Lili Papayanni

Biography

Lily Papagianni (Athens, 1932 - 2015) was a Greek actress. She studied at the Drama School of the Art Theatre, from where she graduated in 1958, and subsequently collaborated with various troupes. More specifically, her first steps were taken with her participation in the play "Ploutos" by Aristophanes in 1957. Since then, she has been hosted in several troupes such as Mary Aroni's (Manto Mavrogenous, Diavolemeni Mylonou), Kyria Katerina's (The Innocents), and Elli Lampeti's in 1962. That year, she first passed through the door of Finos Film, counting some significant successes with the films Card Player and Miss Director. She first appeared in 1959, of course, in the film "Nanda me to zori" but also in selected television series ("Because of this"), as well as in plays for the radio. Until 1969, she collaborated with the NTNG in performances, while from 1982 to 1988, she collaborated with the National Theatre. Although her career in theatre followed an upward trajectory, her appearances in old Greek cinema are recorded sporadically, nine in total. As can be concluded from her career, Papagianni, although she was interested in recognition, never sought easy fame or publicity. She loved fruitful collaborations, good directors, the process towards a result. She loved the essence of acting and the essence of life. One of her most important performances is considered to be the one in The Excursion, a film by Takis Kanellopoulos. As we are informed by her niece and goddaughter who bears the same name as her, The Excursion was perhaps the only film in which she completely surrendered herself to acting, "in the others she always seemed to have complete control."