Biography for
Fernanda Montenegro More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

16 October 1929, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Birth Name

Arlette Pinheiro Esteves da Silva

Mini Biography

Arlette Pinheiro Esteves da Silva was born on 16th October 1929 in Rio de Janeiro. She adopted the name "Fernanda" because she thought it sounded good. "Montenegro" came after her family doctor.

In late 40s she was translating and adapting famous theater plays to radio. She begun her artistic life in the theater with the play "Alegres Canções nas Montanhas" in 1950. Among her mates was Fernando Torres, who would soon become her husband. Next she use the married name Arlette Pinheiro Monteiro Torres. In the next years she worked with other great actors like Sérgio Britto, Cacilda Becker, Nathália Timberg, Cláudio Corrêa e Castro and Ítalo Rossi.

In the early 60s she moved to São Paulo where she worked on many theater plays and also stared working on television. Her first soap operas was "Pouco Amor Não é Amor". In 1964 she started working for cinema as well. Her first film was "A Falecida". In 1965 her daughter Fernanda Torres was born. She later also became a famous actress.

As time went by, more and more successful soap operas and plays came up and she received many prizes. She was later called "The First Lady of Brazilian Theater". In cinema, after some not very famous films, she worked on "Eles Não Usam Black-Tie" (1981), largely applauded by the critics.

Her success on television and theater continued, but her cinema career, although it never stopped, was largely unnoticed until 1997, when "O Que é Isso, Companheiro?", a nominee for the Oscar of Best Film in a Foreign Language, was released. In 1998 "Central do Brasil" enchanted the world. This film, another nominee for the Oscar, was the highest moment of Fernanda Montengro's cinema career, once she was a nominee for Best Actress. The Oscar was not given to her, but the actress got the Berlin prize. In 1999 she had another great achievement on TV, "O Auto da Compadecida", later cut to a film format and released in the movie theaters.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Emerenciano

Spouse

Fernando Torres

(1954 - 4 September 2008) (his death) 2 children

Trivia

Is the first Brazilian actress ever to be nominated for an Academy Award

Is considered the Great Dame of Brazilian television

Mother of actress Fernanda Torres and director Cláudio Torres.

Is considered the Great Dame of Brazilian television.

Refused a Brazil's president invitation to be Minister of Culture in the middle of 80s. She answered she would be more useful to her country's country only acting.

She has two grandsons: Joaquim and Davi.

In 1992 she won the medal of cultural merit from Portugal.

Fernanda is descendant from Portugueses and Italians.

She won at least 10 awards for best actress in movies, novels and theater. This includes 5 Molières Prizes.

In 1971 she won the medal of Ordem do Cruzeiro do Sul for good services for Brazilian culture.

Fernanda won Award Contigo! for best actress for her role in the soap "Belíssima" (2006).

Won Grande Prêmio Cinema Brazil for best actress for her role in "O Outro Lado da Rua". With this role she also won the award for best actress in Tribeca Festival and in Audiovisual Festival.

There's a theater room named after her in the Leblon Theater in Rio de Janeiro.

Personal Quotes

"My English is not good but my soul is better".

"I'm the Old Lady from Ipanema".

"In Brazil, I have a career. In America, I have an accent."

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