ACTORS from Portugal

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Portuguese Actors of all time. This list of famous Portuguese 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 Portuguese Actors.

1. Joaquim de Almeida (b. 1957)

With an HPI of 56.55, Joaquim de Almeida is the most famous Portuguese Actor.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages on wikipedia.

Joaquim António Portugal Baptista de Almeida (born 15 March 1957) is a Portuguese actor. He started his film career playing a role in the 1982 action film The Soldier, and later achieved recognition for playing Andrea Bonanno in the 1987 Italian film Good Morning, Babylon. He achieved international fame with his portrayals of Félix Cortez in the 1994 thriller Clear and Present Danger and Bucho in the 1995 action thriller Desperado. Several years later, he became popular for playing Ramon Salazar on the Fox thriller drama series 24, between 2003 and 2004, and Hernan Reyes in the 2011 film Fast Five, a role he reprised in 2023's Fast X. Fluent in several languages, de Almeida has worked in several countries in Europe and the Americas, in many film and stage productions, winning some international awards in films like Retrato de Família, Adão e Eva and O Xangô de Baker Street. His other well-known films include The Honorary Consul (1983), Only You (1994), La Cucaracha (1998), One Man's Hero (1999), Behind Enemy Lines (2001), Whore (2004), The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2007), Che: Part Two (2008), The Burning Plain (2008), and The Gilded Cage (2013).

2. Maria de Medeiros (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 52.58, Maria de Medeiros is the 2nd most famous Portuguese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

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

3. Madalena Iglésias (1939 - 2018)

With an HPI of 47.13, Madalena Iglésias is the 3rd most famous Portuguese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Madalena Lucília Iglésias do Vale de Oliveira (born Madalena Lucília Iglésias Doval; 24 October 1939 – 16 January 2018) was a Portuguese actress and singer. She represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, with the song "Ele e ela".

4. Sara Martins (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 46.33, Sara Martins is the 4th most famous Portuguese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Sara Martins (born 19 August 1977) is a French actress. She is known in France for her roles on television and in film and theatre. She also appeared as Detective Sergeant Camille Bordey in the joint British-French crime comedy-drama Death in Paradise, filmed in Guadeloupe, a French overseas department. She left the show halfway through series 4 (January 2015). She later returned to Season 10 E6 to reprise her role temporarily, and again in Series 13 Episode 1, in a video call with Neville.

5. Aure Atika (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 43.68, Aure Atika is the 5th most famous Portuguese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Aure Atika (born 12 July 1970) is a French actress, writer, and director.

6. Daniela Melchior (b. 1996)

With an HPI of 41.85, Daniela Melchior is the 6th most famous Portuguese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Daniela Melchior (European Portuguese: [dɐniˈɛlɐ mɛlʃiˈɔɾ]; born 1 November 1996) is a Portuguese actress. Born in Almada, Setúbal, she launched her career in 2014 with a role in telenovela Mulheres. She went on to appear in the teen drama Massa Fresca (2016) and telenovelas Ouro Verde (2017) and A Herdeira (2018). Melchior made her film debut in 2018 with The Black Book. She provided the Portuguese dubbing for Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and was cast in the comedy drama Parque Mayer in the same year. Her performance in the latter earned her a nomination for the Sophia Award Best Actress. She had her international breakthrough as Cleo Cazo in the DCEU film The Suicide Squad (2021), which earned her a nomination for Best Newcomer at the Portuguese Golden Globes. Subsequently, she took on minor roles in English-language films, including Marlowe (2022), Assassin Club (2023), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) and Fast X (2023).

7. Louis Ferreira (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 40.10, Louis Ferreira is the 7th most famous Portuguese Actor.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Louis Ferreira (born Luís Henrique da Rocha Ferreira; born 20 February 1966) is a Canadian actor. Ferreira is known for his roles in Stargate Universe as Colonel Everett Young, serial killer Ray Prager in the first season of Durham County, FBI Assistant Director John Pollock in Missing, and Art Blank in Saw IV, Saw V, and Saw 3D. He starred in the CTV series Motive as homicide detective Oscar Vega. Before 2008, he was credited under the stage name Justin Louis.

8. Catarina Furtado (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 37.26, Catarina Furtado is the 8th most famous Portuguese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Catarina Cardoso Garcia da Fonseca Furtado (born 25 August 1972) is a Portuguese television presenter, actress and UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador. Catarina was born in Lisbon and is a daughter of RTP journalist Joaquim Furtado.

9. Alba Baptista (b. 1997)

With an HPI of 36.18, Alba Baptista is the 9th most famous Portuguese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Alba Baptista (born 10 July 1997) is a Portuguese actress. She began her career in her native Portugal with the series Jardins Proibidos (2014–2015). She then starred in multiple Portuguese series and films such as A Impostora, Filha da Lei, A Criação, and Jogo Duplo. From 2020 to 2022, she starred in the Netflix series Warrior Nun, which marked her English-language debut.

10. Filomena Cautela (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 30.47, Filomena Cautela is the 10th most famous Portuguese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Filomena José Dias Fernandes Cautela (born 16 December 1984) is a Portuguese television presenter and actress. Cautela started her acting career in the theatre in the year 2000. In 2004, she made her debut in cinema, and in 2005, she was cast as a presenter by MTV Portugal.