Glória Maria

Glória Maria Matta da Silva (15 August 1949 – 2 February 2023) was a Brazilian journalist, reporter, and television host. With a career that spanned since the 1960s, she is widely considered the first television reporter and TV host of African descent to achieve national success in Brazil.

In 2023, Parque das Ruínas in the Santa Teresa neighborhood of Rio de Jeniero was officially renamed Glória Maria Municipal Park in her honor.

Early life Glória Maria grew up in a low-income household in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro; her father worked as a tailor and her mother as a housewife.

She lived with her grandmother after her parents divorced and was told her stories about her great-grandfather, who was hanged in the mountains of Minas Gerais state. She had to face many barriers and obstacles to become a successful journalist and reporter.

For one year, Glória Maria worked two jobs, including weekends, before she acquired a position at Globo. She would start her shift at Globo at 8:00 a.m. and would leave at 8:00 p.m. Afterwards, she would attend pre-college prep courses and then go home to sleep for an hour. Glória Maria would wake up in the morning to go to her job at a telephone company. Madonna, and Freddie Mercury.

Death She died on 2 February 2023, in Rio de Janeiro as a consequence of a metastatic cancer that started in her lungs and spread to her brain. She was aged 73.

Her life and career are depicted in the 2025 television documentary miniseries Gloria.

Philanthropy Maria saw children in need during many of her travels and decided to dedicate her time to travel around the world helping others. She spent time in India volunteering to help care for and feed children and beggars in the country's poorest cities. She also served children in poor areas of Nigeria. She continued her efforts when returning to Brazil and met her daughters.