Ioanna "Nana" Mouskouri OQ (Greek: Ιωάννα "Νάνα" Μούσχουρη [i.oˈana ˈnana ˈmusxuri]; born 13 October 1934) is a Greek singer and politician. Over the span of her career, she has released an estimated 450 albums in at least thirteen languages, including Greek, French, English, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Hebrew, Welsh, Mandarin Chinese and Corsican.
Mouskouri became well known throughout Europe for the song "The White Rose of Athens", recorded first in German as "Weiße Rosen aus Athen" as an adaptation of her Greek song "Σαν σφυρίξεις τρείς φορές" (San sfyríxeis tris forés, "When you whistle three times"). It became her first record to sell over one million copies.
Later, in 1963, she represented Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "À force de prier", finishing eighth. Her friendship with the composer Michel Legrand led to the recording by Mouskouri of the theme song of the Oscar-nominated film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. From 1968 to 1976, she hosted her own TV show produced by BBC, Presenting Nana Mouskouri. Her popularity as a multilingual television personality and distinctive image, owing to the then unusual signature black-rimmed glasses, turned Mouskouri into an international star.
"Je chante avec toi Liberté", recorded in 1981, is perhaps her biggest hit to date, performed in at least five languages – French, English as "Song for Liberty", German as "Lied der Freiheit", Spanish as "Libertad" and Portuguese as "Liberdade". "Only Love", a song recorded in 1984 as the theme song of TV series Mistral's Daughter, gained worldwide popularity along with its other versions in French (as "L'Amour en Héritage"), Italian (as "Come un'eredità"), Spanish (as "La dicha del amor"), and German (as "Aber die Liebe bleibt"). It became her only UK hit single when it reached number two in February 1986.
Mouskouri became a spokesperson for UNICEF in 1993 and was elected to the European Parliament as a Greek deputy from 1994 to 1999.
In 2006, she was a special guest on Eurovision Song Contest 2006's final, presented as the best selling artist of all time.
In 2015, she was awarded the Echo Music Prize for Outstanding achievements by the German music association Deutsche Phono-Akademie.
Nana Mouskouri was born on 13 October 1934 in Chania, Crete, where her father, Constantinos, worked as a film projectionist in a local cinema; her mother, Aliki, worked in the same cinema as an usher. When Mouskouri was three, her family moved to Athens.
Mouskouri's family sent her and her older sister Eugenía (Jenny) to the Athens Conservatoire. Although Mouskouri had displayed exceptional musical talent from age six, Jenny initially appeared to be the more gifted sibling. Financially unable to support both girls' studies, the parents asked their tutor which one should continue. The tutor conceded that Jenny had the better voice, but Nana was the one with the true inner need to sing. Mouskouri has said that a medical examination revealed she has only one functioning vocal cord and this could well account for her remarkable singing voice (in her younger years ranging from a husky, dark alto, which she later dropped, to a ringing coloratura mezzo), as opposed to her breathy, raspy speaking voice. ...
Source: Article "Nana Mouskouri" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Known For
Merci Dorothée !
Self (archive footage)
2025
L'Âge d'or de la pub
Self (archive footage)
2023
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2022
I Love Greece
Nana Mouskouri
2022
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
Self (archive footage)
2022
Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age
Self - Singer (archive footage)
2021
Nana Mouskouri, Momente ihres Lebens
Self
2020
O Samba
Self
2015
Nana Mouskouri - Live at the Royal Albert Hall
Self
2012
Denk ich an Weihnacht
Self · (1 episode)
2011
Musikalische Reise
Self · (2 episodes)
2010
Nana Mouskouri - The Farewell World Tour: Live At The Odeon Herodes Atticus
Self
2009
En direct de l'univers
Self · (1 episode)
2009
...Sings the Beatles
Self (archive footage)
2009
C à vous
Self · (1 episode)
2009
C à vous
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2009
Quincy Jones : 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux
Self
2008
Q&A
Self - Panellist · (1 episode)
2008
On n'est pas couché
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2006
The Story of Light Entertainment
Self · (1 episode)
2006
Les Enfoirés, 15 ans d'Enfoirés
2005
Tout le monde en parle
Self · (1 episode)
2004
Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel
Self · (6 episodes)
2004
V Graham Norton
Self · (1 episode)
2002
Nana Swings
Self
2002
Star Academy
Self · (1 episode)
2001
Ein Star und seine Stadt
Self · (1 episode)
2001
Aeschbacher
Self · (1 episode)
2001
Menschen der Woche
Self · (2 episodes)
2000
Hit auf Hit
Self · (2 episodes)
2000
Rove
Self · (1 episode)
1999
Beckmann
Self · (1 episode)
1999
Vivement dimanche
Self · (3 episodes)
1998
Les Enfoirés 1997 - Le Zénith des Enfoirés
1997
De pé a pá
Self · (1 episode)
1996
Musik für Sie
self · (1 episode)
1995
alfredissimo! Kochen mit Bio
Self · (2 episodes)
1994
Die Feste mit Florian Silbereisen
Self · (4 episodes)
1994
ECHO-Verleihung
Self · (1 episode)
1992
Riverboat
Self · (2 episodes)
1992
Musik liegt in der Luft
Self - Singer · (1 episode)
1991
DAS!
