Greek actress Betty Valasi dies at 89; political funeral set for 19 October

Death and tributes

Greek actress Betty Valasi died on Thursday, 15 October 2026, at the age of 89. Actor Spyros Bibilas made the news public on Instagram, writing that he had learned of her death in Parliament. He described her as a beloved fighter, a great actress who shaped Greek culture, and a companion of the late Titos Vandis.

The KKE, which Valasi had stood for as a parliamentary candidate, issued its own statement praising her work in theatre, cinema and television as well as her political stance. The statement described her in these words:

A great lady of Greek theatre, cinema and television, a person of distinctive ethos, culture, dynamism and militant stance.

Early life

Valasi was born on 10 January 1937 in Thessaloniki to refugee parents from Asia Minor. Her real name was Despo (Despoina), but her mother changed it to Betty. Her parents separated when she was young, and she moved between Athens and Katerini, where her father set up a tobacco production unit. For many years she travelled by train between the two cities so that she could see both parents. Her father's elder brother had been killed by Turks in 1922.

Stage, film and television

Valasi made her first stage appearance in 1961 at the Kalouta Theatre, alongside Karolos Koun and Mary Aroni. Her teachers included Emilios Chourmouzios, Katina Paxinou, Angelos Terzakis and Sokratis Karantinos. She played Pallas Athena in the satirical trilogy Odyssey by Manolis Skouloudis. Between 1960 and 2004 she appeared in at least 14 Greek feature films directed by established filmmakers.

1. Jan 10, 1937Born in Thessaloniki to refugee parents from Asia Minor
2. 1961First stage appearance at the Kalouta Theatre
3. 1980Loxandra broadcast by ERT
4. 1984Marries Titos Vandis
5. 2003Titos Vandis dies, aged 86
6. Oct 15, 2026Dies, aged 89
7. Oct 19, 2026Funeral at 11:30 at the First Cemetery

Her widest recognition came from the title role in Loxandra, a series broadcast by ERT in 1980. Critics regarded it as the best performance of her career, and one report describes it as the last black-and-white television series. Audiences knew her for that role for decades, and the KKE statement says the public's affection for Loxandra is closely tied to her performance.

Personal life and politics

Valasi met actor Titos Vandis in 1982 and married him in 1984. They stayed together until his death in 2003, at the age of 86. She had a son, Nikolas Harry Minissali, who studied directing abroad. Her nephew is Christos Giannoulis, a journalist and SYRIZA-PS MP for Thessaloniki A. She was a close friend of Melina Mercouri, with whom she worked in both theatre and film.

Valasi stood as a KKE parliamentary candidate and was elected as an Athens municipal councillor. In a public statement in 2019 she said she had voted for the KKE all her life. According to the KKE statement, she spent the last four and a half years at the 'Spiti tou Agonisti' ('House of the Fighter').

Funeral arrangements

The KKE announced that the funeral will take place on Monday, 19 October, at 11:30 at the First Cemetery, and that it will be political. The party's statement closes with a line about how her memory will be kept.

We will keep her in our memory as radiant, tender, hungry for life and a fighter.