Acting
Dec 31, 1950
Athens, Greece
Betty Livanou
Acting
Biography
Betty Livanou (Greek: Μπέτυ Λιβανού) was born in Athens, in Plato's Academy, to a family with roots from Asia Minor and Egypt. Before she even finished school, young Betty found herself working in advertising, posing for print ads and acting in film spots, while after finishing school she worked for a year as a model. Although she had been receiving offers to act in films since she was young, she was not particularly interested. However, when, at the age of 20, she was called by Filopoimin Finos and Yannis Dalianidis, everything changed. The two “masters” of cinema had noticed her in a cigarette commercial in which she was pantomiming and had been captivated by her face. And so, without having studied acting, armed with her natural talent, Betty Trata became (with Yannis Dalianidis as her “godfather”) Betty Livanou and joined the team of Finos Film. Before her collaboration with Finos Film, Betty Livanou had only one film to her credit, a brief role (as Betty Trata) in Andreas Katsimitsoulias' "Angels of Sin" (1966). However, her film career took off in 1971, when Yannis Dalianidis directed her in "Sinners", alongside Christos Nomikos. Subsequently, and until 1973, she starred in five more films by Finos Film, alongside big names such as Nikos Kourkoulos (Abuse of Power, 1971), Rena Vlachopoulou (Urgently Wanted Groom, 1971), Kostas Voutsas (Twenty Women and Me, 1973) and Kostas Prekas (The Popular Rebel, 1971). Her participation in “The Sin of Beauty” (1972), again directed by Yannis Dalianidis, alongside Nikos Galanos and Tasso Kavvadia, stands out to this day. With the decline of commercial cinema, Betty Livanou turned to television. She presented children's shows (Our Little Family) and game shows (The Secret of Colgate, Tell the Truth), but her recognition was established when she presented “Candid Camera” (1972) with Danos Lygizos. Later, she also took on leading roles in popular television series such as “The Conspiracy of Silence”, “Suspicions” and “Woogerman”. At the end of the 70s, she returned to cinema with a series of excellent choices. From “A Laughing Afternoon” (1979) and “The Incompatible” (1979), both by Andreas Thomopoulos, to the award-winning “Honeymoon Trip” (1979) and the timeless moving “Oi Apenanti” (1981) by Giorgos Panousopoulos. This was followed by roles in Nikos Perakis' "Arpa Colla" (1982), Apostolos Doxiadis' "Underground Journey" (1983) and George Tsemberopoulos' "Sudden Love" (1984). She naturally remained the muse of her husband, George Panousopoulos, with a constant presence in his films ("Mania" in 1985, "M' Agapas" in 1989). At the end of the 1980s, while she had moved away from acting, she successfully engaged in other activities, such as the creation and marketing of jewelry and accessories. A call in 1990 from the Thessaloniki Film Festival to present an award gave her a new impetus to return to the big screen and abandon her involvement with jewelry. In fact, a few years later she returned to the Thessaloniki Film Festival, not to present but to receive an award for her performance in the film “Age of Assassins” (1993). In addition to cinema, she also returned to the television screen, giving her presence a special dynamic to roles such as “Africa” (1992), “The Path of Love” (1994) and “The Painted Sun” (1996).
Feature Films (26)
"Arpa-colla" in Greek literally means "Grab and stick", a phrase used to show something that has been done quickly and therefore isn't good enough. This is what the 2 main heroes of the film are doing. The one is a director(Giorgos) and the other an author(Kostas) with communistic ideas, who has won a prize at a festival. They both want to make a movie for the cinema. But every idea they have never comes true, because every time they meet someone to whom they tell their idea, they change their mind, and they want to make a totally different movie, ideas varying from political cinema to Greek historical dramas and modern films with motorcycle gangs. Not a bad attempt for the Greek cinema of the early 80's, which starts to wake up from the hibernation of the 70's.
Arpa Colla
The coming of age of a young student, through a series of events and erotic-emotional regressions, the same time that his mother is pregnant, without a father, while his boss falls in 'old age. "
Like a Prairie Cock in Wyoming
A medical student (Pavlos Sidiropoulos) delays his studies to become a singer in this story of a man who follows his own convictions. He becomes a street singer and finds a young woman (Betty Livanou) he wishes to marry. After the two are wed, he returns to medical school to support his wife and family. He earns his medical degree and lands a job in a hospital. When he refuses to take part in the exploitation of the patients, he is fired. He opens his own practice but later quits when he is asked to participate in another fraudulent medical scam.
An Uncompromising Man
A bunch of women dominates Kostas Filipou's life. His mother Smaro and his three sisters: married Rika - who wants to take a divorce -, religious Fanouria and Tzela the student. The last two have to get married. There are also the women who work at the women's lingerie business that he runs, many of whom see him as a potential husband, as well as Betty, a colleague deeply in love with him, whose mother pressures her to get married. When Kostas secretly marries Betty, who rents with her mother an apartment above theirs, Smaro decides to find both of them a mate. She suggests to Betty the neighborhood's electrician- but Kostas finds a way to break the match- and to Kostas a young woman from Veroia- but Betty manages to break the match. The revelation of the couple's marriage relieves everyone and the fact that Betty is pregnant brings the desired peace and serenity.
Twenty Women and I
Television & Series (9)
A destructive love is born within a family and tragedy breaks out not only among its members but also among its acquaintances and friends. Marina is an oenologist and her two great passions are: Stefanos, her husband who is a shipbuilder, and the new wine she prepares in her vineyards in the Peloponnese. The couple has an adopted 17-year-old daughter, Anna. Suddenly, an unexpected and uncontrollable passion is born between Stefanos and Anna. Marina, who is a support for both of them, will not be long in discovering the truth and then the conflicts are painful. The impasse of this situation is also experienced by the family's relatives. Everyone sees things from their own perspective but everyone is called upon to make their choices, paying the corresponding price.
Sweet and sour wine
Vicky Stavropoulou plays the ghost of a woman who, invisible to ordinary mortals, watches, narrates and intervenes for good in various family affairs starring mothers-in-law with many different characters.
