Biography

Mirka Kalatzopoulou (Greek: Μίρκα Καλατζοπούλου, Athens, 5 September 1945) is a Greek actress. Together with her brother Yiannis Kalatzopoulou and Vasilakis Kailas, they were considered child prodigies of the golden age of Greek cinema. Mirka Kalatzopoulou, born in Athens in 1945, began classical dance lessons at a very young age. In the mid-1950s, she began performing in children's theater with her brother Yiannis. She made her film debut in 1955 at the age of just 9 with the sentimental film The Duchess of Placentia, directed by Maria Plyta and starring Rita Myrat in the role of Duchess Sophia. Her first leading role was in the 1960 film Erotic Games, directed by George Theodosiadis. Other important roles in the 1960s were in the films The Descent by Giannis Dalianidis, The Wood Came Out of Paradise by Alekos Sakellarios, and The Foolish Groom by Kostas Karagiannis. In 1967, after her marriage to businessman Carl Epser, she left for the United States where she began appearing on American television, participating in various shows, while at the same time she began taking acting classes at Columbia University, as well as business administration classes at UCLA. In 1978, Kalatzopoulou returned to Greece and began taking part in performances at the National Theatre, while two years later in 1980 she made her film comeback with the film The Man with the Carnation directed by Nikos Tzimas. In 1986, she participated in the film Caravan Sarai by Tasos Psarras, where she was awarded for her performance. Her last film appearance was in the film The Gaze of Odysseus in 1995, directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos.