Tomásia Veloso

Tomásia Veloso (in the old spelling Thomazia Velloso), stage name of Tomásia Carlota de Jesus Alves (1864 –1888), was a Portuguese stage actress and operetta singer. Early life Veloso was born on 22 April 1864 at 130, Rua de Santa Marta, in the former civil parish of Coração de Jesus in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. She was the daughter of José Henrique Alves and Carlota Porfíria dos Santos Veloso, who were both actors. She made her debut in 1870, at the age of six, at a theatre in Setúbal, in the play Le Vieux Caporal (The old corporal) by Dumanoir and Adolphe d'Ennery, in which she played the son of the corporal. Shortly after, she left for Porto with her mother.

Acting career In 1878, António de Sousa Bastos, a leading figure in the Portuguese theatrical scene, formed a company to perform in the Teatro do Príncipe Real (later the Teatro Apolo in Lisbon. He was advised to send for a young woman from Porto who had reportedly shown great talent in small roles in a popular street theatre in Porto. He was surprised to find that the woman was Veloso, who he had seen perform on her debut in Setúbal. Another coincidence was that he had chosen the director of the Setúbal play, José Romano, to direct his new company. Within a short time of arriving in Lisbon, Veloso became a star.