In several previous articles, we looked at how some people who become well-known will use their celebrity status to go into another field of endeavor. Some entertainers, for example, have become politicians.

Foremost among these, of course, are presidents Ronald Reagan (movie star) and Donald Trump (reality television star). Others include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sonny Bono and Al Francken.

Another person to add to that list is a Greek actress who, after a successful movie and stage career, went home to her small European country and entered politics. Her name is Melina Mercouri.

The daughter of a member of the Greek parliament, Mercouri was born in 1920. She attended a drama school and made her stage debut in 1945 in her native country.

She began acting in movies in 1955, earning an Academy Award nomination for “best actress” in 1961 for “Never on Sunday.” In 1968 she was on Broadway and received a nomination for a Tony Award for “best actress in a musical” for “Illya Darling.”

Mercouri also received three “best actress” nominations (but no wins) for Golden Globe awards in her career. The most prestigious award she won was “best actress” for “Never on Sunday” at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.

When the Greek military overthrew the country’s elected government in 1967, Mercouri spoke out forcefully against the military regime. After the military dictatorship fell and democracy was restored to Greece, Mercouri ran for parliament in 1974. She lost, but was elected in 1977.

When her party gained control of the government in 1981, Mercouri became the Minister of Culture. She held that office until 1989 when her party lost the parliamentary election; she regained the position, however, in 1993.

One of her major efforts as Minister of Culture was trying (unsuccessfully) to get Great Britain to return to Greece the Parthenon Marbles – artifacts that had been stolen from Greece and eventually sold to a British museum (where they remain).

Melina Mercouri died in 1994 while still serving in the Greek Parliament and as the country’s Minister of Culture.