Helena Kallianiotes (born March 24, 1938) is a Greek-American film actress. In 1973, she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for her role as Jackie Burdette in Kansas City Bomber.

Helena Kallianiotes
Born (1938-03-24) March 24, 1938 (age 86)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
  • property manager
Years active1968-present
Known for
Spouses
Iordanis Tsomidis
(m. 1961; div. 1964)
(m. 1967; div. 1969)

Career overview

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During the late 1960s, Helena Kallianiotes was the resident belly dancer at The Intersection, a Greek restaurant in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. This engagement led to her first film appearance as an uncredited belly dancer in the 1968 film Head, directed by Bob Rafelson and starring The Monkees. Two years later, Kallianiotes was cast in another Rafelson film, Five Easy Pieces, starring Jack Nicholson and Karen Black. She played Palm Apodaca, a neurotic, foul-mouthed "butch" hitch-hiker, traveling with her companion (played by Toni Basil).

In 1972, Kallianiotes appeared in her most celebrated role[1][2] as the ultra-aggressive roller derby skater Jackie Burdette in Kansas City Bomber, for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for the 1973 Golden Globe Awards. Her other film roles include Mata Hari in Shanks (1974), Elaine Reavis in The Drowning Pool (1975), Anita in Stay Hungry, the Visionary Woman in The Passover Plot (both 1976), and a future-reading brothel madam in Nicolas Roeg's Eureka (1983).

Life outside of film

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In 1975, Kallianiotes appeared on the cover of Art Garfunkel's Breakaway album.

In 1985, she opened a private members-only club in Los Angeles called Helena's.[3]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1968 Head Belly Dancer Uncredited
1969 Easy Rider Woman in Commune Uncredited
1970 Five Easy Pieces Palm Apodaca Was featured in the famous "chicken salad sandwich" scene with Jack Nicholson, Karen Black and Toni Basil.
The Baby Maker Wanda
1972 Kansas City Bomber Jackie Burdette Nominated for 1973 Golden Globe Award for "Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role."
1974 Shanks Mata Hari A moll in a biker gang who all use names of historical notables
1975 The Drowning Pool Elaine Reavis
1976 Stay Hungry Anita
The Passover Plot Visionary Woman
1978 Renaldo and Clara herself
1983 Eureka Frieda
1990 Catchfire Grace Carelli

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1979 CHiPs Lita Episode: "Roller Disco: Part 1"
Episode: "Roller Disco: Part 2"
1984 Faerie Tale Theatre Gina (as Helena Kallioniotes) Episode: "Pinocchio"
1985 Alfred Hitchock Presents Maria Kyprianov (segment "An Unlocked Window") Episode: "Pilot"
2017 Star Maggie Episode: "The Devil You Know"
Episode: "Alibi"

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Production Result
1973 30th Golden Globe Awards Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Kansas City Bomber Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Greenspun, Roger (August 3, 1972). "Instant Morality:'Kansas City Bomber' Stars Raquel Welch" – via NYTimes.com.
  2. ^ "Kansas City Bomber". Turner Classic Movies.
  3. ^ Pyum, Jeanie (December 10, 2018). ""Everybody Was Getting Laid": Hollywood's Queen of 1980s Nightlife (Finally) Tells All". HollywoodReporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
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