Fernanda Pinheiro Monteiro Torres (; born 15 September 1965) is a Brazilian stage and screen actress and writer renowned for her versatility across both comedic and dramatic roles. She has earned numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe, the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, a Brazilian Academy Film Award, as well as a nomination for an Academy Award.
Torres received international acclaim for her performance as Eunice Paiva in the drama I'm Still Here (2024). She became the first Brazilian, first South American and first Portuguese-speaking actor to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. She was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming only the second Brazilian actress to be nominated in that category, the first being her mother, Fernanda Montenegro.
Her debut novel, The End, sold over 200,000 copies in Brazil. It was translated into seven other languages and adapted into a miniseries.
Career Debuting as an actress at thirteen, Torres established a career that spans more than four decades in theater, television, literature and cinema.
Cinema Her film debut was at the age of 17, in 1983, with the film Innocência, based on the work of Viscount of Taunay and directed by Walter Lima Jr. Her next movie A Marvada Carne (1985), by André Klotzel, won her the award for Best Actress at the Gramado Festival. For Love Me Forever or Never (1986) by Arnaldo Jabor, Torres won the Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival and at the Cuba Film Festival.
Among her 24 film credits, the most notable are: Excuse Me, I'm Going to Fight (1986), Best Actress at the Nantes Film Festival and a special nomination at the Locarno Festival; One Man's War (1991) by Sergio Toledo, alongside Anthony Hopkins and Norma Aleandro; Foreign Land (1996) by Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas; Four Days in September (1997) by Bruno Barreto, nominated as Best Foreign Language Film at the 70th Academy Awards; Gêmeas (1999); Redentor (2004), a film directed by her brother, Cláudio Torres; and The House of Sand (2005), directed by her husband Andrucha Waddington.
In 2024, she played Eunice Paiva in the biographical film I'm Still Here, based on the book of the same name by Marcelo Rubens Paiva and working again with director Walter Salles. For her performance, Torres became the second Brazilian to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, the first one being her mother Fernanda Montenegro 26 years before her, and also the first Brazilian to win the award. They also became the first mother-daughter duo to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress category since Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli.
In June 2025, Torres was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Theater At thirteen, Torres attended Teatro O Tablado. Her first performance on stage was in 1978, in the play Um Tango Argentino, by Maria Clara Machado. Torres acted in more than a dozen plays, having received praise for works such as Orlando (1989), by Bia Lessa; Da Gaivota (1998), by Daniela Thomas; Two Women and a Corpse (2000), by Aderbal Freire Filho. She was the first actress of the Companhia de Ópera Seca, founded by Gerald Thomas, having starred in three plays, including The Flash and Crash Days (1991)—sharing the stage with her mother—which was presented on tour in the United States and European. The monologue A Casa dos Budas Ditosos, based on the novel of the same name by João Ubaldo Ribeiro, debuted in 2003 reaching more than one million spectators.
Television
On television, she acted in numerous popular comedy series and soap operas in Brazil. From 2001 to 2003, Torres starred with Luiz Fernando Guimarães in the series Os Normais, which showed with humor and innovative language the everyday situations experienced by the couple Rui and Vani. Os Normais became a cult favorite and led many fans to not leave the house on Friday nights before the program ended. Not only the characters' scenes and dialogues, but also the panties and bras worn by Torres won over the public. The success of the series also led to two feature films, Os Normais – O Filme (2003), a prequel telling how Rui and Vani met, and Os Normais 2: A Noite Mais Maluca de Todas (2009), a sequel to the show where Rui and Vani try to reignite their relationship.
From 2011 to 2015, Torres starred, alongside Andréa Beltrão, in the comedy series Tapas & Beijos, for which she received several awards nominations and wins, such as the Best of the Year Award for Best Actress.
In 2016, she wrote the script for the feature film O Juízo, with her mother in the cast. In 2018, Torres was confirmed in the second season of the series Sob Pressão, as Renata, the new hospital administrator.
As a presenter, she developed the project Minha Estupidez and Bicho Homem for television, and the podcast The Playlist of My Life, as an interviewer on Deezer.
Writing In 2007, she began writing for newspapers and magazines as a columnist, publishing a weekly column in the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo since 2010.
In 2014, Torres released her first novel, The End (Fim), which sold more than 200,000 copies in Brazil and was translated into seven languages. In 2023, Torres created, wrote and adapted the novel into a 10-episode miniseries for the Brazilian streaming service Globoplay.
In 2017, Torres published her second novel, Glory and Its Litany of Horrors (A Glória e Seu Cortejo de Horrores).
