Melina was born Maria Amalia Mercouri in Athens on October 18, 1920. She came from a prominent political family.

She was an actress, singer, activist, politician, and one of the icons of 20th-century Greece.

Her passion for her country and culture, combined with her strong and dynamic personality, made her iconic, popular, and beloved in Greece—and beyond. For many, she embodied the ideal Greek woman, often called "The Last Greek Goddess".

As an actress, she was nominated for and won awards, including Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival, and achieved international success in films and theater. Her movie hits include "Never on Sunday" and "Topkapi", while she also starred in plays like "Illya Darling" on Broadway.

As a singer, she performed memorable songs, including "Ta Paidia tou Pirea", composed by Michalis Kakogiannis and Manos Hadjidakis. The song won an Oscar at the 1960 Academy Awards.

As an activist, she launched an international campaign against the Greek Junta while exiled from Greece. In response to her resistance against the military regime, the Junta revoked her Greek citizenship. Melina famously declared, "I was born a Greek and I will die a Greek. They were born fascists and will die fascists". 
During her campaign against the Colonels, she survived two assassination attempts.

As a politician, she was elected to the Greek Parliament in every election from 1977 to 1993 with the center-left PASOK party. In 1981, she became the first female Minister of Culture and Sports, a role she held for a total of 10 years across two terms—the longest tenure in Greek governmental history. She is widely regarded as the most effective Minister of Culture, leaving a legacy of achievements and innovations.

She campaigned for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Athens, artifacts stolen from the Acropolis and now held in the British Museum in London. To support this cause, she initiated the construction of the Acropolis Museum.

The renowned American director Jules Dassin, the love of her life, was her second husband. They remained together for nearly 40 years until her death.

Melina died of lung cancer on March 6, 1994, in New York City, USA. 
The woman who became famous for "Never on Sunday" ironically passed away on a Sunday. 
She was the first woman in Greece to be buried with prime ministerial honors, and hundreds of thousands gathered at her funeral in Athens. During her funeral, Broadway theaters dimmed their lights in tribute to her memory.