Katina Paxinou

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Actress Born Dec. 17, 1900 in Piraeus, Greece

Greek actress Katina Paxinou won an Academy Award for supporting actress in her portrayal of Pilar in the 1943 film "For Whom the Bell Tolls," from the novel by Ernest Hemingway.

In her Hollywood debut, Paxinou joined an all-star cast that included Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Akim Tamiroff and director Sam Wood.

Paxinou, who had studied opera, began her professional career in Dimitri Mitropoulos' 1920 production of "Sister Beatrice" in Athens.

Paxinou later switched careers and appeared on the theatrical stage in roles from ancient Greek dramas including Medea, Hecuba, Electra as well as those written by Shakespeare, Ibsen, O'Neill and others.

At the time of her death, Paxinou, who had returned to Greece in the 1960s, was still acting.

— Associated Press in the Los Angeles Times Feb. 23, 1973

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