A burglar may have stolen Olympia Dukakis' Oscar -- the one she held aloft in April 1988 as she cheered, "OK, Michael, let's go" -- but he couldn't take away her place in Hollywood history.

	Warner Bros. Pictures Olympia Dukakis as the grandmother in "In the Land of Women" Click photo for larger image. Related review 'In the Land of Women'

Besides, the thief left the nameplate, signifying she was the Best Supporting Actress of 1987 for "Moonstruck," and she ordered a replacement statuette. Today, strangers still salute her with lines from "Moonstruck," in which she played Rose Castorini (and Cher's mother), or "Steel Magnolias," where her wealthy widow was a regular at a Louisiana beauty shop.

She is back "In the Land of Women," literally and figuratively, as the ailing grandmother of a lovesick California writer played by Adam Brody. When his girlfriend dumps him, he decides to head to suburban Michigan to visit his grandmother, Phyllis.

The movie also stars Meg Ryan and Kristen Stewart, but Dukakis plays virtually all of her scenes with Brody, known for his role as Seth Cohen on "The O.C."

While the 75-year-old film, TV and stage actress is not exactly the Fox demographic, she quickly realized the depth of Brody's fan base. "He's incredibly popular. There were young girls all over the place," she said, referring to Victoria, Vancouver Island, where they filmed.

She credited first-time director Jonathan Kasdan (his father, Lawrence, is a respected director, producer and writer) with knowing they would click on screen.

"He was wonderful, truly wonderful," she said, when asked if she had trepidation about working on Kasdan's directorial debut. "He was inclusive, he was smart, he was funny, he was concerned for everybody. He's a lovely man. I can't help but think he's going to have a wonderful career, don't you?"

The movie doesn't provide much information about Grandma Archer, but Dukakis filled in the gaps. "She's fiercely independent, that's the thing. She did not want to move out," although her front yard is overgrown and the inside in need of an HGTV organization expert.

She lives alone and is losing touch with reality. "I think when he comes, I mean, that brings her back a little bit," Dukakis added in a recent phone call.

"At first, she figures he's going to be just like another pile in the room, but I think she begins to get a sense that he's going through something and she slowly starts giving him a little bit of advice and tries to watch out for him and warn him about the people at the door. She has a sense of humor."

Although the grandmother jokes she's 133, her actual age is never revealed, but she is old enough to be the mother of JoBeth Williams, who plays Brody's mom. Dukakis credits the late makeup artist and hair stylist Tom Brumberger with making her transformation so easy and believable.

"I worked with him over 15 years. The guy was like a genius," she said of Brumberger, who died in July. "He did that makeup so fast, they couldn't believe it. ... They kept coming up to me, trying to see what he did."

Brumberger, who also handled her makeup for "The Cemetery Club" in Pittsburgh, gave her a wig and wrinkles and changed her skin tone to reflect the gray, red and even green in an older face.

Dukakis also worked with the costumer to find clothes that screamed Grandma. She donned droopy but brightly colored crocheted sweaters and made sure her sleeves were a little short, so her arms stuck out. She pays attention to wardrobe details, from socks to buttons.

In mid-May, Dukakis will be back on screen in Pittsburgh in "Away From Her," an adaptation of Alice Munro's short story, "The Bear Came Over the Mountain." It's a movie about memory and marriage and stars Julie Christie as a woman with Alzheimer's who enters a retirement home where Dukakis' husband is a resident.

"Sarah Polley adapted it and did a brilliant, brilliant piece of work, I have to tell you, and then she went on and directed it, and then her husband [David Wharnsby] did the editing. It was a big hit at the Toronto film festival," where it had its world premiere.

Dukakis plans to return to the stage and also will reunite with her "Steel Magnolias" co-star Shirley MacLaine in "Poor Things," a dark comedy about con artists who befriend and murder homeless men to collect their life insurance. Ash Baron Cohen, a cousin of Sasha Baron Cohen, will direct the movie.

She may play a grandmother, but Dukakis regularly does Pilates and yoga, speaks on issues ranging from being pro-choice to osteoporosis (she was diagnosed in the 1990s) and Alzheimer's, which affected her late mother.

And while she doesn't anticipate being closely involved in the 2008 presidential race, she does have a favorite. The name isn't Dukakis but has a familiar ring: Hillary Rodham Clinton.