Nana Mouskouri
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. ...
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Photos
Movies (29)
70 Jahre ESC - More than Music
2026 · Self - Interviewee
Serge Lama, le dernier rappel
2025 · Self
Nos Voix Pour Toutes 2025
2025 · Self
Le Concert de la Paix
2025 · Self : Guest
50 ans de Numéro Un - Les Carpentier
2025 · Self (archive footage)
Merci Dorothée !
2025 · Self (archive footage)
L'Âge d'or de la pub
2023 · Self (archive footage)
I Love Greece
2022 · Nana Mouskouri
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
2022 · Self (archive footage)
Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age
2021 · Self - Singer (archive footage)
Nana Mouskouri, Momente ihres Lebens
2020 · Self
Schlager nonstop Die 60er – Merci, Cherie
2018 · Self
O Samba
2015 · Self
Nana Mouskouri - Live at the Royal Albert Hall
2012 · Self
Nana Mouskouri - The Farewell World Tour: Live At The Odeon Herodes Atticus
2009 · Self
...Sings the Beatles
2009 · Self (archive footage)
Quincy Jones : 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux
2008 · Self
Les Enfoirés, 15 ans d'Enfoirés
2005
Nana Swings
2002 · Self
Les Enfoirés 1997 - Le Zénith des Enfoirés
1997
Le cadeau des cadeaux
1992
Le Cadeau de Noël
1991
Dreamland of Desire
1961 · Self - Singer, Songs
Love and storm
1961 · Singer
Sunday's Date
1960 · Singer
Date in Corfu
1960 · Singer, Songs
Mousitsa
1959 · singer
Lisa, Tosca of Athens
1959 · singer
Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
1958 · Singer
TV shows (86)
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
2022 · Self (archive footage)
Denk ich an Weihnacht
2011 · Self
Musikalische Reise
2010 · Self
En direct de l'univers
2009 · Self
C à vous
2009 · Self, Self - Guest
Q&A
2008 · Self - Panellist
On n'est pas couché
2006 · Self - Guest
The Story of Light Entertainment
2006 · Self
Tout le monde en parle
2004 · Self
Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel
2004 · Self
V Graham Norton
2002 · Self
Star Academy
2001 · Self
Ein Star und seine Stadt
2001 · Self
Aeschbacher
2001 · Self
Menschen der Woche
2000 · Self
Hit auf Hit
2000 · Self
Rove
1999 · Self
Beckmann
1999 · Self
Vivement dimanche
1998 · Self
De pé a pá
1996 · Self
Musik für Sie
1995 · self
alfredissimo! Kochen mit Bio
1994 · Self
Die Feste mit Florian Silbereisen
1994 · Self
Eurolaul
1993 · Self - Jury
ECHO-Verleihung
1992 · Self
Riverboat
1992 · Self
Musik liegt in der Luft
1991 · Self - Singer
DAS!
1991 · Self
Stars 90
1990 · Self
Flitterabend
1988 · Self - Singer
Téléthon
1987 · Self
Le monde est à vous
1987 · Self
The Dame Edna Experience
1987 · Self
Sacrée soirée
1987 · Self
Nachtcafé
1987 · Self
Wedden, dat..?
1986 · Self
Melodien für Millionen
1985 · Self
Die verflixte 7
1984 · Self
Bei Bio
1983 · Self
Champs-Elysées
1982 · Self
Telezirkus
1981 · Self
Tag des deutschen Schlagers
1981 · Self
Show-Express
1980 · Self
Verstehen Sie Spaß?
1980 · Self
NDR Talk Show
1979 · Self
Bio’s Bahnhof
1978 · Self
Fan School
1977 · Self
Auf los geht's los
1977 · Self
Kölner Treff
1976 · Self
Numéro un
1975 · Self, Self - Host
Système 2
1975 · Self
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975 · Self
Midi Première
1975 · Self
Musik ist Trumpf
1975 · Self
3 nach 9
1974 · Self
Der große Preis
1974 · Self
Die Montagsmaler
1974 · Self
Midi trente
1972 · Self
Ein Kessel Buntes
1972 · Self, Self - Musician
Le Grand Échiquier
1972 · Self
Cadet Rousselle
1971 · Self
Dalli Dalli
1971 · Self - Singer
Samedi soir
1971 · Self
Drei mal neun
1970 · Self
Peter Alexander präsentiert Spezialitäten
1969 · Self
Die ZDF-Hitparade
1969 · Self
Starparade
1968 · Self
Die Caterina-Valente-Show
1966 · Self
Dim Dam Dom
1965 · Self
Soeben eingetroffen
1965 · self
Hör hin, schau zu!
1965 · Self
Die Drehscheibe
1964 · Self
Einer wird gewinnen
1964 · Self
The Danny Kaye Show
1963 · Self
Tonight in Person
1963 · Self
The Mike Douglas Show
1961 · Self
Werner Müllers Schlagermagazin
1961 · Self
Musik aus Studio B
1961 · Self
Treffpunkt Telebar
1961 · Self
Stars in der Manege
1959 · Self
Discorama
1959 · Self
Aktuelle Schaubude
1957 · Self
Zum blauen Bock
1957 · Self
Eurovision Song Contest
1956 · Self - Luxembourg Contestant
Cinépanorama
1956 · Self
Was bin ich?
1955 · Self