Alexis Minotis
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Alexis Minotis
(1900–90), Greek actor and director, who made his first appearance on the stage in 1925, and in 1930 made his New York début as Orestes in a Greek production of Euripides' Electra. Returning to Greece, he played a wide range of ancient and modern parts for the National Theatre, with which he was associated from 1930 to 1967, succeeding Fotos Politis as director and directing many of the plays as well as acting in them. He was first seen in London in 1939, when he played Hamlet. Among his other Shakespearian roles were Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, King Lear, and Richard III. From 1955 he was responsible for the production of many classical tragedies in the open-air theatre at Epidauros. Modern plays with which he was connected included Fry's The Dark is Light Enough (1957) and Dürrenmatt's The Visit (1961) and The Physicists (1963). He appeared again in London during the 1966 World Theatre Season, playing Oedipus to the Jocasta of his wife Katina Paxinou in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Talthybius to her Hecuba in Euripides' Hecuba, and Oedipus again in Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus. From 1967 to 1974 he ran his own company, presenting mainly modern European plays, returning to the National Theatre as General Director from 1974 to 1981. In 1982 he gave a memorable performance as the Cardinal of Spain in Montherlant's play, and he made his last appearance in 1988 in Beckett's Endgame, which he also directed.
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Alexis Minotakis, known as Alexis Minotis (Greek: Αλέξης Μινωτάκης/Μινωτής), was born 8 August 1898 or 1899 in Deliana (Δελιανά)[1], Chania, Crete and died on 11 November 1990 in Athens, Greece.
Minotis was a distinguished Greek actor and director. He first appeared on stage in his native Crete as Chorus Leader and later as Messenger in Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus. From 1925 until 1930, he worked in close collaboration with the famous Greek actress Marika Kotopouli in her own theatre. During this period, he appeared in the great Shakespearan roles in The Merchant of Venice, King Lear, Macbeth and played the title role in Hamlet, the first time the play had been staged in Greece. Other roles in the classical repertoire were Ibsen's Ghosts and Peer Gynt. He expanded his talents by directing ancient Greek tragedies such as Hecuba, Antigone, The Phoenissae, Prometheus Bound, Oedipus at Colonus, as well as Sean O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock, Strindberg's The Father and Brecht`s Mother Courage.
In 1940, he married the actress Katina Paxinou and together they appeared in many productions at the Royal Theatre in Athens which they founded.
In 1946, he went to Hollywood to appear in Sir Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious with Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains. In the same year, he also appeared with Robert Cummings and Michèle Morgan in The Chase. His other films include Siren of Atlantis (1949) with Maria Montez, Boy on a Dolphin (1957) with Sophia Loren, and Land of the Pharaohs (1955) with Joan Collins.
In 1955, he directed Katina Paxinou in Euripides' Hecuba for the National Theatre of Greece at The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus and starred in Oedipus Rex as well as directing. In 1956, he made his first appearance in Oedipus at Colonus. The production received great acclaim and Minotis went on a long international tour with the company.
He appeared on Broadway in Electra with the Marika Kotopouli company in 1930-31 and in Oedipus Tyrannus with the National Theatre of Greece in 1952.
In 1958, Minotis directed Maria Callas in a production of Medea presented in Dallas. The production was then seen at Covent Garden, Teatro alla Scala and Epidaurus. He also directed the Greek National Opera production of Norma with Callas in Epidaurus in 1961.
References
- ^ Επίτομο Γεωγραφικό Λεξικό της Ελλάδος (Geographical Dictionary of Greece), Μιχαήλ Σταματελάτος, Φωτεινή Βάμβα-Σταματελάτου, εκδ. Ερμής, ΑΘήνα 2001
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Oxford Companion to the Theatre
The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. © 1996
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