Sônia Braga

Sônia Maria Campos Braga (born 8 June 1950) is a Brazilian actress. Nominated for three Golden Globes and an Emmy Award, Braga is best known in the English-speaking world for her performances in Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Moon Over Parador. Her television credits include Sex and the City, Alias, American Family and The Cosby Show.^[1]

Early life

Sonia Braga was born on June 8, 1950, daughter of Hélio Fernando Ferraz Braga and Maria Braga Jaci Campos, costume designer of Maringá, is sister of Ana Júlia and Hélio, and aunt of Alice Braga, also an actress. Parents and their six children moved to Curitiba and then to Campinas. Braga was 8 years old when her father died, and she moved to a convent school in São Paulo. In her teens, she took a job in the traditional Buffet Torres as a receptionist.^[2]

Career

(1965-1968): Early career

At 14, Sonia Braga was invited by director Vicente Sesso to appearing in "teleteatros" at the Jardim Encantado program. After that, she joined a theater group in presentations in the ABC Paulista region.^[3] At 17, she debuted in the play George Dandin in Santo André. In 1968, when Sonia was 18-year-old, she attended the Brazilian assembly Hair, and caused a scandal by appearing naked on stage.^[4] Braga was also an actress in children's theater, in 1979 she participated of the play No País dos Prequetés.^[3]

(1968-1974): In the movies and on TV

In 1968, Braga participated in the cast of the film O Bandido da Luz Vermelha, and early '70s, appeared in supporting roles in the films A Moreninha and Cléo e Daniel, and telenovela's Irmãos Coragem.^[4]

In the following years Sonia Braga consolidated her career in Brazilian television in remarkable roles in the telenovelas Selva de Pedra as Flavia, and Fogo sobre Terra (1974) as Brisa.^[3] She also participated in the Brazilian version of Sesame Street, Vila Sésamo in the early 1970s.^[5]

(1975-1981): National recognition, Sex symbol

Braga's career went in a new direction in 1975 when she starred in the telenovela Gabriela. In the title role, Braga "took Brazil in the early 70s, becoming a household name," as noted Sue Branford and David Treece for the British newspaper The Guardian. The telenovela was based on the work of one of the most well-known Brazilian writers, Jorge Amado, and hit one of the largest audiences in his time, averaging 25 million viewers daily. The character soon led Braga to star in another story Amado's, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, film directed by Bruno Barreto.^[6] The success of the comedy helped launch the name of Braga at international level and also drew favorable attention to Brazilian cinema in general.

Her characters in Tieta do Agreste, Saramandaia and Dancin' Days helped her to maintain her status as a sex symbol.

In 1981 with Eu Te Amo, film directed by Arnaldo Jabor, Braga won the best actress award at the Gramado Film Festival. At this point in her career, Braga was heralded as the next big sexy star of international cinema, in Sophia Loren's steps. Supposed romances with her co-stars or directors only increased the fascination about her; such rumors surrounded the production of a remake of Gabriela, for the cinema in 1983 she starred alongside Marcello Mastroianni.^[7]

(1986-2005): International career

Sonia Braga, has achieved international recognition with Kiss of the Spider Woman, movie based on a novel by Manuel Puig, which became one of the most acclaimed releases of the year, the actress co-starred alongside William Hurt, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the feature film. The film described as "tense, charged with intellectual energy and witty with the dark humor of despair" as well as "mesmerizing" by critic of People magazine, Ralph Novak.

Braga admitted that the success of Kiss of the Spider Woman surprised even herself. She was uncomfortable with her first speaking role in English, "When I made 'Kiss of the Spider Woman,' I still couldn't speak it well," she said to journalist of the Los Angeles Times, Roderick Mann. "Sometimes I would say a line and wonder, 'What does it mean?' Now I feel much more secure."^[8] Sonia Braga was the first Brazilian in a category at the Oscars, at age 36 in 1987, she was announced by Goldie Hawn as one of the most glamorous actresses in the world, before going on stage alongside star Michael Douglas, who announced the result of the best short film.^[9]

She took supporting characters in The Rookie alongside Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen, and in numerous television movies and miniseries. However, even in supporting roles Braga was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and Emmy Award for The Burning Season, produced by HBO in 1994. The film talks about the life of Brazilian activist Chico Mendes.^[10]

She was also nominated for an ALMA Award from the National Council of La Raza in 1995 for her role in the miniseries Streets of Laredo produced by CBS. That same year, the renowned director Nicolas Roeg invited her for the lead role in the film Two Deaths alongside Patrick Malahide.

In 2001, Braga participated in the cast of Angel Eyes in the role of Josephine Pogue, Sharon Pogue's mother played by Jennifer Lopez. In 2002 she was invited to star in American Family, a PBS series created by Gregory Nava that follows the lives of a Latino family in Los Angeles.^[11]

She has guest starred in television series such as Alias, The Cosby Show, George Lopez, CSI: Miami, Sex and the City, Ghost Whisperer, and Brothers & Sisters.

(2006-present)

In 2006 she accepted a part on a Brazilian prime time soap opera, Páginas da Vida, and then in the Portuguese language version of the American TV series Desperate Housewives. After that she moved back to Roosevelt Island in New York City to relaunch her career in the United States.

Then she starred in the episode A Adultera da Urca, in series As Cariocas in 2010, and participated in the Tapas & Beijos series in 2011.^[12]

Braga has been cast in a recurring role as Lorraine Correia in the six season in the series of comedy drama Royal Pains. Braga’s scenes were filmed on location in Mexico and her episodes were aired in August 2014.^[13]

Personal life

During the 1980s, Braga had relationships with Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth,^[14] with actor Robert Redford^[15] and later, with director Clint Eastwood.^[16] She has no children.

Her niece, Alice Braga, has starred in several films such as City of God and I Am Legend with Will Smith and Blindness with Julianne Moore.

Filmography

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Sônia Braga at the Internet Movie Database
• Sonia Braga at Yahoo! Movies