Fernanda Montenegro

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Pinheiro and the second or paternal family name is Esteves.
Fernanda Montenegro
ONM
Montenegro in 2019
Born
Arlette Pinheiro Esteves da Silva

(1929-10-16) 16 October 1929 (age 95)
Campinho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil[1]
EducationPedro II School
Alma materBerlitz Corporation
OccupationActress
Years active1950–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1953; died 2008)​
ChildrenCláudio Torres
Fernanda Torres
WebsiteOfficial website

Arlette Pinheiro Esteves Torres ONM (née da Silva; born 16 October 1929), known by her stage name Fernanda Montenegro (/feʁˈnɐ̃dɐ mõtʃiˈnegɾu/), is a Brazilian stage, television and film actress. Considered by many the greatest Brazilian actress of all time, she is often referred to as the grande dame of Brazilian theater, cinema, and performing arts.[2][3] For her work in Central Station (1998), she became the first, and to date the only, Brazilian nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, as well as the first and only actress nominated for an Academy Award for a performance in a Portuguese language film.[4][5][6][7][8] In addition, she was the first Brazilian to win the International Emmy in the category of Best Actress for her performance in Sweet Mother (2013).[9]

Among the various national and international awards she has received in a career spanning more than sixty years, she was awarded in 1999 her country's highest civilian honor, the National Order of Merit, "in recognition of her outstanding work in the Brazilian performing arts," delivered by then-president Fernando Henrique Cardoso.[10] In addition to having been awarded the Molière Prize five times,[11] Fernanda Montenegro is a three-time recipient of the Governor Award of the State of São Paulo.[11] She also won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival 1998 for her performance as "Dora" in Central Station by Walter Salles,[12] a role which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama in 1999, among other distinctions.[13] On television, she was the first actress hired by TV Tupi, in 1951, where she starred in teletheater shows under the direction of Fernando Torres, Sérgio Britto and Flávio Rangel. She made her debut in telenovelas in 1954 with A Muralha on RecordTV, where she appeared in other productions as well.[14] She has done work in most of Brazil's main broadcasters, such as Band, TV Cultura, RecordTV e TV Globo (where she remains since 1981), in addition to the extinct TV Excelsior, TV Rio and TV Tupi.[15][16]

In 2013, she was voted the 15th most influential celebrity in Brazil by Forbes magazine.[17] During the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Fernanda read the poem "A Flor e a Náusea" by Carlos Drummond de Andrade, dubbed in English by Judi Dench.

On 4 November 2021 she was elected to occupy the Chair number 17 at the Brazilian Academy of Letters, in succession to Affonso Arinos de Mello Franco.[18]

In November 2024, she was recognized by Guinness World Records for achieving the biggest audience in a Philosophy lecture. On 18 August 2024, over 15,000 people attended an event in the Ibirapuera Park where Montenegro read La Cérémonie des adieux by Simone de Beauvoir.[19]

  1. ^ "10 Curiosidades que talvez você não saiba sobre Fernanda Montenegro". Portal Uai (in Brazilian Portuguese). October 16, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  2. ^ "Dama do teatro, Fernanda Montenegro comemora 80 anos". noticias.terra.com.br. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  3. ^ "Fernanda Montenegro, a dama do teatro brasileiro comemora 80 anos". canalteatro.com.br. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  4. ^ "Latinos In The Oscars: Almost 60 Winners And Nominees Along The History Of The Academy Awards! [PHOTOS]". Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  5. ^ "History of Latino Academy Award Nominees & Winners". Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  6. ^ "Fernanda Montenegro: uma diva entre estrelas". Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  7. ^ "Fernanda Montenegro no Espelho". G1. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  8. ^ "Fernanda Montenegro e Walter Salles desfrutam a felicidade, depois de Central do Brasil ser indicado aos Oscar de melhor atriz e melhor filme em língua estrangeira". ISTOÉ. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  9. ^ "Fernanda Montenegro leva Emmy e agradece diretores de 'Doce de mãe'". November 26, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  10. ^ "Atriz Fernanda recebe maior comenda da República". Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Fernanda Montenegro". Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  12. ^ "Central do Brasil". Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  13. ^ "A vida é bela". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  14. ^ "Fernanda Montenegro participa novamente de 'Mister Brau' e personagem tenta casar o filho". Gshow.com. June 13, 2017.
  15. ^ Gabriel Menezes. "Fernanda Montenegro não teme rejeição com personagem gay em 'Babilônia'". O Globo. Revista da TV. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  16. ^ "Taís Araújo fica nervosa ao atuar com Fernanda Montenegro em 'Mr Brau'".
  17. ^ Forbes. "Forbes apresenta as celebridades mais influentes do Brasil". Exame. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  18. ^ Salles, Stéfano (November 4, 2021). "Fernanda Montenegro é eleita para a Academia Brasileira de Letras". CNN Brazil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  19. ^ Pinotti, Fernanda (November 14, 2024). "Fernanda Montenegro entra para o Guinness Book após bater recorde; veja qual". CNN Brazil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved November 14, 2024.