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Rena Vlahopoulou

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[[Image:Rena-Vlahopoulou-01.jpg|thumb|270px|Rena Vlahopoulou at a young age.]]'''Rena Vlahopoulou ''' (Ρένα Βλαχοπούλου) ([[1923]] - [[July 29]], [[2004]]) was a famous [[Greeks|Greek ]] actress and singer. She starred in theatre, musical and Greek cinema productions, including ''The Gambler'' and ''The Countess of Corfu''
==Biography==
She was born on the island of [[Corfu]], the fifth of nine children. Her introduction to the arts was the piano, taught by her father, Giannis Vlachopoulos. When she turned ten, she begun singing at a local bakery. In [[1938]], Vlahopoulou fell in love with an [[AEK FC|AEK]] footballer, [[Kostas Vasiliou]].
They later arrived in [[Athens]] and Rena had her first wedding in the summer of [[1937]]. In Athens, at a variete Oasis in [[Zappeio ]] where [[Mimis Traiforos]] presented her new works, Rena begun singing there. In the winter of 1930-40, she sang at the World Theatre of Kostas Makedos at [[Panepistimiou Street]]. Later, the [[Sisters Kalouta|Kalouta sisters]] representing [[Kyriakos Mavreas]], [[Iro Chanta]] and Giannis Yiannis Fleury. She was married to G. Lafazanis . In the winter of [[1940]], the Italian Army bombed Corfu where she lost two of her relatives. The marriage with Vasiliou ended and in [[1942]] married her second husband, a banker named Gianni Yiannis Kostopoulos .
She later continued her career with [[Giannis Yiannis Spartakos]] at the Pantheon where she composed jazz songs. The press called her Jazz Queen. Her big luck went beyond the greek singing borders with her song ''Tha Se Paro Na Fygoume'' which went number one at Wellcome by [[Alekos Sakellarios]] and [[Dimitris Evangelidis]] during the summer of [[1944]] at [[Kyveli theatre]]. She continued her discography with the [[Odeon]] (oh-deh-OHN). With Spartakos they singed for a few years. She divorced Kostopoulos in [[1946]]. She began singing with Spartakos in Lebanon, Iran and North America. They also spoke English, French, Spanish and Italian. In Greece, between July 1946 and the summer of [[1951]], she practiced at [[Samartzi theatre]] in Athens. On [[August 24]], [[1951]] she attended the Festival in Athens with [[Orestis Makris]], [[Koulis Stoligas]], [[Nikos Stavridis]] and the Kaloutas brothers. She filmed in the movie with a Turkish actor ''Anatolitikes Nychtes'', she later starred in ''Tha Se Paro Na Fygoume''. She appeared in musicals including ''Vasilissa tis Nychtas'', ''Na Ti Tha Pei Athina'', ''Kai o Minas Echei Ennia'' and ''Poulia ston Aera'' with [[Vasilis Bournelis]] . She played with other persons including [[Vasilis Argyropoulos]] , [[Giannis Yiannis Prineas]] with [[Spyridionas Trichas]] , [[Paraskevas Oikonomou]] , [[Orestis Makris]] with Spyros Patrikios and Mimis Kokkinis with [[Georgia Vasiliadou]] and [[Kostas Doukas]]. In the summer of [[1952]], she acted at the [[Acropole]] with Bournelis. In [[1953]], she acted with [[Alekos Leivaditis]], [[Marika Krevvata]] and [[Georgios Gavriilidis]].
She was first as a director at the theatre not as a singer with [[Sofia Vembo]] , she appeared in ''Sousourada'' ([[Mimis Traiforos]] -[[Georgios Giannakopoulos]], music were done by [[Menelaos Theofanidis]], chorografers were [[Giannis Yiannis Fleury]] and [[Aliki Vembou]] ) with the number ''Ala Pasa Mou, Kane mou Tetoia''. Together with Nikos Stavridis .
In [[1956]], the American movie producer Peter Melas tried to played play in a Greek movie with Vlachopoulou. [[Giannis Yiannis Petroulakis]] directed the movie ''Protevousianikes peripeteies'' about the story of a Corfiot who arrived in Athens. Beside was Also starring were: [[Nikos Rizos]] , [[Stefanos Stratigos]] and [[Koulis StoligkasStoligas]]. In the movie, she sang ''Mazi sou gia Panta'' (Besides Beside You Forever) with [[Menelaos Theofanidis]]. This movie sold over 100,000 tickets.
In [[1959]], the First Music Festival of NBC sang ''You Are the Summer, I Am the Winter'' from [[Kostas Kapnisis]] and [[Thanos Sofos]].
In [[1960]], she appeared in a duette with Giannis Vogiatzia [[Yiannis Vogiatzis (singer)|Yiannis Vogiatzis]] and sang ''Proto chelidoni''. She later appeared with NBC, and sang with Iakovisis, Spathi, Katsaros, Morakis, Plessas, Mouzakis and [[Manos Hadjidakis]].
