Alice Braga Moraes (; born 15 April 1983) is a Brazilian actress and producer. She has appeared in several Brazilian films, starring as Angélica in the acclaimed '' City of God'' (2002), Karinna in '' Lower City'' (2005), and Dolores in '' Only God Knows'' (2006). Braga came to international prominence after appearing opposite

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

in '' I Am Legend'' (2007), and has since become a familiar face in Hollywood, having appeared in films such as '' Predators'' (2010), '' The Rite'' (2011), ''

Elysium Elysium (), otherwise known as the Elysian Fields (, ''Ēlýsion pedíon''), Elysian Plains or Elysian Realm, is a conception of the afterlife that developed over time and was maintained by some Greek religious and philosophical sects and cult ...

'' (2013), '' The Shack'' (2017), ''

Soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

'' (2020), and '' The Suicide Squad'' (2021). She portrayed the starring role of Teresa Mendoza in the

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

crime drama-thriller television series '' Queen of the South'' (2016–2021). In 2024, she starred in the

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

science fiction series ''

Dark Matter In astronomy, dark matter is an invisible and hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation. Dark matter is implied by gravity, gravitational effects that cannot be explained by general relat ...

''.

Early life

Alice Braga Moraes was born in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

and raised in a Catholic family. She speaks fluent Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Her exposure to acting came at an early age; both her mother Ana Braga and aunt Sônia Braga are actresses, and she often accompanied them to film sets. She began her career by appearing in school plays and commercials. Her first commercial was for yogurt when she was 8 years old. As a teenager, she began pursuing roles in television and films.

Career

Braga made her acting debut in the Portuguese-language short film ''Trampolim'' (1998) and then returned to her schooling. Her breakthrough came when she was cast as Angélica in the critically acclaimed crime film '' City of God'' (2002), for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination from the Cinema Brazil Grand Prize. Afterward, she attended university while appearing in a pair of well-regarded Brazilian films: '' Lower City'' (2005) and '' Only God Knows'' (2006). She also appeared in the popular Brazilian television program ''Carandiru, Outras Historias'' (2005). Braga made her English-language debut with a starring role alongside Brendan Fraser,

Mos Def Yasiin Bey ( ; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure in conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social an ...

, and Catalina Sandino Moreno in the crime thriller '' Journey to the End of Night'' (2006), which premiered at the 5th Annual Tribeca Film Festival. She received further recognition when she was cast opposite

in the blockbuster action thriller '' I Am Legend'' (2007). She subsequently had roles in the

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

-directed martial arts film '' Redbelt'' (2008), alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor and

Tim Allen Timothy Alan Dick (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1991–1999) for which he won a Golden Gl ...

, the post-apocalyptic thriller ''

Blindness Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficul ...

'' (2008), alongside

Julianne Moore Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress and children's author. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent ...

and

Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor. He began acting in the late 1980s and first gained recognition for his work in Kenneth Lonergan's play ''This Is Our Youth'' (1996) and drama film ''You Can Count on Me'' (2000) ...

, and the crime drama '' Crossing Over'' (2009), alongside

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. Regarded as a cinematic cultural icon, he has starred in Harrison Ford filmography, many notable films over seven decades, and is one of List of highest-grossing actors, the highest-gr ...

, Ray Liotta, Jim Sturgess, and Ashley Judd. Alice Braga at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival

Braga portrayed Beth in the science fiction film ''

Repo Men ''Repo Men'' is a 2010 science fiction action film directed by Miguel Sapochnik, starring Jude Law, Forest Whitaker, Liev Schreiber, Alice Braga, and Carice van Houten. An American-Canadian production, it is based on the novel ''The Repossessio ...

'' (2010). She starred as Isabelle in

Nimród Antal Nimród E. Antal (; born November 30, 1973) is a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American film director, screenwriter and actor. Life and career Antal was born in Los Angeles, California, to parents of Hungarian people, Hungarian descent. In 199 ...

's science fiction action film '' Predators'' (2010), which was shot and produced by Troublemaker Studios and

Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez ( ; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ...

. Braga appeared as Frey Santiago in

Neill Blomkamp Neill Blomkamp (; born 17 September 1979) is a South African and Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is known as the co-writer and director of the science fiction action film ''District 9'' (2009), for which he was nominated for the Aca ...

's science fiction action film ''

'' (2013), co-starring

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...

and

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Foster started her career as a child actor before establishing herself as leading actress in film. She has received List of awards and nominations re ...

. In 2014, she starred as Vania in the Brazilian jungle film '' The Ardor'', as Olivia in the Argentine romance drama '' Latitudes'', and as Alice Taylor in Kriv Stenders' action-thriller '' Kill Me Three Times''. In 2016, Braga starred as Marisol Kingston in the western drama '' The Duel'', alongside

Liam Hemsworth Liam Hemsworth (born 13 January 1990) is an Australian actor. He played the roles of Josh Taylor (Neighbours), Josh Taylor in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' and Marcus in the children's television series ''The Elephant Princess''. In American fi ...

and

Woody Harrelson Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor. He first became known for his role as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1985–1993), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ...

. In 2017, she starred as Sophia in the Christian drama '' The Shack'', alongside Octavia Spencer and Sam Worthington, based on the novel of the same name. From 2016 to 2021, Braga starred in the crime drama series '' Queen of the South'', produced for

, an adaptation of Arturo Perez-Reverte's best-selling novel '' La Reina del Sur''. The series marked Braga's first lead American television role. She previously had small supporting roles in a non-English television series. Braga starred as Cecilia Reyes in the superhero horror film ''

The New Mutants The New Mutants may refer to: *''New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teena ...

'', which was released in 2020. She starred as Maggie Teixeira in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

drama miniseries '' We Are Who We Are'', which was written and directed by filmmaker

Luca Guadagnino Luca Guadagnino (; born 10 August 1971) is an Italian film director and producer. His films are characterized by their emotional complexity, eroticism, and lavish visuals. Guadagnino has received numerous accolades, including a Silver Lion, alon ...

. Braga appeared in the superhero action film '' The Suicide Squad'', which was released in August 2021.

Personal life

Braga maintains residences in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. She is friends with actors

Diego Luna Diego Dionisio Luna Alexander (; born 29 December 1979) is a Mexican actor, director, and producer, best known for his portrayal of Cassian Andor in ''Rogue One, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (2016) and the Disney+ series ''Andor (TV series), ...

and Wagner Moura.

Relationships

In January 2020, Braga revealed she was in a relationship with actress Bianca Comparato, which began three years prior. In December 2023, it was reported that Braga and Comparato had separated. As of February 2024, Braga is in a relationship with producer Renata Brandão.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * *
Alice Braga
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Interview with Alice Braga, star of 'Lower City'
by Peter Fraser, Close-Up Film (archived 2007) {{DEFAULTSORT:Braga, Alice 1983 births Living people 20th-century Brazilian actresses 21st-century Brazilian actresses 21st-century Brazilian LGBTQ people Actresses from São Paulo Brazilian expatriate actresses in the United States Brazilian film actresses Brazilian film producers Brazilian television producers Brazilian LGBTQ actresses LGBTQ film producers LGBTQ television producers