Tzeni Karezi also known as Jenny Karezi, was a Greek film and stage actress.
Tzeni Karezi born Evgenia Karpouzi was born in Athens, Greece, to a mathematician father and high school teacher mother. She was born on January 12, 1934. She studied under the direction of the Sisters of St Joseph at a private French school in Thessaloniki, and later by the same Order in Athens. She learned French fluently. When she was a teenager, her father left the family and she continued to live with her mother. Her father died in a car accident in 1971.
In 1951 Tzeni was accepted at the Greek National Theater, where she studied in the Drama School. The playwright Angelos Terzakis and the director Dimitris Rontiris were among her teachers. Upon graduation, in 1954, she was immediately thrust into starring roles in the theatre, playing alongside actors such as Alexis Minotis and Katina Paxinou.
In May 1962 Tzeni wed a journalist, Zahos Hadjifotiou, but this marriage ended in divorce two years later. In 1967, during the filming of Kontserto gia polyvola, she met Kostas Kazakos, with whom she had her only child, Konstantinos Kazakos, who also became an actor. They formed a popular duo and Tzeni’s repertoire shifted to more sophisticated and intellectual plays. They were led to prison where they spent several nights due to the play To megalo mas tsirko (Our Big Circus) in 1973, which insulted the Greek junta.
Tzeni died on July 26, 1992, from cancer at her home and was buried at public expense. She was believed to be 58 years old, although some sources gave her age as 56 or 60. Thousands were present to attend her funeral.
As a victim of metastatic cancer, she asked those close to her to make palliative care better known and to assist in its development so others suffering from painful diseases or ailments would be able to live their last days with dignity. The Jenny Karezi Foundation is a non-profit Cancer Pain Relief and Palliative Care organization, founded in 1992, in memory of the Greek actress. The Foundation’s mission is to relieve patients with cancer and other chronic diseases, through medical and psychological support.
Source: Ghanafuo.com
