Abigail Izquierdo Ferreira (1 June 1922 – 13 February 2019), known as Bibi Ferreira, was a Brazilian actress, singer, and director. In a career spanning more than 75 years, Ferreira directed and performed in numerous theatrical productions and was recognized as one of the great

diva Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is cl ...

s of

Brazilian music The music of Brazil encompasses various regional musical styles influenced by European, American, African and Amerindian forms. Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as forró, repente, coco de roda, axé, sertanejo, ...

Early life

Ferreira was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

, the daughter of stage actor Procópio Ferreira and Argentine dancer Aida Izquierdo, born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. Her paternal grandparents came from Madeira Island,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

; her maternal grandparents, Antonio Izquierdo and Irma Queirola, were from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. She learned dance at Teatro Municipal in

Career

Her father invited his daughter to join his company. She made her stage debut performing La Locandiera at Teatro Serrador in Rio de Janeiro, on 28 February 1941. She formed her own company three years later. During this period, she began hosting several talk and variety television shows, giving new artists and playwrights the opportunity to present their work. In 1962, she was cast in the Brazilian production of ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

'', which set a Brazilian record for its -year run. She then played leads in '' Hello Dolly'' and '' Man of La Mancha''. In the 1970s, she began directing her own productions. Ferreira began performing in a musical about

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pia ...

in 1983, and toured the show through Europe. Ferreira was a prominent figure in the Brazilian entertainment industry. Her protégé, singer

Maria Bethânia Maria Bethânia Viana Teles Veloso (; born 18 June 1946) is a Brazilian singer and songwriter. Born in Santo Amaro, Bahia, she started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião" ("Opinion"). Due to its popularity, with performa ...

, said of Ferreira, "Everything she does has helped Brazil with its identity." The

French Government The Government of France (French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who i ...

awarded her the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1985. In 2016, Ferreira appeared in "Bibi Times Four", a one-woman show at Symphony Space in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Later life and death

In 1968, Ferreira married Paulo Pontes, a playwright. In 1970, she performed in ''Gota D'Agua'', a play Pontes wrote. Pontes died in 1976. Ferreira died in

on February 13, 2019, from a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...

References

External links

*
Interview With Bibi Ferreira
at

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferreira, Bibi 1922 births 2019 deaths Actresses from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Brazilian people of Argentine descent Brazilian people of Spanish descent Brazilian musical theatre actresses Brazilian stage actresses Brazilian theatre directors Women theatre directors Recipients of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 20th-century Brazilian actresses 21st-century Brazilian actresses