Maria de Medeiros
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Maria de Medeiros
Biography
Tiny and fairy-like, dark-haired beauty Maria de Medeiros was born in Portugal, the sister of actress Inês de Medeiros. After studying philosophy and acting on the stage, she made her Portuguese film debut in Silvestre (1981) and her French film debut in Paris Seen By...20 Years After (1984). Finding a home for herself in France, she stayed there to play several more supporting roles in French TV movies, miniseries, and features. She started appearing in historical costume dramas with Sorceress and 1871 before making her international debut in the erotic costume drama Henry & June (1990), directed by Philip Kaufman. As her first U.S. production, she was ideally cast as author Anaïs Nin , who wrote the source novel detailing her relationship with American novelist Henry Miller (Fred Ward) and his wife, June (Uma Thurman). During this time, she also made her directorial debut with the hour-long drama The Prince's Death, based on the writings of Fernando Pessoa and originally performed on-stage. Now an international film star, she got several roles in Portugal (The Divine Comedy), France (The Man of My Life), and the U.K. (Meeting Venus). She even made a few films in Spain, Golden Balls and Detective of Death, both with Javier Bardem. In 1994, she appeared inQuentin Tarantino's big hit Pulp Fiction, her most recognizable performance to U.S. audiences. She played the small but memorable role of Fabienne, the girlfriend of boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis). Rather than stay in Hollywood, she returned to Europe to make scores of films in Portugal, Germany, Spain, and mostly France. She won a Best Actress award at the 1994 Venice Film Festival for her role in the dark drama Três Irmãos, directed by Teresa Villaverde. In 2000, she made her feature-length debut as a writer, director, and star with the Capitães de Abril, a historical drama about the Portuguese coup d'état of 1974, winning several festival awards. After starring in the Italian comedy Honolulu Baby, she lined up several projects for 2003, including the French comedy I, Cesar and the Guy Maddin film The Saddest Music in the World. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, RoviFilmography:
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Maria de Medeiros
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Maria de Medeiros
| Maria de Medeiros | |
|---|---|
 Maria de Medeiros at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival |
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| Born | Maria de Medeiros Esteves Vitorino de Almeida August 19, 1965 Lisbon, Portugal |
| Occupation | Actress, director, singer |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse | Agustí Camps |
Maria de Medeiros Esteves Vitorino de Almeida, DamSE (born August 19, 1965), better known as Maria de Medeiros (Portuguese pronunciation: [mɐˈɾiɐ ðɨ mɨˈðɐjɾuʃ]), is a Portuguese actress, director, and singer who has been involved in both European and American film productions.
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Early life
Maria de Medeiros was born in Lisbon, Portugal, the daughter of musician and composer António Vitorino de Almeida. She played her first part on screen at the age of 15. At the age of 18, she moved to France to pursue her acting studies and was a student at the CNSAD. Medeiros speaks French fluently without an accent and has acted extensively on stage and on screen in French productions. She also acts in Spanish, German, and Italian productions.
In 2008, Medeiros was nominated for the UNESCO Artist for Peace.
Film career
Among Medeiros' most memorable film appearances are three early 1990s roles. Her considerable resemblance to Anaïs Nin landed her the primary role in Henry & June (1990), in which she played the author. In 1990, she played the role of Maria in Ken McMullen's film about the rise of the Paris Commune, 1871. In 1994, Medeiros appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, playing Butch Coolidge's (Bruce Willis) girlfriend, Fabienne.
In 2000, Medeiros directed the film April Captains (in which she also had a small role) about the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.[1]
In 2003, Medeiros appeared as a hairdresser in the movie My Life Without Me starring Sarah Polley. She has starred in the Canadian movie The Saddest Music in the World (2004) directed by Guy Maddin and co-starring Isabella Rossellini and Mark McKinney.
Music career
In 2007, Medeiros released an album, A Little More Blue, in which she performs songs by Brazilian musicians, including Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Ivan Lins, and Dolores Duran. On the album, she sings in Portuguese, French ("Joana Francesa" by Buarque), and English ("A Little More Blue" by Veloso).
On February 23, 2010, her second recording was released, Peninsulas & Continentes.
In 2009, she sang "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" on The Legendary Tigerman album Femina.
Selected filmography
As director
- Sévérine C. (1987)
- Fragmento II (1988)
- A Morte do Príncipe (1991)
- April Captains (2000)
- Mathilde au matin (2004)
- Je t'aime moi non plus (2004)
As actress
- 1871 (1990)
- Henry & June (1990)
- Meeting Venus (1991)
- Pulp Fiction (1994)
- Adão e Eva (1995)
- Go for gold (1997)
- Airbag (1997)
- April Captains (2000)
- Honolulu Baby (2001)
- Stranded: Náufragos (2002)
- My Life Without Me (2003)
- Moi César, 10 ans 1/2, 1m39 (2003)
- The Saddest Music in the World (2004)
- Medea Miracle (2007)
- Midsummer Madness (2007)
- Riparo (aka Shelter Me) (2007)
- My Stars (2008)
- David's Birthday (2009)
- Chicken with Plums (2011)
- Holidays by the Sea (2011)
- Dream and Silence (2012)
Discography
- A Little More Blue (2007)
- Penínsulas & Continentes (2010)
Collaborations
- Drama Box, by Misia (2005)
- Rendez-vous chez Nino Rota, CD+DVD from the Italian Mauro Gioia (2008), with Adriana Calcanhotto, Martirio, Ute Lemper, Catherine Ringer, Susana Rinaldi and Sharleen Spiteri. De Medeiros sings "La pappa col pomodoro"
- Femina, by The Legendary Tigerman (2009). De Medeiros sings "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"
- Señora (ellas cantan a Serrat) (2009). De Medeiros sings "Nanas de la Cebolla"
References
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: April Captains". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/5154/year/2000.html. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
External links
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Mentioned in
Stranded
(2002 Drama Film)
Adao e Eva
(1995 Comedy Film)
Huevos de Oro
(1993 Comedy Film)
Babel
(1999 Children's/Family Film)
Les Infortunes de la beauté
(1999 Romance Film)
» More