Maria Esteves de Medeiros Victorino de Almeida, DamSE (born 19 August 1965), known professionally as Maria de Medeiros (), is a Portuguese actress, director, and singer who has been involved in both European and American film productions.

Early life

Maria de Medeiros was born in Lisbon, Portugal, the daughter of musician and composer António Victorino de Almeida. She played her first part on screen at the age of 15. At 18, she moved to France to pursue her acting studies and was a student at the CNSAD. Medeiros speaks French fluently and has acted extensively on stage and on screen in French productions. She also acts in German, Spanish and Italian productions. Medeiros is the first Portuguese woman to be designated a

UNESCO Artist for Peace UNESCO Artists for Peace are international celebrity advocates for the United Nations agency UNESCO. This category of advocate is intended to heighten public awareness in addition to the categories UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador UNESCO Goodwill Amba ...

Film career

Among Medeiros' most memorable film appearances are three early 1990s roles. Her considerable resemblance to

Anaïs Nin Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (February 11, 1903 – January 14, 1977; , ) was a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. Born to Cuban parents in France, Nin was the d ...

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 The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defende ...

, ''

1871 Events January–March * January 3 – Franco-Prussian War – Battle of Bapaume: Prussians win a strategic victory. * January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the sout ...

''. In 1994, Medeiros appeared in

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

's '' Pulp Fiction'' playing Fabienne, the girlfriend of

Butch Coolidge ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhame ...

( Bruce Willis). In 2000, Medeiros directed the film ''

April Captains ''April Captains'' ( pt, Capitães de Abril) is a 2000 film telling the story of the ''Carnation Revolution'', the military coup that overthrew the corporatist dictatorship (known as the '' Estado Novo'') in Portugal on 25 April 1974. Although dr ...

'' (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. 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 ''The Saddest Music in the World'' is a 2003 Canadian film directed by Guy Maddin. Budgeted at $3.8-million and shot over 24 days, the film marks Maddin's first collaboration with actor Isabella Rossellini. Maddin and co-screenwriter George Toles ...

'' (2004) directed by

Guy Maddin Guy Maddin (born February 28, 1956) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, author, cinematographer, and film editor of both features and short films, as well as an installation artist, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since completing his first film i ...

and co-starring Isabella Rossellini and Mark McKinney.

Music career

In 2007, Medeiros released the album ''A Little More Blue'' on which she performs songs by Brazilian musicians, including Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Ivan Lins, and Dolores Duran. She sings in Portuguese, French ("Joana Francesa" by Buarque), and English ("A Little More Blue" by Veloso). In 2009, she sang " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" on

The Legendary Tigerman Paulo Furtado (born 9 September 1970) is a Portuguese singer-songwriter who performs under the stage name The Legendary Tigerman. Furtado started his music career in the lates 1980s when he joined the psychobilly band Tédio Boys. After leaving ...

album ''Femina''. Her second recording, ''Penínsulas & Continentes'', was released on 23 February 2010.

Selected filmography

As director

*''Sévérine C.'' (1987) *''Fragmento II'' (1988) *''A Morte do Príncipe'' (1991) *''

'' (2000) *''Mathilde au matin'' (2004) *''Je t'aime moi non plus'' (2004) *''Repare Bem'' (2012)

As actress

*''Silvestre'' (1981) *''Sorceress (Le Moine et la sorcière)'' (1987) *''

'' (1990) *'' Henry & June'' (1990) *''

Meeting Venus ''Meeting Venus'' is a 1991 British–American-Japanese film directed by the Hungarian director István Szabó and starring Glenn Close and Niels Arestrup. The movie was filmed in Budapest, Hungary. This fictional story follows misadventure ...

'' (1991) *'' Huevos de Oro'' (1993) *'' Pulp Fiction'' (1994) *'' Adão e Eva'' (1995) *'' Polygraph'' (1996) *''Go for Gold'' (1997) *'' Airbag'' (1997) *'' Spanish Fly'' (1998) *''

'' (2000) *'' Deuxième vie'' (2000) *''Honolulu Baby'' (2001) *''

A Samba for Sherlock ''O Xangô de Baker Street'' (English title: ''A Samba for Sherlock'') is 2001 Brazilian-Portuguese film directed by Miguel Faria, Jr., based on the novel of the same name by Jô Soares. The film was first announced in 1996, but filming only sta ...

