Acting
May 31, 1945
Chios, Greece
Despina Tomazani
Acting
Biography
Despina Tomazani (Greek: Δέσποινα Τομαζάνη, 1945–2026) was a Greek actress, author, poet, and screenwriter with a distinctive and multifaceted career in the arts. She was born on Chios on June 1, 1945, with roots in Ayvalik (Asia Minor) and Kotyora (Pontus). She studied theater in Athens and subsequently film and theater at Stockholm University. She began her career in Sweden, making her debut in 1971 in the television film *Amala Kamala*. Her first cinematic appearance followed in the film *Jag heter Stelios* (1972). The role that defined her career and brought her widespread recognition among the Greek public was that of Sofia in Nikos Nikolaidis’s iconic film *Sweet Gang* (1983). Alongside acting, she was deeply involved in writing literature and poetry, with several of her works translated for international audiences. She also wrote the screenplay for the film *Free Diving* (1995), directed by Giorgos Panousopoulos.
Feature Films (13)
Madeleine, rendered mute after being sexually assaulted as a youth, accepts a lift from a wealthy and sadistic pimp who soon enslaves her into his prostitution racket. Despite her limited means, Madeleine embarks on a bloody road to revenge against her captors.
Thriller: A Cruel Picture
Aldevaran is an imaginary city where the word-maven and poet Dimitris, the prostitute Magdalene and the rock musician Chris live together. Every evening, the two men give improvised performances in a coffee bar, until the day that Dimitris is informed by his doctors that he has cancer and only two months to live. The film is about those two months, with Dimitris wandering in an ugly city which is also dying with him.
Aldevaran
Modern-day Don Juan-styled Jeanne prides herself in the destruction of men who have fallen for her charms, and reveals to a priest the murder she has committed and honestly details her past sexual encounters.
Don Juan or If Don Juan Were a Woman
Rich in environmental mood and ethnic color, this human drama chronicles the lives and rituals of a nomadic Berber tribe in the southern Tunisian desert, especially focusing on a son about to inherit the full mantle of leadership. When he sees that their sheep are threatened with a possibly devastating illness, the precarious nature of the group's existence is brought home to him and he leaves to gain a livelihood and knowledge in the city. Once he gets back, bringing money and presents, it first appears that the group will be assured of a better future because of his enterprising outreach. Yet military and governmental officials arrive on the scene to take a census and the young man is conscripted, against his will.
The Shadow of the Earth
An adventurer hunting for treasure in Greece accidentally frees a monster that forces local villagers to sacrifice virgins.
Blood Tide
About two girl-wolf, Amala and Kamala in 1930s India. They are captured by the British troops and placed in Military hospital, subjected to a harsh upbringing, in an attempt to make ordinary people out of them.
Amala, Kamala
After 11-year-old Petros loses his father in a car accident in Melbourne, Australia, his mother decides to move the family to her homeland, Greece. Petros has been planning to run away from home ever since the big move. After persuading his classmate, Adonis, to join him, the two boys decide to make the journey to Australia together. Their parents look for the children all over Greece to no avail. The only one who knows the boys' whereabouts is their best friend, whom nobody believes. Petros and Adonis' pictures are published all over the press, but no one comes forward with any information. Meanwhile, the boys continue on their journey...
Trip to Australia
The diary of the life and death of a group of 'amoral' young people, who have reached the point of no return and seek something to believe in and to die for. Their behavior brings the attention of the State. A discreet surveillance begins. A vigilante group monitors their house, headed by a nameless blonde man.
Sweet Bunch
In late-1960s Athens, a student forms a strong friendship with a group of young dreamers, against the backdrop of the military dictatorship.
End of an Era
A young Greek man goes to Paris seeking help from a solitary and almost misanthropic distant relative who works as a furrier. With him, he takes nothing from his homeland but a photograph of a woman that he finds on the pavement. A misunderstanding regarding the photograph sets off a series of dramatic misunderstandings which trap him in a vicious circle of lies and fantasies.
The Photograph
A Christian boy and a Muslim girl fall in a forbidden love in the town of Komotini. They decide to escape together, but the Turkish consul has another opinion.
Alexandros and Aishe
Television & Series (2)
Peter and Paul assume leadership of the Church as they struggle against violent opposition to the teachings of Christ and their own personal conflicts.
