The Most Famous

ACTORS from Brazil

This page contains a list of the greatest Brazilian Actors. The pantheon dataset contains 13,578 Actors, 79 of which were born in Brazil. This makes Brazil the birth place of the 19th most number of Actors behind Poland, and Ireland.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Brazilian Actors of all time. This list of famous Brazilian Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Brazilian Actors.

1. Fernanda Montenegro (b. 1929)

With an HPI of 66.04, Fernanda Montenegro is the most famous Brazilian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 51 different languages on wikipedia.

Arlette Pinheiro Esteves Torres ONM (née da Silva; born 16 October 1929), known by her stage name Fernanda Montenegro ([feɦˈnɐ̃dɐ mõtʃiˈnegɾu]), is a Brazilian actress. Considered by many as the greatest Brazilian actress of all time, she is often referred to as the grande dame of Brazilian theater, cinema, and performing arts. For her work in Central Station (1998), she became the first Brazilian to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, as well as the first actress nominated for an Academy Award for a performance in a Portuguese language film. In addition, she was the first Brazilian to win the International Emmy in the category of Best Actress for her performance in Sweet Mother (2013). Among the various national and international awards she has received in a career spanning more than sixty years, she was awarded in 1999 her country's highest civilian honor, the National Order of Merit, "in recognition of her outstanding work in the Brazilian performing arts," delivered by then-president Fernando Henrique Cardoso. In addition to having been awarded the Molière Prize five times, Fernanda Montenegro is a three-time recipient of the Governor Award of the State of São Paulo. She also won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival 1998 for her performance as "Dora" in Central Station by Walter Salles, a role which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama in 1999, among other distinctions. On television, she was the first actress hired by TV Tupi, in 1951, where she starred in teletheater shows under the direction of Fernando Torres, Sérgio Britto and Flávio Rangel. She made her debut in telenovelas in 1954 with A Muralha on RecordTV, where she appeared in other productions as well. She has done work in most of Brazil's main broadcasters, such as Band, TV Cultura, RecordTV, and TV Globo (where she remains since 1981), in addition to the extinct TV Excelsior, TV Rio and TV Tupi. In 2013, she was voted the 15th most influential celebrity in Brazil by Forbes magazine. During the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Fernanda read the poem "A Flor e a Náusea" by Carlos Drummond de Andrade, dubbed in English by Judi Dench. On 4 November 2021, she was elected to occupy the Chair number 17 at the Brazilian Academy of Letters, in succession to Affonso Arinos de Mello Franco. In November 2024, she was recognized by Guinness World Records for achieving the biggest audience in a Philosophy lecture, with over 15,000 people attending an event on 18 August 2024 at the Ibirapuera Park, where Montenegro read La Cérémonie des Adieux by Simone de Beauvoir.

2. Sônia Braga (b. 1950)

With an HPI of 65.14, Sônia Braga is the 2nd most famous Brazilian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Sônia Maria Campos Braga (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈsonjɐ maˈɾi.ɐ ˈkɐ̃puz ˈbɾaɡɐ]; born 8 June 1950) is a Brazilian actress. She is known in the English-speaking world for her Golden Globe Award–nominated performances in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) and Moon over Parador (1988). She also received a BAFTA Award nomination in 1981 for Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (first released in 1976). For the 1994 television film The Burning Season, she was nominated for an Emmy Award and a third Golden Globe Award. Her other television and film credits include The Cosby Show (1986), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), The Rookie (1990), Angel Eyes (2001), Sex and the City (2001), American Family (2002), Alias (2005), Aquarius (2016), Bacurau (2019), and Fatima (2020). In 2020, The New York Times ranked her #24 in its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century.

3. Florinda Bolkan (b. 1941)

With an HPI of 64.00, Florinda Bolkan is the 3rd most famous Brazilian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Florinda Bolkan (born Florinda Soares Bulcão; 15 February 1941) is a retired Brazilian actress and model.

4. Vera Fischer (b. 1951)

With an HPI of 62.26, Vera Fischer is the 4th most famous Brazilian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Vera Fischer (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvɛɾa ˈfiʃeʁ]; born 27 November 1951) is a Brazilian actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Brazil 1969 and represented her country at Miss Universe 1969 where she placed Top 15.

5. Xuxa (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 61.89, Xuxa is the 5th most famous Brazilian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Maria da Graça Xuxa Meneghel ( SHOO-shə, Brazilian Portuguese: [maˈɾi.ɐ dɐ ˈɡɾasɐ ˈʃuʃɐ mẽneˈɡɛw]; born Maria da Graça Meneghel on 27 March 1963) is a Brazilian TV host, actress, singer, and businesswoman. Nicknamed "The Queen of Children", Xuxa built the largest Latin and South American children's entertainment empire. In the early 1990s, she presented television programs in Brazil, Argentina, Spain and the United States simultaneously, reaching around 100 million viewers daily. Xuxa has sold over 30 million copies of her records worldwide, which makes her the highest-selling Brazilian female singer. Her net worth was estimated at US$100 million in the early 1990s. Also successful as a businesswoman, she has the highest net worth of any Brazilian female entertainer, estimated at US$400 million.

6. Lucélia Santos (b. 1957)

With an HPI of 61.84, Lucélia Santos is the 6th most famous Brazilian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Maria Lucélia dos Santos (born 20 May 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.

7. Véra Clouzot (1913 - 1960)

With an HPI of 60.87, Véra Clouzot is the 7th most famous Brazilian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Véra Gibson-Amado, known professionally as Véra Clouzot, (30 December 1913 – 15 December 1960) was a Brazilian-French film actress and screenwriter. She is known for playing Linda in The Wages of Fear (1953), Christina Delassalle in Les Diaboliques (1955), and Lucie in Les Espions (1957). Clouzot also co-wrote the screenplay for La Vérité (1960). Her husband, director Henri-Georges Clouzot, named his production company after her, Véra Films.

8. Rubens de Falco (1931 - 2008)

With an HPI of 60.68, Rubens de Falco is the 8th most famous Brazilian Actor. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Rubens de Falco da Costa (October 19, 1931 – August 22, 2008) was a Brazilian actor best known for his work in telenovelas, specifically his portrayal as a slave owner in the 1976 telenovela, Escrava Isaura (The Slave Isaura) and the 1986 telenovela Sinhá Moça (Little Missy).

9. Jandira Martini (1945 - 2024)

With an HPI of 60.63, Jandira Martini is the 9th most famous Brazilian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Jandira Lúcia Lalia Martini (10 June 1945 – 29 January 2024) was a Brazilian actress and author of theatre and screenplays. Martini was born on 10 June 1945, and died from lung cancer on 29 January 2024, at the age of 78.

10. Regina Duarte (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 60.16, Regina Duarte is the 10th most famous Brazilian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Regina Blois Duarte (born 5 February 1947) is a Brazilian actress who briefly served as Special Secretary of Culture, a cabinet position in President Jair Bolsonaro's federal administration, from March to May 2020.

People

Pantheon has 79 people classified as Brazilian actors born between 1913 and 2000. Of these 79, 68 (86.08%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Brazilian actors include Fernanda Montenegro, Sônia Braga, and Florinda Bolkan. The most famous deceased Brazilian actors include Véra Clouzot, Rubens de Falco, and Jandira Martini. As of April 2024, 10 new Brazilian actors have been added to Pantheon including Jandira Martini, Cláudia Raia, and Adriana Lessa.