Tomásia Veloso (in the old spelling Thomazia Velloso), stage name of Tomásia Carlota de Jesus Alves (1864 –1888), was a Portuguese stage actress and operetta singer.

Early life

Veloso was born on 22 April 1864 at 130, Rua de Santa Marta, in the former civil parish of

Coração de Jesus Coração de Jesus is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2020 the population was 26,611 in a total area of 2,236 km2. It became a municipality in 1912.

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 José Henrique Alves and Carlota Porfíria dos Santos Veloso, who were both actors. She made her debut in 1870, at the age of six, at a theatre in

Setúbal Setúbal ( , , ; ), officially the City of Setúbal (), is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the entire municipality in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies withi ...

, in the play ''Le Vieux Caporal'' (The old corporal) by

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and

Adolphe d'Ennery Adolphe d'Ennery (; or Dennery; Adolphe Philippe; 17 June 181125 January 1899) was a French playwright and novelist. Life Born in Paris, his real surname was Philippe. He obtained his first success in collaboration with Charles Desnoyer in ' ...

, in which she played the son of the corporal. Shortly after, she left for

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 ...

with her mother.

Acting career

In 1878,

António de Sousa Bastos António de Sousa Bastos (1844 –1911) was a Portuguese writer, playwright, theatre entrepreneur and journalist. Author of the ''Diccionario do theatro portuguez'' (Dictionary of Portuguese Theatre), he was the husband of the actress Palmira Bast ...

, a leading figure in the Portuguese theatrical scene, formed a company to perform in the ''Teatro do Príncipe Real'' (later the '' Teatro Apolo'' in Lisbon. He was advised to send for a young woman from Porto who had reportedly shown great talent in small roles in a popular street theatre in Porto. He was surprised to find that the woman was Veloso, who he had seen perform on her debut in Setúbal. Another coincidence was that he had chosen the director of the Setúbal play, José Romano, to direct his new company. Within a short time of arriving in Lisbon, Veloso became a star. In 1879 she returned to Porto, where she remained, mostly with the operetta company of the '' Teatro do Príncipe Real'' in that city, until her death. Her biggest successes were, in fact, in the operetta genre, although she was equally successful in drama and comedy. On 20 March 1888, there was a fire at the ''

Teatro Baquet The ''Teatro Baquet'' was a theatre located in what is today ''Rua 31 de Janeiro'' in the city of Porto, Portugal. It opened in 1859 and was destroyed by fire in 1888, with the loss of 120 lives. Origins The ''Teatro Baquet'' was built by Antóni ...

'' opposite where Veloso lived, destroying the theatre and killing around 120. Veloso spent hours at her window watching events unfold. Her last public performance was at a matinee at Porto's

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, organized in support of the surviving victims of the fire.

Death

Veloso died two weeks later, on 6 April 1888, at her home in 29 Rua de Sá da Bandeira. Although she was diagnosed with

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

fever, it was thought that her exposure on the night of the fire was a contributory factor. She was buried in the Agramonte Cemetery in Porto and was much mourned by the press. Veloso did not marry but had a son, Mário (born 1882), whose father was unknown. The poet, Cesário Verde, was reportedly in love with her but his feelings were not reciprocated. That did not stop him being attacked by Oliveiro Grosso, who was her alleged lover. Veloso's mother died, penniless, in 1917.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Veloso, Tomásia Portuguese stage actresses 19th-century Portuguese actresses 1864 births 1888 deaths Actresses from Lisbon