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Olympia Dukakis

Having long established herself as a respected stage actress and veteran performer in dozens of film and television projects, Olympia Dukakis achieved overnight stardom at the tender age of 56 with her Oscar-winning portrayal in "Moonstruck" (1987). Originally intending to become a physical therapist, Dukakis turned to acting with work on and off-Broadway in productions such as "The Aspern Papers" and "A Man's a Man." Never the ingénue, Dukakis quickly found herself portraying young mothers in films that included "John and Mary" (1969) and "Made for Each Other" (1971). The pattern continued with features like "The Wanderers" (1979) and "The Idolmaker" (1980) until "Moonstruck" placed her at the top of the casting agent's wish list. A slew of roles in high-profile feature films followed, including turns in "Working Girl" (1988), "Look Who's Talking" (1989) and "Steel Magnolias" (1989). Occasional starring roles also presented themselves, as with the comedy-drama "The Cemetery Club" (1993). On television she essayed the character of Mrs. Madrigal in "Armistead Maupin's 'Tales of the City'" (PBS, 1993) and its two sequel miniseries, and achieved true pop culture status when she voiced Grandpa Simpson's love interest in a 2002 episode of "The Simpsons" (Fox, 1989- ). Living proof that one was never too old to reinvent oneself, the scene-stealing actress continued to delight audiences in a variety of mediums for over four decades.