Ludmila Dayer-Middleton (born 18 June 1983) is a Brazilian-American actress, producer and director.

Career

Dayer began acting at the age of 10 in the movie ''

Carlota Joaquina – Princesa do Brasil ''Carlota Joaquina, Princess of Brazil'' ( pt, Carlota Joaquina, Princesa do Brazil) is a 1995 Brazilian historical comedy film directed and written by Carla Camurati. It stars Marieta Severo as Carlota Joaquina, Marco Nanini as Dom João VI and ...

'' released in 1995, for which she was named by the

Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte The Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte (São Paulo Association of Art Critics) or APCA (established 1956) is an organization based in São Paulo, Brazil which honors the best in the Brazilian fields of stage acting (since 1956), music, lite ...

(APCA) as the revelation of the year. She rose to prominence after being discovered in a Spanish dance class and getting cast for a double role in two different languages in ''Carlota Joaquina'': the Spanish infant princess Carlota and the little British girl Yolanda. At that time, she didn't speak English and Spanish fluently; but after two months of training with a language coach, she could deliver her lines in both languages. For her next film "Traição" where she plays the "Diabólica" character by playwright

Nelson Rodrigues Nelson Falcão Rodrigues (August 23, 1912 – December 21, 1980) was a Brazilian playwright, journalist and novelist. In 1943, he helped usher in a new era in Brazilian theater with his play ''Vestido de Noiva (The Wedding Dress)'', considered ...

, she got the "Candango" for best supporting actress at the

Festival de Brasília A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

. The first part she landed as a teenager was a TV role in the

Rede Manchete Rede Manchete (; lit.: Headline Network; also known as TV Manchete or only Manchete) was a Brazilian television network that was founded in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June 1983 by the Ukrainian-Brazilian journalist and businessman Adolpho Bloch. The ne ...

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...

, ''Xica da Silva''. In 2000, she moved to Brazil's biggest network,

Rede Globo TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Grupo Globo. The TV stati ...

, to play the lead female in the teen soap ''

Malhação ''Malhação'' (, ''Young Hearts'' in English) is a Brazilian soap-opera that aired on TV Globo from 4 March 1995 to 3 April 2020. The series is targeted at a teenage audience. Each season runs for about a year with cast members changing every ...

''. Dayer then rose to national fame through her role in the 2004 soap ''

Senhora do Destino ''Senhora do Destino'' (English: ''Her Own Destiny'') is a Brazilian telenovela that was produced and aired by TV Globo from June 28, 2004 to March 11, 2005, with a total of 221 episodes. Replacing ''Celebridade'' and being replaced by '' Améric ...

'', where she portrayed Danielle Meira, nicknamed "baby nymph" by her boyfriend Giovanni Improtta (

José Wilker José Wilker Almeida (20 August 1944 – 5 April 2014) was a Brazilian film, stage, and television actor and director. The actor gained fame in telenovelas like '' Roque Santeiro'' (1985), but became known internationally for his role as Vadinho, ...

). That same year, she was the lead in the movie '' Vida de Menina'', based on the diaries of

Helena Morley Alice Dayrell Caldeira Brant (August 28, 1880 – June 20, 1970) was a Brazilian juvenile writer. When she was a teenager, she kept a diary, which describes life in Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil which was then published in 1942. The diary was ...

. She was nominated for best actress at the

Festival de Gramado The Gramado Film Festival ( pt, Festival de Gramado) is an international film festival held annually in the Brazilian city of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, since 1973. In 1992, the festival began to award Latin American films produced outside of B ...

and Recife Cinema Festival "Cine PE" taking home the award for best actress. In 2006, Dayer moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

where she founded

Lupi Productions Ludmila Dayer-Middleton (born 18 June 1983) is a Brazilian-American actress, producer and director. Career Dayer began acting at the age of 10 in the movie ''Carlota Joaquina – Princesa do Brasil'' released in 1995, for which she was named b ...

, a creative production company. In 2022 made her directorial debut with the documentary "EU" (ME). The film tackles her personal experience with mental health issues and her journey of self-discovery. In addition to directing and producing, Dayer took on responsibilities such as writing, cinematography and editing. The documentary premiered on Aquarius, a Brazilian streaming platform where she serves as one of the partners.

Personal life

Dayer 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 ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. She holds both the Brazilian and US citizenships. In 2016, she married a British businessman. The couple currently lives in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Filmography

Television

Film

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dayer, Ludmila 1983 births Living people Brazilian emigrants to the United States Actresses from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian people of German descent Brazilian television actresses Brazilian film actresses People with acquired American citizenship