Maria de Conceição de Matos Ferreira da Silva (29 September 1886 – 19 September 1952) was a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Port ...

actress and theatre personality.

Career

Matos studied piano, singing and dramatic art at the Royal Conservatory of Lisbon, and for her final exam performed '' Rosas de Todo Ano'', written by

Júlio Dantas Júlio Dantas, GCC (1876 – 1962) was a Portuguese doctor, poet, journalist, politician, diplomat and dramatist. He was born in Lagos Lagos ( Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous ...

. She debuted professionally at the Teatro Nacional D. Mary II in the play ''

Judas Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betray ...

'' (1907). She married in 1913 the actor

Mendonça de Carvalho Mendonça () is a Portuguese and Galician surname of Basque origin. It sometimes appears as the anglicized forms ''Mendonca'' or ''Mendonsa''. The Spanish variant is Mendoza. The name has been often linked with royalty. The name may refer to: ...

, who founded the theater company Maria Matos - Mendonça de Carvalho, a company that enjoyed considerable prestige in Portuguese theatre. In 1940, she was appointed at the Conservatório Nacional de Teatro, where she was head of Theatrical aesthetics and Vocal coaching. Her talent was particularly evident in the farce and the comedy. In the film she starred in successful films such as '' O Costa do Castelo'' (1943) and '' A Menina da Rádio'' (1944), directed by

Arthur Duarte Arthur Duarte (1895–1982) was a Portuguese actor, screenwriter, production designer and film director. Selected filmography * ''Carmen'' (1926) * ''The Republic of Flappers'' (1928) * '' Because I Love You'' (1928) * '' Ludwig II, King of Bav ...

and costarring with António Silva. She also starred in other movies such as '' As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor'' (1935), '' Varanda dos Rouxinóis'' (1939) by

José Leitão de Barros José Leitão de Barros (22 October 1896 – 29 June 1967) was a Portuguese film director and playwright. Among his most famous films are ''Maria do Mar'' (1930), the second docufiction after '' Moana'' (1926) by Robert Flaherty, the first Port ...

and '' A Morgadinha dos Canaviais'' (1949) by Caetano Bonucci and Amadeu Ferrari. Matos also wrote for '' A Tia Engrácia'', '' Direitos de Coração'' and '' Escola de Mulheres'', romantic parts. She died 10 days before her 66th birthday on 19 September 1952. After her death, her memoirs were published '' As Memórias da Actriz Maria Matos'',Memorias / de Maria Matos ; revisao e prefacio de Alice Ogando
/ref> and she was honored by having a theatre in Lisbon being called

Teatro Maria Matos The Maria Matos Theatre ( pt, Teatro Maria Matos) is a theatre located in the civil parish of Alvalade, in the municipality and Portuguese capital of Lisbon. History Originally, the building was designed by the architect Fernando Ramalho. But, ...

in 1969.

Personal life

She was the mother of actress Maria Helena Matos (1911 - 2002).

Honours

The

, inaugurated on 22 October 1969, was named in her honour; at its inauguration, artistic director Igrejas Caeiro presented ''Tombo no Inferno'' by Aquilino Ribeiro in her memory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matos, Maria Portuguese stage actresses Portuguese film actresses Actresses from Lisbon 1880s births 1952 deaths 20th-century Portuguese actresses