Michael Cacoyannis (; ; 11 June 1921 – 25 July 2011) was a Cypriot and Greek filmmaker, playwright and actor. He is best known for writing, directing, producing, and editing Zorba the Greek (1964), an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel of the same name. He also directed the 1983 Broadway revival of the musical based on the film in addition to writing, directing, designing, and translating dozens of stage play and opera productions.

Cacoyannis was nominated for five Academy Awards, more than any other Cypriot: three of the nominations were for Zorba the Greek (Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay) whilst the other two were Best Foreign Language Film nominations for Electra (1962) and Iphigenia (1977). He received many other accolades, including the Technical Grand Prize and six Palme d'Or nominations at the Cannes Film Festival.

Early life Cacoyannis was born Michalis Kakogiannis in on 11 June 1921 in Limassol, which was then part of British Cyprus. His father, Panayotis Loizou Cacoyannis, had been knighted in King Edward VIII's 1936 Birthday Honours for public services in Cyprus.National Archives, Colonial Office Honours List, Birthday 1936: List by country of honours and names; Retrieved 13 April 2013Supplement to London Gazette, 23 June 1936; retrieved 13 April 1936. His sister, Stella Soulioti, became a politician.

Career In 1939, Cacoyannis was sent to London by his father to become a lawyer; however, after graduating from law school, he joined the BBC World Service and soon took charge of its new Cyprus Service. His deputy there was Beba Clerides, sister of Glafkos Clerides, a Royal Air Force fighter pilot who later became President of Cyprus.Cacoyannis obituary, The Independent, 27 July 2011; accessed 6 December 2014. After producing Greek-language programmes for the World Service during World War II,Erickson, Hal (2006). Allmovie Biography he enjoyed a brief stage acting career under the name Michael Yannis at The Old Vic before he began pursuing a filmmaking career. After having trouble finding a directing job in the British film industry, he moved to Athens in 1952 to instead work in the Greek film industry, where he soon made his directorial debut with Windfall in Athens (1953).

Cacoyannis' film Electra (1962) received an Academy Award nomination Best Foreign Language Film. His most notable work came when he wrote, directed, produced, and edited the film Zorba the Greek (1964), an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel of the same name, which earned him nominations for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. His film Iphigenia (1977) also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, bringing his Academy Award nominations to a total of five, more than any other Cypriot. His other accolades included the Technical Grand Prize and six Palme d'Or nominations at the Cannes Film Festival. He was offered the chance to direct Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando in the film Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), but he declined and the job went to American filmmaker John Huston.

Cacoyannis translated some of William Shakespeare's plays such as Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, and Hamlet into Greek, and Euripides' play The Bacchae into English. He directed the 1983 Broadway revival of the musical based on the film in addition to writing, directing, designing, and translating dozens of stage play and opera productions.

Personal life From 1959 to 1967, Cacoyannis was in a relationship with Israeli politician and author Yael Dayan, with whom he lived in Athens.

Death Cacoynnis suffered an acute coronary episode on 15 July 2011 and he was taken to Evangelismos Hospital. He died of cardiac arrest on 25 July 2011, at age 90. He was buried in the grounds of Michael Cacoyannis Foundation.

Filmography

Windfall in Athens (Kyriakatiko xypnima) (1954): director, screenwriter Stella (1955): director, screenwriter, producer A Girl in Black (To koritsi me ta mavra) (1956): director, screenwriter A Matter of Dignity (To telefteo psemma) (1957): director, screenwriter, producer Eroica (Our Last Spring) (1960): director, screenwriter, producer The Wastrel (Il Relitto) (1961): director, screenwriter Electra (1962): director, screenwriter, producer Zorba the Greek (Alexis Zorbas) (1964): director, screenwriter, producer The Day the Fish Came Out (Otan ta psaria vgikan sti steria) (1967): director, screenwriter, producer The Trojan Women (1971): director, screenwriter, producer The Story of Jacob and Joseph, director Attilas '74 (1975): director, producer Iphigenia (1977): director, screenwriter Sweet Country (Glykeia patrida) (1986): director, screenwriter, producer Up, Down and Sideways (Pano kato ke plagios) (1993): director, screenwriter, producer The Cherry Orchard (1999): director, screenwriter, producer

Bibliography Cacoyiannis, Michael. Diladi. Athens: Kastaniotis, 1990.

Awards and nominations

Cannes Film Festival 1954 : Golden Palm for "Windfall in Athens" – nominated 1955 : Golden Palm for "Stella" – nominated 1956 : Golden Palm for "A Girl in Black" – nominated 1957 : Golden Palm for "A Matter of Dignity" – nominated 1961 : Golden Palm for "The Wastrel" – nominated 1962 : Golden Palm for "Elektra" – nominated 1962 : Grand Jury Prize for "Elektra" – won 1962 : Technical Award for "Elektra" – won 1977 : Golden Palm for "Iphigenia" – nominated

Berlin International Film Festival 1960 : Golden Bear for "Our Last Spring" – nominated 1963 : David O. Selznick Award for "Elektra" – won

Academy Award (Oscar) 1963 : Best Foreign Language Film for "Elektra" – nominated 1964 : Best Picture for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated 1964 : Best Director for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated 1964 : Best Adapted Screenplay for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated 1977 : Best Foreign Language Film for "Iphigenia" – nominated

Golden Globe 1956 : Best Foreign Language Film for "Stella" – won 1957 : Best Foreign Language Film for "A Girl in Black" – won 1965 : Best Director for "Zorba the Greek – nominated

British Academy Award (BAFTA) 1966 : Best Film for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated 1966 : UN Award for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated

New York Film Critics 1964 : Best Film for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated 1964 : Best Director for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated 1964 : Best Screenplay for "Zorba the Greek" – nominated

David di Donatello Award 1964 : Special Plaque for "Zorba the Greek" – won

Thessaloniki Film Festival 1960 : Special Contribution Award – won 1961 : Best Director for "Our Last Spring" – won 1962 : Best Film for "Elektra" – won 1962 : Best Director for "Elektra" – won 1977 : Best Film for "Iphigenia" – won 1999 : Union of Film and Television Technicians Award for "The Cherry Orchard" – won

Moscow Film Festival 1956 : Silver Medal for "A Girl in Black" – Won

Edinburgh Film Festival 1954 : Diploma of Merit for "Windfall in Athens" – won 1962 : Diploma of Merit for "Elektra" – won

Montreal World Film Festival 1999 : Special Contribution Award – won

Jerusalem Film Festival 1999 : Lifetime Achievement Award – won

Cairo International Film Festival 2001 : Lifetime Achievement Award – won

References

Further reading Festival Kinimatografou Thessalonikis. Michalis Kakogiannis. Athens: Kastaniotis, 1995. Georgakas, Dan. "From Stella to Iphigenia: The Woman-Centered Films of Michael Cacoyannis." Cineaste 30(2), 2005: pp. 24–31. "Personality of the Month." Films and Filming, July 1960: p. 5. Siafkos, Christos. Michalis Kakogiannis: Se Proto Plano. Athens: Psychogios, 2009.

External links.