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Portrait of Greek actress Melina Mercouri (1920-1994), pictured in 1962. Mercouri is one of the few people to have successfully combined politics and acting, having once stated that her ambitions were to "win an oscar and become President of Greece". She came close on both counts, having been nominated for an Oscar in 1960's "Never on Sunday" and served as Greek Minister for Culture. Though she has ahd her critics, one commentator summed her up when he said "Mercouri is a phenomenon, and objecting that she overacts is like pointing out that the Parthenon would make an uncomfortable living room". Mercouri died in New York in 1994 from lung cancer. (KEYSTONE/CAMERA PRESS/Sam Levin) === , SPECIAL FEES, , FRANCE OUT ===