Athanasia Moustaka

Biography

Athanasia Moustaka was a Greek actress with a significant theatrical career until the mid-60s. She was distinguished for her modest ethos, indomitable hard work and exemplary professional conscientiousness. She is the daughter of the actor and trouper Dionysios Plessas. In 1913, at the age of 14, she debuted on stage and until 1918 she had collaborated with the troupes of Kyveli and Marika Kotopouli. From 1921 to 1925 she collaborated with the Veakis-Nezer troupe and in 1931 she was hired by the newly established National Theater, where she remained until 1950. In 1926 she lost her husband Konstantinos Moustakas (1883-1926), also an actor, well-known at the time for the role of "Leontari" in Timos Depasta's comedy "Tziotiko Ravaisi". In 1951 she collaborated with Dimitris Rontiris, in 1952-1953 with the Lambetis-Pappas-Horn troupe and from 1953 until her death in 1968 she collaborated again with the National Theater. During her 55 years of complete devotion to theater, Moustaka played countless roles. She emerged as a character actress in a number of works, from light Greek and foreign comedies to tragedies, where she played "nurses" and "maids" with admirable success. In the 1950s and 1960s, she increased her appearances on the big screen, where she adapted her acting skills with characteristic ease. Prominent roles in films include O methystakas (1950) & The Counterfeit Coin (1955) by Giorgos Tzavellas, The Shepherd's Daughter (1955) by Dimis Dadiras, Astero (1959) by Dinos Dimopoulos, A Neighborhood Named 'The Dream' (1961) by Alekos Alexandrakis and Lost Happiness (1966) by Pavlos Tasios, which was also her last appearance on the screen. She debuted on the big screen in 1929 in Dimitris Gaziadis' melodrama To limani ton dakryon (1929), alongside Aimilios Veakis. Athanasia Moustaka died on July 13, 1968, at the age of 69. Her funeral took place the next day at the 3rd Cemetery of Athens, attended by well-known actors of the time, such as Eleni Hatziargyri, Mary Aroni, Vaso Manolidou, Nikos Tzogias and Rita Myrat. Angelos Terzakis said goodbye to Athanasia Moustaka on behalf of the National Theater and Miranta Myrat on behalf of the Hellenic Actors' Union. Eulogy was delivered by the historian of the modern Greek theater, Giannis Sideris.