Maria Lucélia dos Santos (born May 20, 1957) is a Brazilian actress,
director and producer. She received international acclaim for her
leading role in the 1976 Rede Globo telenovela Isaura, The Slave Girl,
broadcast in over 80 countries.Maria Lucélia dos Santos was born in
Santo André, São Paulo, to MaurÃlio Simões dos Santos and Maria
Moura dos Santos. Her parents were both blue collar workers. She has
two siblings: MaurÃlio Wagner and Cristina Santos, also an actress.At
age 9, Lucélia heard actress Cacilda Becker on the radio calling
children to do an audition for a role in one of her plays, but her
mother did not allow her to perform. She had developed a taste for
performing arts since she had seen the play A Moreninha, starred by
MarÃlia Pêra, in a school trip. Lucélia was completely fascinated
by the show and decided that she would be an actress for the rest of
her days.She made her stage debut at the age of 14, in the children's
play Dom Chicote Mula Manca e seu fiel companheiro Zé Chupança,
replacing actress Débora Duarte, which had moved to Rio de Janeiro in
order to star in the Rede Globo telenovela Bicho do Mato. She was then
invited by Eugênio Kusnet to participate in his intensive two-year
performing arts course. After the course, Lucélia acted in a
production of Godspell, which was presented in a circus tent in the
Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Botafogo. She finished high school in
Rio, where she took the vestibular test for Medicine by an imposition
of her father. She failed to enter in the University, since she was
already deeply involved with her acting career.
director and producer. She received international acclaim for her
leading role in the 1976 Rede Globo telenovela Isaura, The Slave Girl,
broadcast in over 80 countries.Maria Lucélia dos Santos was born in
Santo André, São Paulo, to MaurÃlio Simões dos Santos and Maria
Moura dos Santos. Her parents were both blue collar workers. She has
two siblings: MaurÃlio Wagner and Cristina Santos, also an actress.At
age 9, Lucélia heard actress Cacilda Becker on the radio calling
children to do an audition for a role in one of her plays, but her
mother did not allow her to perform. She had developed a taste for
performing arts since she had seen the play A Moreninha, starred by
MarÃlia Pêra, in a school trip. Lucélia was completely fascinated
by the show and decided that she would be an actress for the rest of
her days.She made her stage debut at the age of 14, in the children's
play Dom Chicote Mula Manca e seu fiel companheiro Zé Chupança,
replacing actress Débora Duarte, which had moved to Rio de Janeiro in
order to star in the Rede Globo telenovela Bicho do Mato. She was then
invited by Eugênio Kusnet to participate in his intensive two-year
performing arts course. After the course, Lucélia acted in a
production of Godspell, which was presented in a circus tent in the
Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Botafogo. She finished high school in
Rio, where she took the vestibular test for Medicine by an imposition
of her father. She failed to enter in the University, since she was
already deeply involved with her acting career.
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