Melina Mercouri

Melina Mercouri came from a political dynasty but made her name in front of cameras first. Never on Sunday in 1960 won her Cannes and an Academy Award nomination; Topkapi four years later brought an Italian David di Donatello. She moved between film, stage, and song until politics pulled her back to the family trade. Elected to Parliament in the early 1980s, she became Greece's first female Culture Minister in October 1981 and held the post longer than anyone before or since - 1981 to 1989, then again from 1993 until she died in March 1994. She campaigned relentlessly for the return of the Parthenon Marbles and launched the European Capitals of Culture, naming Athens the first in 1985.