Born Katina Constantopoulos in Piraeus, Greece, in 1900; died in 1976.
After beginning her career as an opera singer, she switched to acting in 1929 and shortly after joined the Greek National Theater.
When WWII broke out, she was performing in London, and unable to return to Greece, went to the U.S., making her Broadway debut in 1942 in “Hedda Gabler.”
The following year, she was summoned to Hollywood to appear in Sam Wood's version of Hemingway's novel, “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” as Pilar, opposite Gary Copper and Ingrid Bergman, for which she received the Supporting Actress Oscar.
She made a few Hollywood films, such as “Mourning Becomes Electra” (1947), but then went back to Athens, where she and husband Alexis Minotis founded the Royal Theater.
Appearing sporadically in European films, Paxinou was particularly impressive in Visconti's epic family saga, “Rocco and His Brothers” (1960).