Mikis Theodorakis.

Exiled to the island of Ikaria in 1947 for his involvement with the leftist partisan army EAM, Mikis Theodorakis had been captured and tortured during World War II. He was born in Chios in 1925 and later fought in the Greek Civil War on the left side. In 1948, he was transferred to the prison island of Makronisos.

Theodorakis’ score for the 1964 film Zorba the Greek, directed by Michael Cacoyannis, brought him international recognition. Earlier, he composed for Jules Dassin’s Phaedra 1962 and Cacoyannis’ Electra 1962. He wrote music for Z 1969 by Costa-Gavras and Serpico 1973 by Sidney Lumet. In 1992, he composed Canto Olympico for the Barcelona Olympics. He wrote operas including Ilektra, premiered in Luxembourg in 1995, and Lysistrati, created for the 2004 Athens Olympics. He set poems of Odysseas Elitis and others to music, producing works like Axion Esti and Canto General.

Theodorakis married Myrto Altinoglou in 1953, and they remained married until his death in 2021. They had two children: Giorgos and Margarita. In 1954, he moved to Paris to study at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he lived for several years. His political activities led to multiple exiles and imprisonments, separating him from his family. His brother Giannis Theodorakis also survived him.

His score for Zorba the Greek 1964 is known worldwide. He and Manos Hadjidakis are acknowledged as founders of modern Greek music. He received the Lenin Peace Prize, a BAFTA Award for Best Original Music, and the Commander of the Legion of Honour. His Canto Olympico was performed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He holds honorary doctorates from Tel Aviv University, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and others. He died in 2021, leaving a legacy as a composer and political symbol.