Mirita Casimiro

Maria Zulmira Casimiro de Almeida, popularly known as Mirita Casimiro (1914–1970), was a Portuguese actress and singer. Early life Casimiro was born on 10 October 1914 in Espinho in northern Portugal, while her family was on vacation. The family was strongly involved in bullfighting; her father, José Casimiro de Almeida, a native of São Pedro do Sul and her grandfather, Manuel Casimiro de Almeida, were both bullfighters. By the way, her mother, Zulmira de Almeida, came from Viseu.

In 1935, Casimiro made her debut at the Teatro Maria Vitória in Lisbon, singing a few numbers in the revue Viva a Folia!, produced by the Maria das Neves Company. She then performed in several operettas, including one role as a transvestite, which was performed in the town in which she was born. One of her first major successes was the show Olaré Quem Brinca at the Teatro Variedades in Lisbon. Often, in the comedies in which she participated, she performed traditional songs from Beira Alta Province, wearing typical costumes and performing in the accent of that region. Her performance in an operetta, A Catraia do Bolhão, received widespread acclaim and shortly after she made her film debut, under the direction of José Leitão de Barros, in Maria Papoila (1937).

In 1968, Casimiro was injured in a serious car accident near Porto, which left her disfigured. She and a friend had been hitchhiking from Lisbon to Porto when she was hit by a car that skidded in heavy rain. Deeply depressed and unable to resume her stage work, she committed suicide as a result of an overdose on 25 March 1970 at her home in Cascais. She was buried in the Viseu Cemetery, from where the Casimiro de Almeida family originated. The funeral procession took place on 27 March 1970, World Theatre Day, and included a Guard of Honour.

Recognition In 1986, the theatre occupied by the Teatro Experimental de Cascais theatre company in Estoril was named after her as Teatro Municipal Mirita Casimiro. In the city of Viseu, her name is remembered by another theatre, the Auditório Mirita Casimiro. Several towns have roads or other geographical features named after her.