Self · (2 episodes)
1991
Stars 90
Self · (3 episodes)
1990
Flitterabend
Self - Singer · (2 episodes)
1988
Téléthon
Self · (2 episodes)
1987
Le monde est à vous
Self · (9 episodes)
1987
The Dame Edna Experience
Self · (1 episode)
1987
Sacrée soirée
Self · (5 episodes)
1987
Nachtcafé
Self · (1 episode)
1987
Wedden, dat..?
Self · (1 episode)
1986
Melodien für Millionen
Self · (3 episodes)
1985
Die verflixte 7
Self · (1 episode)
1984
Bei Bio
Self · (1 episode)
1983
Champs-Elysées
Self · (18 episodes)
1982
Telezirkus
Self · (1 episode)
1981
Tag des deutschen Schlagers
Self · (1 episode)
1981
Show-Express
Self · (1 episode)
1980
Verstehen Sie Spaß?
Self · (1 episode)
1980
NDR Talk Show
Self · (2 episodes)
1979
Bio’s Bahnhof
Self · (1 episode)
1978
Fan School
Self · (12 episodes)
1977
Auf los geht's los
Self · (1 episode)
1977
Kölner Treff
Self · (1 episode)
1976
Numéro un
Self · (8 episodes)
1975
Numéro un
Self - Host · (6 episodes)
1975
Système 2
Self · (4 episodes)
1975
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Self · (1 episode)
1975
Midi Première
Self · (2 episodes)
1975
Musik ist Trumpf
Self · (2 episodes)
1975
3 nach 9
Self · (2 episodes)
1974
Der große Preis
Self · (1 episode)
1974
Die Montagsmaler
Self · (1 episode)
1974
Midi trente
Self · (8 episodes)
1972
Ein Kessel Buntes
Self · (1 episode)
1972
Ein Kessel Buntes
Self - Musician · (6 episodes)
1972
Le Grand Échiquier
Self · (1 episode)
1972
Cadet Rousselle
Self · (1 episode)
1971
Dalli Dalli
Self - Singer · (1 episode)
1971
Samedi soir
Self · (2 episodes)
1971
Drei mal neun
Self · (1 episode)
1970
Peter Alexander präsentiert Spezialitäten
Self · (1 episode)
1969
Die ZDF-Hitparade
Self · (4 episodes)
1969
Starparade
Self · (3 episodes)
1968
Die Caterina-Valente-Show
Self · (1 episode)
1966
Dim Dam Dom
Self · (1 episode)
1965
Soeben eingetroffen
self · (1 episode)
1965
Hör hin, schau zu!
Self · (1 episode)
1965
Die Drehscheibe
Self · (1 episode)
1964
Einer wird gewinnen
Self · (2 episodes)
1964
The Danny Kaye Show
Self · (2 episodes)
1963
Tonight in Person
Self · (2 episodes)
1963
The Mike Douglas Show
Self · (1 episode)
1961
Werner Müllers Schlagermagazin
Self · (1 episode)
1961
Musik aus Studio B
Self · (4 episodes)
1961
Dreamland of Desire
Self - Singer
1961
Treffpunkt Telebar
Self · (1 episode)
1961
Love and storm
Singer
1961
Sunday's Date
Singer
1960
Date in Corfu
Singer
1960
Mousitsa
singer
1959
Stars in the Ring
Self · (1 episode)
1959
Discorama
Self · (11 episodes)
1959
Lisa, Tosca of Athens
singer
1959
Aktuelle Schaubude
Self · (2 episodes)
1957
Zum blauen Bock
Self · (1 episode)
1957
Cinépanorama
Self · (1 episode)
1956
What Am I?
Self · (1 episode)
1955