Celebrating Bibi Ferreira

Ferreira was born on this day in 1922 in Rio de Janeiro to an artistic family.

Her father was a director and her mother was a dancer. At just one month old, Ferreira made her stage debut as a last-second stand-in for a baby doll in one of her father’s plays. By three years old, Ferreira toured South America dancing in a ballet troupe.

While studying at an American Diplomatic school in Rio, Ferreira became entranced with ballet and opera. She also learned to play piano, violin, and guitar — and in her little free time, learned different languages.

In 1941, Ferreira starred in her first lead role alongside her father in the play, The Mistress of the Inn. After spending three more years in her father’s theater company, she decided to start her own. Her group performed Portuguese translations of famous plays as well as her original creation Angelus.

It was the 60s when Ferreira really became a Brazilian star. She played the lead in Portuguese translations of My Fair Lady, Hello, Dolly! and Man of La Mancha. These renditions ushered in a new era of Brazilian theater.

Ferreira continued to star in and even direct musicals for the rest of her career. Her play Piaf: Uma Estrela da Canção (Piaf: A Star of Song) toured across Europe, ultimately earning her the French government’s Commendation of Arts and Letters. Ferreira kept singing well into her 90s, inspiring women of every age to pick up her melodies.

Happy Birthday, Bibi Ferreira!