Biography
Who is Maria Nafpliotou?
Early life and dance career
Maria Nafpliotou was born in Athens, Greece, where she still resides. During her school years, she began studying dance at the Rodopi Kouvari Dancing School. She later continued her education at the Rallou Manou Professional Dancing School, where she graduated. Following her studies, she began working professionally as a dancer. She joined Rallou Manou's Greek Chorodram from 1987 to 1992 and performed with the modern dancing group Andromeda between 1990 and 1992. From 1992 to 1996, she served as the lead dancer for the Roes dance theater group, which was formed by Sofia Spyratou. She also took part in two separate dance theatre pieces created by Constantinos Rigos.
Acting training and first roles
Maria Nafpliotou took acting lessons at the Giannis Rigas workshop before studying drama at the George Kimoulis Modern Theater Of Athens drama school from 1996 to 1998. Her first appearance on the big screen occurred in 1992 when she acted in the movie Island. The following year, she played the leading role in Maria Douza's short film From Now On. In 1996, she made her television debut in the TV film Niovi Was Dancing Her Life, directed by Alexandros Papailiou. She achieved wider recognition during the 1998 to 1999 television season by starring in the Mega Channel series The Throne Room as Glafke. Directed by Pigi Dimitrakopoulou, the series focused on a young woman returning to the Greek islands in the 1960s.
Stage and screen career
Maria Nafpliotou expanded her career into theater in 1999 by playing Catherine Holly in Tennessee Williams' Suddenly, Last Summer at the New Stage of the National Theatre of Greece, directed by Korais Damatis. That same year, she performed as Antigone in Euripides' Foinisses with the National Theatre of Northern Greece. Her stage credits include Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Love's Labours Lost, King Lear, Dostoevsky's The Idiot, Ibsen's The Lady From the Sea, Moliere's Don Juan, and Aeschylus' Oresteia. Much of her theatrical work involved the Experimental Theatrical Group of the National Theatre of Greece under Stathis Livathinos. Her film roles include Chariton's Choir, for which she won a Best Actress Award at the 22nd Alexandreia's Film Festival, Soul Kicking, and Dying In Athens.
Olympic torch relay
Maria Nafpliotou portrayed an ancient Greek high priestess for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Using the sun's rays, she lit the Olympic torch to start the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay. She repeated the performance on October 22, 2009, to start the torch relay for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Birthday and age
Maria Nafpliotou was born on June 19, 1969, which makes Maria 57 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Maria shares the date with 37 other famous people.
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