Lucélia Santos

Maria Lucélia dos Santos (born 20 May 1957) is a Brazilian actress, director and producer. She received international acclaim for her leading role in the 1976 Rede Globo telenovela Isaura, The Slave Girl, broadcast in over 80 countries.

Biography Maria Lucélia dos Santos was born in Santo André, São Paulo, to Maurílio Simões dos Santos and Maria Moura dos Santos. Her parents were both blue collar workers. She has two siblings: Maurílio Wagner and Cristina Santos, also an actress. Due to her early stage success, Lucélia was invited to star in the film Paranóia in 1976, at the age of 19. After three other small roles in unsuccessful films, that same year she landed the leading role in Escrava Isaura, which tells the story of the struggle of a white-skinned black slave to find happiness during the Brazilian Empire. The telenovela, based on the novel of the same name by 19th-century abolitionist writer Bernardo Guimarães, is the most dubbed program in the history of world television, according to a research conducted by Good Morning America. Their son, Pedro Neschling (born June 28, 1982), is also an actor.

Lucélia has always been a friend of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, since her parents' house was located in front of the Santo André labor union headquarters, where then metallurgist Lula began his political career. Her involvement with the Workers' Party emerged in the late 1970s, when some outlawed from the military regime began to return to Brazil and continues until the present day. She was engaged in all of Lula's presidential campaigns. In addition to her support of the Workers' Party, Lucélia was also one of the first artists to support the Green Party, raising awareness to the problems of deforestation. She has also supported Diretas Já and breastfeeding.

Filmography As an actress Motion pictures 1976: Um Brasileiro Chamado Rosaflor 1976: O Ibraim do Subúrbio 1976: Já Não Se Faz Amor Como Antigamente 1976: Paranóia as Lúcia Riccelli 1977: A Ordem Natural das Coisas as Ciça 1980: Romeu e Julieta as Julieta 1981: Bonitinha Mas Ordinária as Maria Cecília 1981: Engraçadinha as Engraçadinha 1981: Álbum de Família as Gória 1982: Luz del Fuego as Luz del Fuego 1982: O Sonho Não Acabou as Lucinha 1983: Alice & Alice as Alice Maria 1985: Fonte da Saudade as Bárbara/Guida/Alba 1986: Baixo Gávea as Clara 1986: As Sete Vampiras as Elisa Machado 1989: Kuarup as Lídia 1993: Vagas Para Moças de Fino Trato as Lúcia 1993: Menino de Engenho as Clarice/Maria Menina 2001: Três Histórias da Bahia 2003: O Ovo 2008: Um Amor do Outro Lado do Mundo as Luiza 2010: Lula, o filho do Brasil as a teacher of Lula 2023: The Erection of Toribio Bardelli

Television 1976 Isaura, The Slave Girl (Rede Globo) as Isaura dos Anjos/Elvira 1977: Locomotivas (Rede Globo) as Fernanda Cabral 1978: Dancin' Days (Rede Globo) as Loreta 1978: Ciranda Cirandinha (Rede Globo) as Tatiana 1979: Feijão Maravilha (Rede Globo) as Eliana 1979: Malu Mulher (Rede Globo) as Josineide (episode "Ainda Não é Hora") 1979: Plantão de Polícia (Rede Globo) as Marcela (episode "Despedida de Solteiro") 1980: Água Viva (Rede Globo) as Janete 1981: Ciranda de Pedra (Rede Globo) as Virgínia Prado 1983: Guerra dos Sexos (Rede Globo) as Carolina 1984: Meu Destino é Pecar (Rede Globo) as Helena Castro Avelar 1984: Vereda Tropical (Rede Globo) as Silvana Rocha 1986: Sinhá Moça (Rede Globo) as Maria das Graças Ferreira 1987: Carmem (Rede Manchete) as Carmem 1990: Brasileiras e Brasileiros (SBT) as Paula 1995: Sangue do Meu Sangue (SBT) as Júlia 1996: Dona Anja (SBT) as Dona Anja 2001: Malhação (Rede Globo) as Jackeline Lemos 2006: Cidadão Brasileiro (Rede Record) as Fausta Gama 2007: Donas de Casa Desesperadas (RedeTV!) as Suzana Mayer 2008: Casos e Acasos (Rede Globo) as Lucila 2011: Aline (Rede Globo) as Débora

Theater 1974: Godspell 1976: Transe no Dezoito

As a director 2001: Timor Lorosae: The Unseen Massacre (documentary film) 1997: O ponto de Mutaçâo da China Hoje (television miniseries)

Awards and recognitions Lucélia has won numerous awards inside and outside of Brazil. In Brazil, she won the Brasília Film Festival Candango trophy for Best Actress for her performances in the films Engraçadinha (1981) and Vagas Para Moças de Fino Trato (1993). In 1982 she won the Kikito trophy for Best Actress for her performance in Luz del Fuego at the Gramado Film Festival. In 2002, her documentary Timor Lorosae received the Audience Award at the Recife Film Festival.

In addition to becoming the first actress to receive the Golden Eagle Award for Best Foreign Actress in China, in 1985, Lucélia was honored with the Jewel of China medal in 2004 for her efforts in bringing together the Chinese and Brazilian cultures. She was in Fernando Henrique Cardoso's presidential entourage to China, where she was warmly greeted by Prime Minister Deng Xiaoping.