by Christos Zabounis
A friend who had just returned from Canada confessed his “love” for a Greek-born actress who lives and works there. “I saw her once in the series Anna Pigeon and ever since, I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind,” he declared, with the customary exaggeration of our people. On the other hand, because I have faith in his “fox terrier” instinct when it comes to women, I decided to look her up on the Internet. “She is beautiful,” I remarked, scrolling through her photographs. “It’s not just that. You have to see her on screen. She shines,” he insisted. “How? The series isn’t shown in Greece,” I countered. “On YouTube,” he replied. Indeed, after watching the trailer, I understood the… temptation. At the same time, I was pleased by the success of our compatriot. There are approximately 300,000 Greek immigrants in Canada. Tracy is a second-generation Greek Canadian. At one point, in 1992, her parents decided to return to their place of origin, Skala, Laconia. There, Panagiota, as she was christened, went to school, which explains her excellent command of Greek. When she was nine years old, the family returned to Canada, and her parents reopened the Greek restaurant they had previously closed. But their daughter’s dream was to become an actress. And so she did, after a brief period of acting studies. At the age of 21, she landed her first leading role in Canada, but she gained international recognition with NBC’s series Revolution. In 2017, she became Detective Hailey Upton on Chicago P.D., a role she played for seven seasons. The series’ writers even wrote the character with her real-life heritage in mind. Greek. In 2024, she decided to leave, wanting to see what else might be out there for her career. She did not have to wait long to find it. Anna Pigeon is starring Tracy Spyridakos. “Go on, she’s single,” I told my friend. “There’s no husband, fiancé, or boyfriend.” “I’m on my way,” he replied.
