Maria Flor Leite Calaça (born 31 August 1983), usually known as Maria Flor, is a Brazilian actress.

Career

She was discovered in 2002, and her first role was in the film '' O Diabo a Quatro'', filmed in the same year, and released nationwide in Brazil in 2005. It was also her first role as a

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

in a movie. She became famous after her role as Rê, a very insecure and innovative character, in Malhação telenovela. This was also her first television role. She played Tina, a romantic character, in the telenovela ''

Cabocla Cabocla is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by Rede Globo. It premiered on 10 May 2004, replacing ''Chocolate com Pimenta'', and ended on 20 November 2004, replaced by '' Como uma Onda''. The telenovela is written by Ricardo Wadding ...

''. To be able to play her character, Maria Flor spent almost a month in a farm learning how to be a peasant."Malhação não torna você um ator", diz Maria Flor - Terra
(retrieved on August 14, 2007) In the movie '' Cazuza - O Tempo Não Pára'' she played a groupie following the rock band

Barão Vermelho Barão Vermelho () is a Brazilian rock band. Formed in 1981 in Rio de Janeiro, it was originally led by songwriting duo Cazuza (singer) and Roberto Frejat (guitarist), who assumed the vocals after Cazuza's departure in 1985. Frejat left the b ...

. In the film '' Quase Dois Irmãos'' she played a wealthy girl, daughter of a politician, and that gets involved with a drug dealer. She also represented the cast of the film during the 2005

Créteil International Women's Film Festival The International Women's Film Festival, formerly known as Créteil International Women's Film Festival (in French Festival International de Films de Femmes (FIFF); formerly Festival international de films de femmes de Créteil), also known si ...

. She played a sex-worker in the movie ''O Diabo a Quatro''. In her research to play this character she talked to real-life sex-workers. Maria Flor won the best actress award of the Festival de

Cuiabá Cuiabá () is the capital city and the largest city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America and also forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várz ...

(Cuiabá Film Festival) for her performance in this film. In the biographical film '' Dois Filhos de Francisco'', Maria Flor played Solange, who was the first love of the sertanejo singer Zezé Di Camargo, of the

Zezé Di Camargo & Luciano Zezé Di Camargo & Luciano () are a famous Brazilian sertanejo/pop/country duo. The two brothers were born in Pirenópolis, Goiás. Zezé is the artistic name for Mirosmar José de Camargo and Luciano the artistic name for Welson David de Camarg ...

duo. She played Taís Junqueira in the telenovela ''

Belíssima ''Belíssima'' is a Brazilian telenovela that was produced and aired by TV Globo TV Globo (stylized as tvglobo; , ), formerly known as Rede Globo de Televisão (; shortened to Rede Globo) or simply known as Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-ai ...

'', which started airing in November, 2005. Taís Junqueira is a Brazilian woman working in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

as a prostitute, after receiving a proposal promising her a job as a

ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancer ...

. During the telenovela, her character tried to return to Brazil.''Maria Flor vai estrear no horário nobre da Globo'' - Terra (July 16, 2005)
/ref>
/ref> In 2006, she played Carol in the 2006 film '' Podecre!'' Maria Flor at Cineminha
/ref> and Letícia in the movie '' Proibido Proibir''.Pribido Proibir at Adoro Cinema
Maria Flor played the role of Bel in the 2007 film '' The Ballroom'' Her first role as the main character of a telenovela was in the 2007 telenovela ''

Eterna Magia ''Eterna Magia'' is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by TV Globo. It premiered on 14 May 2007, replacing ''O Profeta'', and ended on 2 November 2007, replaced by '' Desejo Proibido''. The series is written by Elizabeth Jhin, with the ...

'',Flor das Seis - Quem magazine
/ref> where she played the role of Nina Sullivan, who is a witch who refuses to use her magical abilities.
/ref> In 2008, she participated of one episode of the TV series ''

Casos e Acasos Casos e Acasos is a series of Brazilian TV Globo Network, written by Daniel Adjafre and Marcius Melhem, the general direction of Carlos Milan core of Marcos Schechtman (until the 15th episode) and Jayme Monjardim (from the 16th episode). First a ...

'', and starred the end of the year special '' Aline''. Her international career started in the

Fernando Meirelles Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (; born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing the film ''City of God (2002 film), City of God'', released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the Un ...

film ''

360 360 may refer to: * 360 (number) * 360 AD, a year * 360 BC, a year * 360 degrees, a turn Businesses and organizations * 360 Architecture, an American architectural design firm * Ngong Ping 360, a tourism project in Lantau Island, Hong Kong ...

'', starring

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

Rachel Weisz Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970) is an English actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Rachel Weisz, several awards, including an Academy Award, ...

and

Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He began his career in theatre before landing small roles in various British television productions and feature films. Law gained international recognition for his role in An ...

. Besides working as an actress, Maria Flor starred the summer campaign for Blue Man, a

bikini A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features one piece on top that covers the breasts, and a second piece on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but usually exposing the navel, and the back generally covering ...

and

bermuda shorts Bermuda shorts, also known as walk shorts or dress shorts, are a particular type of short trousers, worn as semi-casual attire by both men and women. The hem, which can be cuffed or un-cuffed, is around above the knee. They are so-named because ...

factory.Mais Moda

Personal life

Maria Flor was born in

Laranjeiras Laranjeiras (, ''orange trees'') is an upper-middle-class neighborhood located in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Primarily residential, It is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, having been founded in the 17th century, with the ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. She is the daughter of Renato Calaça, a cinema audio technician and Márcia Leite, who is a screenwriter.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Maria Flor Interview at Terra
(in Portuguese)
Interview at Mulheres do Cinema Brasileiro Website
(in Portuguese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Flor, Maria 1983 births Living people Actresses from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian television actresses Brazilian film actresses Brazilian telenovela actresses 20th-century Brazilian actresses 21st-century Brazilian actresses