08/05/2021
Anna Madrigal herself has died. The LGBTQ community is in mourning but giving thanks for the life of heterosexual ally Olympia Dukakis, who has passed on at the age of eighty nine. In the nineteen nineties, Dukakis played on television the philosophical motherly transgender landlady of a group of young people at Barbary Lane in San Francisco – the setting for Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series of books, a classic portrayal of gay life in an American city over fifty years. Dukakis, the daughter of Greek immigrants, was an advocate for women's and LGBT rights. Dukakis appeared in a wide variety of films inlcuding the acclaimed Steel Magnolias, and Moonstruck. She was the holder of many awards including an Oscar and a Golden Globe. On BBC News Channel on Sunday evening, noted actors across the theatre and television professions united to speak of her kindness, professionalism and friendliness. Ms Dukakis passed on at her Manhatten home in the heart of the city she had made her own.