Vlachopoulou played at the Metropolitan Theatre . She appeared with the director [[Alekos Sakellarios]] in [[1962]] in the movie ''Otan Leipei I Gata'' with [[Vasilis Avlonitis]] , [[Nikos Rizos]], [[Marika Krevvata]], [[Stavros Paravas]] and the Broyer brothersBreuer sisters. In the same year, she appeared in ''Merikoi to protimoun kryo'' (Some like it cold), the movie sold over 300,000 tickets. Sakellarios and Dalianidis played several roles in their movie careers. Dalianidis left from Finos. She played ''Odo Oneiron'' (Dream Street) in the summer of [[1962]] at the Metropolitan theatre, the actors were [[Minos Argyrakis]] , the singer [[Manos Hadjidakis]], [[Zoi Zoe Fytousi]] , the [[Adelfes Tata]] (Tata Sisters) including [[Niki Lempesi]] and [[Maro Kontou]]. Vlachopoulou later starred in ''Amartisa gia to Paidi Mou'' where Vlachopoulou sang the song ''Amartisa gia to Paidi'' while sitting next to the sheep.
In [[1963]], Vlahopoulou starred in ''Ena Koritsi Yia Dyo'' (500,000 tickets), ''Kati Na Kaiei'' (750,000 tickets), in [[1964]], ''The Gambler'' (later on the theatrical works of [[Dimitris Psathas]] , 600,000 tickets, third movie, along with [[Lambros Konstantaras]] , [[Sapfo Notara]] and [[Kostas Voutsas]]), ''Koritsia Gia Filima'' (750,000 tickets, in this movie, she sang with [[Mimis Plessas (songcomposer)|Mimis Plessas]] from ''Konta Sou Ellada Mou''(Close to you my Greece), ''Gela Galazios O Ouranos'' and ''Athens By Night''. In [[1965]], she appeared in ''Fonazei O Kleftis'', ''Rantevou ston Aera'' (Rendez-vous in mid Air), the director in all of her movies were [[Giannis Yiannis Dalianidis]].
[[Image:VlahopoulouRena-Viva.jpg|frame|left|Viva Rena, a 1967 production.]]She married her third and final husband, [[Giorgos Lafazanis]] on [[September 18]], [[1967]]. She raised no children. Vlachopoulou left [[Finos Film]] in [[1966]] and moved to Karagiannis-Karatzopoulos . She later appeared in more films including ''Vouleftina'' in [[1966]], ''Viva Rena'' in [[1967]] (500,000 tickets), ''Ziliara'' with [[Georgios Konstantinou]] (and three other movies with direstor [[Kostas Karagiannis]] and the singer [[Georgios Katsaros]] ) and ''Pariziana'' in [[1968]] with Dalianidis from Finos Films, Vlachopoulou appeared in ''Mia Treli Sarantara'' and ''I Theia Mou I Hipissa'' in [[1970]], ''Mia Ellinida Sto Haremi'' and ''Ziteitai Epeigontos Gampros'' (director [[Alekos Sakellarios]]), ''The Countess of Corfu'' (director A. Sakellariou) in [[1972]]. In 1972, ''I Rena Einai Offside'' of Sakellariou sold 190,000 tickets. From [[1972]], the Greek cinema with periods of decline due to the increasing number of viewers after the introduction of television in Greece in [[1967]]. She continued to star in more movies for the next seven years.
In [[1979]], she appeared in ''Fantarines'' with [[Dimis Dadiras]] (sold 300,000 tickets). In the same year, [[Georgios Skourtis]] worked in a musical comedy titled ''Lysistrati '79'' of Lysistrates by [[Aristophanes]]. In [[1980]], she appeared in ''Rena Na I Efkairia'' (250,000 tickets), in [[1981]], ''Tis Politismas To KagkeloKagelo'' (director: [[Kostas Karagiannis]], 200,000 tickets) ''I Manoulam To Manouli Ki O Paidaros'' in [[1982]] (150,000 tickets, ''I Sidira Kyria'' (director [[Takis Vougiouklakis]]) in [[1983]], in [[1985]], ''Rena Ta Resta Sou'' (director: A. Sakellarios). After she suffered gastrorrhagia in which she knew, she continued until the end of the [[1980s]]. She sang in her reruns. Between [[1992]] and [[1993]], she played for her last time in the show ''Gia Tin Ellada Re Gamo To'' (Για την Ελλάδα ρε γαμώ το) which she left the theatre. In [[1993]] and [[1994]], of Psatha went to broadway to perform ''Chartopaiktria'' or The Gambler. In [[1997]] she sold CDs with her jazz songs.
She had a great talentwas talented as an actress, danced dancer and sangsinger. She appeared in 105 plays at the theatre for 55 years between [[1939]] and [[1994]] and 26 movies between [[1951]] and [[1985]]. She loved animals and loved smoking.
Rena Vlahopoulou died in Athens on [[July 29]], [[2004]] at 04:00 (UTC), 07:00 (EET) at the [[Athens Medical Center]] of cardiac arrest. She was hospitalized since [[July 16]] for an operation to stomach related problem caused by diabetes. A few days before her death she had fallen into a coma state.

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