Mercouri was an actor in many movies. Her first movie was "Stella" in 1955. She later acted in "Topkapi" (1964), and  "Never on Sunday" (1960). Her husband, Dassin, was the director of these movies. Mercouri also acted and sang in the musical "llya, Darling" (1967). She became very famous for her work in "Never on Sunday." Mercouri also was awarded an Academy Award nomination for best actress from that role. Later, she became the Greek Minister of Culture and Sciences. Her job was to educate about Greek history, art and sports. While in this job, Mercouri supported Greek arts, sports, and women's rights. She became part of the Greek Parliament in 1977. Mercouri was also an author. She wrote her autobiography: "I Was Born Greek".