Suzana de Moraes

Suzana de Moraes, born smack in the heart of Rio on August 5, 1940, had one of those lives where you feel like she squeezed every drop out of it. She wasn't just standing around on set—she owned it, both in front of and behind the camera. You might remember her from “Mil e Uma” (1994), which, let’s be real, is a weird little gem that totally captures her offbeat energy. Or maybe “Bandalheira Infernal” (1976) rings a bell, a movie that’s wild even by ‘70s Brazilian standards. Then there’s “O Capitão Bandeira Contra o Dr. Moura Brasil” (1971), a title so dramatic you just know there’s some over-the-top fun in there. But Suzana wasn’t just about the work; her personal life had its own kind of plot twists. She married Adriana Calcanhoto—yeah, the singer-songwriter with all those moody Brazilian ballads—and before that, Miguel Faria Jr., another name you’ll hear if you hang around Brazilian film buffs. People talk about her like she was this force: sharp, creative, and not afraid to shake things up, whether she was directing or acting. She wasn’t in movies just to look pretty or play it safe; she dove into roles that let her mess around with convention, push boundaries, and leave a mark. Sadly, she passed away back where she started, in Rio, on January 27, 2015. Still, you get the sense she never really left the scene. Her legacy’s baked into those films and the stories people keep telling about her.