<p>Olympia Dukakis, a character actress who won an Oscar for her role as an overbearing mother in the romantic comedy "Moonstruck," died Saturday at the age of 89.</p>.<p>The passing of the theater veteran, who made a name for herself in film late in her career, was confirmed on Facebook by her brother Apollo.</p>.<p>"My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City," he wrote. "After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her [husband] Louis [Zorich]."</p>.<p>The cause of death was not immediately given.</p>.<p>Dukakis won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her work in "Moonstruck" (1987) as the scornful mother of a young widow played by Cher. It also earned Dukakis a Golden Globe and a BAFTA nomination.</p>.<p>"The fun part is that people pass me on the street and yell lines from my movies: For 'Moonstruck' they say, 'Your life is going down the toilet,'" Dukakis told the Los Angeles Times in 1991. "It's real funny."</p>.<p>Dukakis also won acclaim for her role as a gossip hound at a small town Louisiana hair salon in "Steel Magnolias," (1989) which also featured Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Sally Field and Daryl Hannah.</p>.<p>By 1988, with her Oscar, Dukakis was a household name in America because of the award and because her cousin Michael Dukakis had won the Democratic presidential nomination.</p>.<p>She plugged him in her Oscars acceptance speech, shouting "OK, Michael, let's go" as she concluded her remarks and held up her statuette.</p>.<p>Michael Dukakis ended up losing the election to George H.W. Bush, but both she and her cousin remained active in politics.</p>.<p>Olympia Dukakis is survived by the daughter and two sons she had with Zorich, who died in 2018.</p>
<p>Olympia Dukakis, a character actress who won an Oscar for her role as an overbearing mother in the romantic comedy "Moonstruck," died Saturday at the age of 89.</p>.<p>The passing of the theater veteran, who made a name for herself in film late in her career, was confirmed on Facebook by her brother Apollo.</p>.<p>"My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City," he wrote. "After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her [husband] Louis [Zorich]."</p>.<p>The cause of death was not immediately given.</p>.<p>Dukakis won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her work in "Moonstruck" (1987) as the scornful mother of a young widow played by Cher. It also earned Dukakis a Golden Globe and a BAFTA nomination.</p>.<p>"The fun part is that people pass me on the street and yell lines from my movies: For 'Moonstruck' they say, 'Your life is going down the toilet,'" Dukakis told the Los Angeles Times in 1991. "It's real funny."</p>.<p>Dukakis also won acclaim for her role as a gossip hound at a small town Louisiana hair salon in "Steel Magnolias," (1989) which also featured Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Sally Field and Daryl Hannah.</p>.<p>By 1988, with her Oscar, Dukakis was a household name in America because of the award and because her cousin Michael Dukakis had won the Democratic presidential nomination.</p>.<p>She plugged him in her Oscars acceptance speech, shouting "OK, Michael, let's go" as she concluded her remarks and held up her statuette.</p>.<p>Michael Dukakis ended up losing the election to George H.W. Bush, but both she and her cousin remained active in politics.</p>.<p>Olympia Dukakis is survived by the daughter and two sons she had with Zorich, who died in 2018.</p>