Bibi Ferreira

Bibi Ferreira was born in 1922, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was the daughter of a director of a prestigious school and a teacher. She received a refined education and learned French, piano and sewing. She was interested in theater since she was a child, but her father did not approve of her artistic aspirations. She studied drama with Henriette Morineau and made her film debut in 1941, in 24 Horas de Sonho. She moved to Paris in 1950, where she continued her studies and met Paulo Pontes, son of the painter Lasar Segall, whom she married in 1968. They had an adopted daughter, Cristina, who became a singer. She resumed her career in 1964, working in theater, cinema and television. She participated in several soap operas on Rede Globo, such as O Casarão, Água Viva and Pai Herói. She also starred in many films, such as Pixote, Romance and Desmundo. She won several awards for her work, such as the Troféu Imprensa, the Prêmio Contigo and the Prêmio Extra de Televisão. She became famous for her role as Odete Roitman, the main villain of the telenovela Vale Tudo, in 1988. Her character was so popular that her death was a national mystery and generated many speculations. She was considered one of the greatest and most versatile actresses in Brazilian history, and an inspiration for many generations of artists. She suffered from natural causes for several years, which limited her ability to work in her later years. She died in 2019, at the age of 96, in a hospital in São Paulo. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered in the sea, as she wished.