Katina Paxinou

Katina Paxinou (1900–1973) was a Greek stage and film actress who became internationally known for her performance in For Whom the Bell Tolls and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

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For Whom the Bell Tolls (film): A 1943 film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s novel, starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman. Paxinou won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Pilar.
Alexis Minotis: A Greek actor and theatre director who worked extensively with Katina Paxinou. Minotis was Paxinou’s husband and a frequent collaborator in Greek theatre.
Athens Conservatoire: A Greek arts institution in Athens offering education in music and performing arts. Paxinou studied music and singing there before establishing herself as an actress.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress: An annual Academy Award recognizing a performance in a supporting role in a film. Paxinou became its first recipient for a performance in a film made outside the United States.
Electra (Sophocles): A Greek tragedy by Sophocles about Electra’s role in avenging her father’s murder. Paxinou’s Greek stage career included performances in classical tragedy.
Michael Cacoyannis: A Greek-Cypriot film and theatre director known for adaptations of Greek drama. His films brought Greek performance traditions to international cinema during Paxinou’s era.
Greek National Opera: Greece’s national opera company, based in Athens. Paxinou’s early training in music and opera informed her performing career.
Academy Awards: Annual awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in film. Paxinou’s win brought her Greek stage career into Hollywood’s most prominent awards institution.
National Theatre of Greece: Greece’s national theatre institution, founded in Athens in 1930. Paxinou was a leading performer in Greek theatre and appeared with the institution.
Ernest Hemingway: An American novelist and short-story writer whose works include For Whom the Bell Tolls. His novel supplied the story behind Paxinou’s award-winning film role.