Zorba director dies aged 89

MICHAEL CACOYANNIS, the Cyprus-born filmmaker and screenwriter who directed the 1964 film classic Zorba the Greek, starring Anthony Quinn, has died in an Athens hospital.

He was 89.

He died of complications from a heart attack and chronic respiratory problems.

Cacoyannis won multiple awards and worked with such well-known actors as Melina Mercouri, Irene Papas, Katharine Hepburn, Vanessa Redgrave, and Candice Bergen. But he was best known internationally for the Academy Award-winning Zorba the Greek — the 1964 adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel — joining up with composer Mikis Theodorakis, whose score for the film remains an enduring Greek anthem.

The film won two technical awards at the 1965 Oscars, while Lila Kedrova won for best supporting actress. But Cacoyannis and Quinn both lost out to My Fair Lady, which was voted best picture that year.