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 | March 24, 1938 |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1968-present |
| Known for | |
| Spouses | |
Career overview
editDuring 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
editIn 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
editFilm
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| Year | Award | Category | Production | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 30th Golden Globe Awards | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture | Kansas City Bomber | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ Greenspun, Roger (August 3, 1972). "Instant Morality:'Kansas City Bomber' Stars Raquel Welch" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Kansas City Bomber". Turner Classic Movies.
- ^ 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.