Born in Maringá, Paraná in 1950 to a seamstress mother and a realtor father, Sônia Braga went on to become one of Brazil’s most famous and successful actresses.

Sônia began her career at age 18, when she starred in the musical Hair. From there, she moved on to TV and film. She got her big break in “Gabriela,” a telenovela based on Jorge Amado’s famous novel Gabriela, Cravo e Canela.

A year later, she starred in another Jorge Amado adaptation, the film version of Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos, and appeared in several successful Brazilian films in the early 1980s. Her most famous movie, however, was the film version of “Gabriela” in 1983, which helped her launch her career in Hollywood.

In the mid-80s, Sônia moved to the US, where she appeared in several films, including “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and “Angel Eyes.” More recently, she has appeared on a variety of American TV shows, including Sex and the City, CSI: Miami and Alias. She’s dated American stars including Robert Redford and David Lee Roth.

In 2006, Sônia went back to Brazil to act in a Brazilian novela, “Páginas da Vida,” and a year later played one of the stars in the Brazilian adaptation of “Desperate Housewives.”

Her niece, Alice Braga, has also become a successful actress in Brazil and the US, after big roles in City of God and I am Legend.

For more information about Sônia Braga, click here.