'' (2001) *'' Stranded: Náufragos'' (2002) *'' My Life Without Me'' (2003) *''

I, Cesar ''I, Cesar'' (french: Moi César, 10 ans ½, 1m39) is a 2003 French comedy film directed by Richard Berry. Plot César is a young boy living in Montmartre, Paris, with his parents. Morgan, his friend, tries to find his father in London. César a ...

(Moi César, 10 ans 1/2, 1m39)'' (2003) *''

'' (2004) *'' The Remains of Nothing'' (2004) *'' Je m'appelle Élisabeth'' (2006) *'' Medea Miracle'' (2007) *'' Midsummer Madness'' (2007) *'' Fallen Heroes'' (2007) *'' Riparo'' (aka ''

Shelter Me ''Shelter Me'' is the second album by Australian folk band The Waifs, first released by Jarrah in March 1998. Track listing #"Heart Lies" (Cunningham) – 2:43 #"People Who Think They Can" (V. Simpson) – 3:15 #"Shelter Me" (Cunningham) – ...

'') (2007) *''My Stars'' (2008) *''

David's Birthday ''David's Birthday'', (Italian title: ''Il compleanno''), is a 2009 Italian drama film directed by Marco Filiberti. Plot Two pairs of friends, Matteo & Francesca and Shary & Diego, decide to spend the summer together in a beach house at the foot o ...

'' (2009) *'' O Contador de Histórias'' (aka ''The Story of Me'') (2009) *''

Chicken with Plums ''Chicken with Plums'' (French: ''Poulet aux prunes'') is a 2004 graphic novel by Iranian author Marjane Satrapi. Synopsis Nasser Ali Khan, a relative of Satrapi's and a renown Tar player, has his cherished instrument broken after a quarrel. Th ...

'' (2011) *''

Holidays by the Sea ''Holidays by the Sea'' (french: Ni à vendre ni à louer) is a 2011 French comedy film directed by Pascal Rabaté. The film is a cinematic rendering of a comic that Rabaté himself wrote. Like in some films of Jacques Tati, the characters use ...

'' (2011) *'' Journey to Portugal'' (2011) *'' Dream and Silence'' (2012) *''Women Directors, talking on a blade'' (2014) *'' Pasolini'' (2014) *'' The Forbidden Room'' (2015) *'' Le Fils de Joseph'' (2016) *'' The Killer'' (2017) *'' The Broken Key'' (2017) *'' Verdades Secretas'' (2021)

Discography

*''A Little More Blue'' (2007) *''Penínsulas & Continentes'' (2010) *''Pássaros Eternos'' (2013) *''The Piano's Playing the Devil's Tune'' (2016) — with Phoebe Killdeer & the Shift

Collaborations

*''Drama Box'', by Mísia (2005) *''Rendez-vous chez Nino Rota'', CD+DVD from the Italian

Mauro Gioia Mauro Gioia (born 4 May 1966) is a Neapolitan singer and director. Songs His last album was “Rendez-vous Chez Nino Rota”, in which he performed the legendary Milanese composer's duets with Ute Lemper, Catherine Ringer, Sharleen Spiteri, Maria ...

(2008), with

Adriana Calcanhotto Adriana Calcanhotto (born October 3, 1965) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter. Her melancholic songs are often categorized in the MPB genre. She began her professional career in 1984 and released her first studio album in 1990. Career Born from ...

, Martirio, Ute Lemper, Catherine Ringer,

Susana Rinaldi Susana Natividad Rinaldi was born om December 25, 1935 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is an Argentine tango singer. Biography Susana Natividad Rinaldi was born to a wealthy father and a poor mother in Buenos Aires in 1935. Dubbed "La Tana" (in r ...

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

External links

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Medeiros, Maria De 1965 births Living people 20th-century Portuguese actresses 21st-century Portuguese actresses French National Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni French-language singers Golden Globes (Portugal) winners People from Lisbon Portuguese expatriates in Spain Portuguese film actresses Portuguese film directors Portuguese women film directors Volpi Cup for Best Actress winners