Léa Garcia was a Brazilian actress best known for the Academy Award-winning 1959 film “Black Orpheus.”
- Died: August 15, 2023 (Who else died on August 15?)
- Details of death: Died in Gramado, Brazil, at the age of 90.
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Léa Garcia’s legacy
Garcia began her career as a stage actress and member of the Brazilian theater company Teatro Experimental do Negro (TEN). With TEN, she starred in “Orfeu da Conceição,” a retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus, set in Brazil amid the festivities of Carnaval. The play was adapted into the movie “Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus),” with Garcia playing the samba dancer Serafina in her film debut. The movie won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, while Garcia was nominated for the Award for Best Actress at Cannes.
Garcia went on to appear in many other films, including “Os Bandeirantes,” “Quilombo,” “Memorias de Chibata,” “As Filhas do Vento,” and “The Greatest Love of All.” She was also frequently seen on Brazilian TV. Her villainous character Rosa in the 1976 telenovela “A Escrava Isaura” was well known in Brazil and internationally.
In addition to her acting career, Garcia also worked for Brazil’s Ministry of Health from the 1960s through ‘90s, and she was an activist against racism in Brazil.
Tributes to Léa Garcia
Full obituary: O Globo
