Brazilian stage, television and film actor considered by many the greatest Brazilian actress of all time. Often referred to as the grande dame of Brazilian theatre, cinema, and the performing arts, she is the first, and to date the only, Brazilian nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She is also the first and only actress nominated for an Academy Award for a performance in a Portuguese language film, for her work in Central Station (1998). In addition, she was the first Brazilian to win the International Emmy in the category of Best Actress for her performance in Sweet Mother (2013).
Among the various national and international awards she has received in a career spanning more than sixty years, she was awarded in 1999 her country’s highest civilian honor, the National Order of Merit, “in recognition of her outstanding work in the Brazilian performing arts.” In addition to having been awarded the Molière Prize five times, Fernanda Montenegro is a three-time recipient of the Governor Award of the State of São Paulo. She also won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival 1998 for her performance as “Dora” in Central Station, a role which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama in 1999, among other distinctions.
On television, she was the first actress hired by TV Tupi, in 1951, where she starred in teletheater shows under the direction of Fernando Torres, Sérgio Britto and Flávio Rangel. She made her debut in telenovelas in 1954 with A Muralha on RecordTV, where she appeared in other productions as well. She has done work in most of Brazil’s main broadcasters, such as Band, TV Cultura, RecordTV e TV Globo (where she remains since 1981), in addition to the defunct TV Excelsior, TV Rio and TV Tupi.
Montenegro was married to actor Fernando Torres from 1954 until his death in 2008. They had two children: Fernanda Torres (b. 1965), who won the Best Actress prize at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, and film director Cláudio Torres (b. 1962).
Link to Wikipedia biography