© 2025 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Protect my public media

'Moonstruck' Star Olympia Dukakis Dead At 89

Olympia Dukakis rose to prominence for her roles in the Oscar-winning film <em>Moonstruck </em>and <em>Steel Magnolias</em>.
Carlo Allegri
/
Getty Images
Olympia Dukakis rose to prominence for her roles in the Oscar-winning film Moonstruck and Steel Magnolias.

Olympia Dukakis, best known for her Oscar-winning film Moonstruck, has died. She was 89.

Dukakis' brother Apollo broke the news of her death Saturday in a Facebook post.

"My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City. After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her Louis," he wrote, referring to her late husband and Broadway veteran Louis Zorich.

Dukakis won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role in Moonstruck. The 1987 romantic comedy followed a widow, played by Cher, who falls for her fiancé's brother. Dukakis played Cher's nitpicking mother.

The actress was born in Lowell, Mass., to Greek immigrant parents. Dukakis also rose to stardom with her role in Steel Magnolias, Mr. Holland's Opus and Look Who's Talking.

Beyond film, Dukakis was also a drama teacher at New York University for more than 15 years. She founded two regional theatres, in Boston and Montclair, N.J., with her husband Louis Zorich — a producer famous for his role on the TV show Mad About You. He passed in 2018 at the age of 93.

Dukakis and Zorich are survived by their children, Christina, Peter and Stefan.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
Jeannette Muhammad

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.