίδι Taxidi
...	The lover is coming	Ο εραστής έρχεται O erastis erchetai
...	Lucky for me I've gone mad	Ευτυχώς τρελλάθηκα Evtyhos trellathika
1964	My Greek Wedding	Γάμος αλά Ελληνικά Gamos ala Ellinika	Petros' mother
1964	Aristeidis and his Ladies	Ο Αριστείδης και τα κορίτσια του O Aristidis ke ta koritsia tou	Evdokia
1967	Mia pendaras niata	Μιας πεντάρας νιάτα'	Marika Konstandinou
1968	The madman is the sanest of all	Ο τρελός τα 'χει 400	Sultana
1973	20 Ladies and I	20 γυναίκες κι εγώ 20 yinekes ki ego	Smaro Filippou

Theatrical plays on television

• Dimitris Psathas: "The coward and the brave"
• Dimitris Psathas: "Dumb and dumber"
• "Never lose faith"

etc.

Television series

• Dimitris Nikolaidis: The mister, the mistress and the mama
• Yannis Tziotis: Love stories
• "The last grandchildren" (from Tasos Athanasiadis' novel)
• Yorgos Konstandinou: "All four of them were wonderful"

Radio

She took part, for a great number of years, in many theatrical and literary radio shows, as well as in radio serials such as:

• "The tongue that embroiders" and
• "Baroness Staff".

She read, in installments, the novels:

• A hundred years of solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  Gabriel García Márquez
  Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
  
  ,
• The third wreath by Kostas Tachtsis,
• The decadence of the hard ones by Anghelos Terzakis