Olympia Dukakis, an actor, not a ‘star”
Who is considered a ‘star’ in films and TV?
Olympia Dukakis, who died this week at 89, was an actor, not a ‘star,’ and she would have been the first person to tell you that.
There is a proclivity in the North American media to call anyone who has been in more than few movie productions that did passably well (or not!) as a STAR.
A trained stage actor, Dukakis shot to fame in the 1987 film production of John Patrick Shanley’s play Moonstruck, directed by the Canadian, Norman Jewison.
The movie, which “starred” Cher and Nicholas Cage, was among the many of her roles on stage and film, playing mothers. She stole many scenes in that film and won an Academy Award for it. But she was never a ‘star.’ She was a working actor. And an excellent one.
How does the industry characterize ‘stars?’
Many ways.
a) A lead character in a play, movie, or TV show.
(Not stars.) They have a central role.
Many TV shows do not last longer than a noodle lunch but while a person acts in a program they may be referred to as a ‘star’ by…