Personal life Torres is of Portuguese and Italian descent.Fernanda Montenegro – Site Oficial – Universo Online She is married to movie producer and director Andrucha Waddington. The couple has two sons, Joaquim (b. 2000) and Antônio (b. 2008). She is also stepmother of João (b. 1993) and Pedro (b. 1995), from Andrucha's first marriage.
Filmography and bibliography Film Year Title Role Notes 1983 Inocência 1984 Amenic – Entre o Discurso e a Prática Extra 1985 A Marvada Carne Carula Madame Cartô Voice Cigana 1986 Love Me Forever or Never The Woman Eliane Maciel 1988 Isabel Woman eating an apple Cameo 1989 Kuarup Francisca 1990 Beijo 2348/72 Claudete 1993 Elisa Medeiros 1996 The Jew Brites Cardoso Foreign Land Alex 1997 Miramar The Producer Four Days in September Maria Augusta Carneiro / Andréia 1998 Midnight Maria Traição Irene 1999 Iara / Marilena 2003 So Normal Vanilce "Vani" Alencar 2004 Redeemer Young Isaura Also screenwriter 2005 The House of Sand Áurea / Maria 2007 Saneamento Básico Marina Playing Herself Documentary 2009 Lúcia Vanilce "Vani" Alencar 2017 Os 8 Magníficos Herself Documentary 2018 O Juízo Screenwriter only 2019 Babenco: Tell Me When I Die Herself Documentary Lina Bo Bardi: A Marvelous Entanglement Young Lina Bo Bardi 2024 I'm Still Here Eunice Paiva
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1979AplausoSoraia1981Baila ComigoFauna Rosa FrançaTelenovelaBrilhanteMarília Newman Carvalho1983Parabéns pra VocêIreneCaso Especial ClaraEpisode: "O Fantasma de Canterville"Maria AliceEpisode: "Todas as Mulheres do Mundo"Eu Prometo Dayse Ribeiro CantomaiaTelenovela1986Selva de Pedra Simone Marques / Rosana Reis1991One Man's WarDollyTelevision film1994Terça NobreDianaEpisode: "Comédia da Vida Privada"DorinhaEpisode: "O homem que sabia javanês"Lúcia McCartneyEpisode: "Lúcia McCartney"1995–97A Comédia da Vida Privada1999Luna Caliente Dora2001As Filhas da Mãe Lulu de Luxemburgo (young)Telenovela2001–03Os NormaisVanilce "Vani" Alencar2002Brava GenteJaciEpisode: "Lira Paulistana"2004Um Só Coração Fernanda Montenegro Episode: "8 de abril"Sitcom.brNanaEpisode: "Dia das Mães"2006Os AmadoresAliceEpisode: "22 de dezembro"2008Sexo Oposto2009Bicho Homem 2010Programa PilotoRenataAs Cariocas CrisEpisode: "A Invejosa de Ipanema"Amoral da História2011–15Tapas & BeijosFátima de Souza2016Mister Brau BárbaraEpisode: "19 de julho"2016–17Minha Estupidez2017–19Filhos da PátriaMaria Teresa Bulhosa2018Sob PressãoDr. Renata GomesSeason 22019Mulheres FantásticasNarratorVoiceEpisode: "Hedy Lamarr"2020Todas as Mulheres do MundoEstelaDiário de Um ConfinadoLeonorAmor e SorteLúcia BóisGilda, Lúcia e o BodeTelevision special2023FimCelesteAlso creator and writer
Books
2013 – Fim (The End) 2017 – A Glória e seu Cortejo de Horrores (Glory and Its Litany of Horrors)
Awards and nominations
Year Association Category Nominated work ResultRef 1985 Festival de GramadoBest Actress A Marvada Carne 1986 Three Continents Festival Com Licença, Eu Vou à Luta Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Love Me Forever or Never 1987 International Film Festival of India IFFI Best Actor Award (Female) 1999 Festival de Brasília Best Actress Gêmeas 2000 Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro Best Actress Traição São Paulo Art Critics Association O Primeiro Dia 2001 Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro Gêmeas 2004 Prêmio ACIE de Cinema So Normal 2006 Guadalajara International Film Festival The House of Sand 2024 Celebration of Cinema and Television Best Actress – International Film I'm Still Here Los Angeles Film Critics AssociationBest Lead Performance 2025Golden Globe AwardsBest Actress in a Motion Picture – DramaSão Paulo Art Critics AssociationBest ActressSatellite AwardsBest Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama International Cinephile SocietyBest ActressSanta Barbara International Film FestivalVirtuoso AwardLatino Entertainment Journalists’ Film Awards Best ActressGold Derby Film AwardsAcademy AwardsBest Actress Platino AwardsBest Actress
See also List of Brazilian Academy Award winners and nominees List of actors with Academy Award nominations List of actors nominated for Academy Awards for non-English performances
References
External links