Aspasia Papathanasiou(1918-2020)

Aspasia Papathanasiou was a Greek actress and writer, renowned as one of the most distinguished tragedians of her time. She studied classical theater and performed in ancient Greek tragedies both in Greece and internationally, including the Soviet Union, where she portrayed Medea. Beyond her artistic career, she was actively involved in politics. During World War II, she was a member of the Greek resistance and co-founded the "People's Theater" in Athens. She also participated in the December 1944 events in Greece. In 1957, she was a founding member of the Piraeus Theater under Dimitris Rontiris. When the military coup of April 21, 1967, occurred, Papathanasiou was touring the Soviet Union. In protest, she chose self-exile in London, where she became an active voice against the Greek dictatorship. In 1969, she performed The Trojans to mark the centenary of Hector Berlioz's death and was invited by the Royal Opera House to play Andromache. She returned to Greece in 1975 after the fall of the junta. In addition to her theatrical work, she authored several books on ancient Greek tragedy, including Ancient Tragedies: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides (2019) and Women in Ancient Greek Tragedy (2010). She was married to Kostas Mavrommatis and remained politically outspoken until late in life.