Smaro Stefanidou

Stefanidou family originated in Asia Minor. From a very young age, she acted in plays for children. She learned foreign languages and the piano while attending business school in Athens, and worked to pay for her tuition at the National Theatre Drama School without her parents knowing, as they did not want her to become an actress. She graduated from the Drama School in 1937, after which she was hired by Marika Kotopouli. In 1952, she joined Vassilis Logothetidis's acting company, where she stayed until his death in 1960. During her career, she acted alongside Katerina, Elli Lampeti, Dimitris Horn, Lambros Konstantaras, Giannis Fertis, Xenia Kalogeropoulou, Aliki Vougiouklaki, Stefanos Lineos, Giannis Gkionakis, Nikos Kourkoulos, Antonis Antypas and many more. She played Queen Hecuba in the play Trojan Women, translated and directed by Giannis Tsarouchis and performed at a makeshift theatre on Kaplanon Street and in Delphi.

In 1951, she made her cinematic debut in The Four Steps. From there, she appeared in many movies, including adaptations of theatre plays she had performed onstage. She also worked in radio, taking part in radio serials, radio theatre and readings of novels. Her radio serials included The tongue that embroiders and Baroness Staff, and she read, in installments, A hundred years of solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, The third wreath by Kostas Tachtsis, and The decadence of the hard ones by Angelos Terzakis.

Stefanidou married singer-songwriter Vassos Seitanidis (1913–1965) and they had one daughter, Leda-Irene. Leda is a yoga teacher, Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, teacher, and dance therapist. In 2003, Stefanidou and Leda opened the Shantom House of Culture in Chalandri, where they hosted lessons, workshops, seminars, and performances. Stefanidou died in 2010, at the age of 97, and is buried in the First Cemetery.