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Lucinda Simões (18501928) was one of the most acclaimed Portuguese actors and theatre directors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The former '' Teatro Lucinda'' in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
was named after her.


Early life

Lucinda Augusta da Silva Borges was born on 17 December 1850 in the Portuguese capital of
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
. She was the daughter of the actor and Maria José da Silva. Her father did not encourage his daughters to pursue theatrical careers and enrolled them in a private school. However, in 1865, at the age of 14, together with her sister Amélia, Lucinda participated in an amateur recital. Her professional debut took place on 16 October 1867, at the '' Teatro do Ginásio'' in Lisbon, at a performance attended by Queen D. Maria Pia, for which she received much applause and the Queen awarded her with a bracelet.


Theatrical career

Simões then joined the theatre company of the ''Teatro do Ginásio'', performing several comedies in 1868 and 1869, sometimes with her sister. She took lessons from Actor Taborda, one of Portugal's leading actors. She fell in love with another rising star, , but her father would not allow her to marry, resulting in Vale deciding to leave Portugal for Brazil in 1870, where he would stay for a decade. Simões performed at the '' Teatro Baquet'' in
Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
in 1871, by which time she was already playing the lead. In the same year she went to Brazil, accompanied by her father. There she met, and in 1872 married, the theatrical entrepreneur Luís Cândido Furtado Coelho. The couple then travelled around Europe, returning to Portugal in November 1874 where they performed together at the '' Teatro das Variedades Dramáticas'' in Lisbon, including one play that was specially written for them by Fernando Caldeira. In October 1876, Simões began a tour of Brazil with her husband, which lasted for three months. In
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
they performed at the ''Teatro Ginásio Dramático'' and the '' Theatro D. Pedro II''. Together with her husband, Simões also toured in Spain and Argentina. She once said that "I was born in Lisbon, I got married in Brazil and I am Spanish at heart", and her performances in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
were enthusiastically received. Between 1877 and 1879 she and her husband rented the '' Teatro Carlos Gomes'' in Rio de Janeiro. In March 1879 she gave birth to twins, Lucília and Luciano.
Lucília Simões Lucília Simões (2 April 1879 – 8 June 1962) was a Brazilian-born Portuguese actress, stage director and impresario. Early life Lucília Cândida Simões Furtado Coelho was the daughter of the acclaimed Portuguese actress Lucinda Simões an ...
would become as well known as an actor and impresario as her mother. On 3 July 1880, the ' was opened in Rio de Janeiro. It was to close in 1909. Simões continued to perform in the 1880s, after her husband ran into financial difficulties after some unwise investments in London. In 1891 they returned to Rio de Janeiro, where her husband managed a theatre group and she acted. Back in Lisbon in 1893, they formed a group to perform at the '' Teatro da Rua dos Condes''. Simões then moved to the '' D. Maria II National Theatre'' in Lisbon. She had hoped that her daughter Lucília could make her debut at this theatre but there was opposition to the idea. Instead, she went with her daughter to
Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...
, rehearsing her for a successful debut. She then had a disagreement with the management of the D. Maria II National Theatre, with her contract being terminated in January 1895. In the same year she formed the Lucinda Simões-Cristiano de Sousa Company, which began to perform at the ''Teatro da Rua dos Condes'', with her daughter among the actors in the company. The plays were always extravagantly staged and one in particular, '' Madame Sans-Gêne'', led to considerable losses. By this time separated from her husband, who died in 1900, Simões then toured Brazil again. Returning to Portugal, she and her daughter were hired by the Viscount de S. Luiz Braga to perform at the '' Teatro D. Amélia''. Among other plays, they performed '' La Dame de chez Maxim'', a farce by
Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the Belle Époque era, remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parents and raised in a ...
and ''
A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish language, Danish and ; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act Play (theatre), play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 De ...
'' by
Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
. Later, by popular pressure, she returned to the D. Maria II National Theatre, performing '' Le Bourgeois gentilhomme'' by
Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...
, among other plays. Simões continued to work in the Lisbon theatre in the 1910s, and also toured the
Alentejo Alentejo ( , , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond the Tagus" (). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo Province, Alto Alentejo and Bai ...
and
Algarve The Algarve (, , ) is the southernmost NUTS statistical regions of Portugal, NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities (concelho, ''concelhos'' or ''município ...
regions of Portugal. In 1921 she appeared at the ''
Teatro Politeama The Teatro Politeama is a theatre in Lisbon, Portugal that opened in 1913. History Teatro Politeama was conceived by Luís António Pereira. Buying land on what is now the Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, close to the ''Coliseu dos Recreios'', a ...
'', performing
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
's ''
A Woman of No Importance ''A Woman of No Importance'' by Oscar Wilde is "a new and original play of modern life", in four acts, first given on 19 April 1893 at the Haymarket Theatre, London. Like Wilde's other society plays, it satirises English upper-class society. It ...
''. In 1922 she published an autobiography, titled ''Memórias:factos e impressões''. In 1924 she went on a tour to Madrid and Barcelona. When not acting, she worked as a teacher at Lisbon's National Conservancy. She retired from the stage for health reasons in 1926, celebrating her career with a large party at the
Teatro da Trindade The ''Teatro da Trindade'' is a theatre in the Chiado neighbourhood of Lisbon, Portugal, built in the 19th century. It is one of the oldest theatres in Lisbon still in operation. Construction and opening In 1866, Francisco Pereira Palha de Fari ...
in Lisbon. Lucinda Simões died on 21 May 1928.


Honours and awards

*Simões was decorated with the Ancient, Most Noble and Enlightened
Military Order of Saint James of the Sword The Military Order of Saint James of the Sword (), formerly known as the Ancient, Most Noble and Enlightened Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, of the Scientific, Literary and Artistic Merit (), is one of the four former ancient Portu ...
of Scientific, Literary and Artistic Merit of Portugal. *She received a Gold Medal from the School of Arts and Crafts of Rio de Janeiro. *In Portugal, her name is part of the toponymy of Barreiro, Lisbon and
Seixal Seixal () is a Portugal, Portuguese city and municipality, located in the district of Setúbal District, Setúbal, in the metropolitan area of Lisbon region, Lisbon. Its population includes 184,269 inhabitants (2011), in an area of that includes ...
. *A theatrical award was named after her. Winners have included Palmira Bastos and Laura Alves.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simões, Lucinda Portuguese stage actresses Portuguese voice actresses 1850 births 1928 deaths