Mihalis Kakogiannis

Having been most responsible for bringing worldwide attention to Greek cinema in its renaissance after World War II, director-writer-producer Michael Cacoyannis broke out as the auteur behind four rough-hewn, open-air films fairly bursting with a passion not confined to the volatile characters peopling his work. After his training in England, Cacoyannis returned to Greece and helmed the hits "Windfall in Athens" (1954), "Stella" (1955), "A Girl in Black" (1956) and "A Matter of Dignity" (1958), which secured him a place on the international stage as well as a recurring slot in the prestigious festival circuit. Marrying the power of ancient Greek drama with modern production values and evergreen themes, he wowed critics with his literary adaptations, particularly his take on Euripides's trilogy of tragedies, "Electra" (1962), "The Trojan Women" (1971) and "Iphigenia" (1977). But Cacoyannis's global breakthrough and greatest legacy came from the indelible, lusty portrait of "Zorba the Greek" (1964), his most famous and popular film. The director kept a fairly low profile until emerging decades later with an adaptation of Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" (1999). Despite a drop-off in output over his last years, Cacoyannis helped give Greek cinema an eloquent, modern voice, while his esteemed body of work was beloved around the world.