The Biography

Sappho Notara (Vissani, Ioannina, April 13, 1907 – Athens, June 11, 1985) was a Greek film and theater actress. Her real surname was Handanou. She studied at the Professional Theater School and the Drama School of the Piraeus Association. She got the surname Notara from the street where the drama school she attended was located. Se made his debut in the theater and collaborated with the greatest actors of the time (Marika Kotopoulis, Katerina Andreadis, Christoforo Nezer, Elli Lambeti, Dimitri Horn). She also appeared in several motion pictures. Her commanding voice will be unforgettable: "Her physiognomy, her thunderous hoarse voice and her inner exuberance helped her to create a strictly personal comic type, which she supported with particular success". Among her performances is a song with lyrics by Jean-Paul Sartre and music by Manos Hadjidakis, entitled "On Blamando Street". Her swan song was her collaboration with the latter, in "Pornografia", in 1981. She also became famous through her lines, such as "Sodom and Gomorrah are happening in here" and "Burlotto". She left an era with her performances in the films Ah, this woman of mine, The Card Player, Pornography and Mrs. Kyriaki (the latter was a radio production by Kostas P. Panagiotopoulos). She was close friends with the painter Yiannis Tsarouchis and the writer Kostas Takhtsis.