Elke Maravilha ( Grünupp; 22 February 1945 – 16 August 2016) was a German-Brazilian actress, model and television personality. She lived in Brazil from her early childhood until her death.
Biography Maravilha was born to a Latvian father and German mother in Leutkirch, although throughout her career she stated she was born in Leningrad, Russia. At the age of four, her family emigrated to Brazil in 1949 and first settled at a farm in Itabira in the state of Minas Gerais. In 1955, her family leased lands in Atibaia in São Paulo State, running a strawberry farm. The family then went to Bragança Paulista to farm. Returning to Minas Gerais, she was chosen as "Glamour Girl" in Belo Horizonte in 1962. It was during this period that she became a naturalized Brazilian.
At the age of 20, Maravilha left home to live in Rio de Janeiro, working as a bilingual secretary, using her fluency in eight languages, many of them learned in her own home environment, as a teacher of French and English. Her father became director of Liquigás corporation and was transferred to Porto Alegre. She returned to live with her family in Porto Alegre between 1966 and 1969, where she attended courses at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul faculties of philosophy, medicine and letters and trained as a translator and interpreter of foreign languages.
She took up modeling work at age 24, in 1969, in the same period in which she married a Greek writer, Alexandros Evremidis, the first of her eight marriages. At 20, she met Evremidis on a ship en route to Europe in 1965 on her way to live with her maternal grandmother in Germany. During this time, she began a friendship with the fashion designer Zuzu Angel.
During the Brazilian military dictatorship in 1972, Maravilha was arrested for contempt at Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro for tearing up posters of Stuart Angel Jones, her friend Zuzu's son, claiming that he had already been killed by the regime. She was arrested under the National Security Law and lost her Brazilian citizenship, although there is no record of her loss of Brazilian citizenship. Her Brazilian ID card stating she was "Brazilian by option" was expired in 1970 at the time she was arrested in 1972, so she never renewed it. She was released after six days, following the appeals of artist friends. Years later, she successfully applied for German citizenship. She held a German passport sometime in the 90s. However, her Brazilian residence permit gave "stateless" as nationality.
Film and TV portrayals She was portrayed by Luana Piovani in the 2006 biographical drama film Zuzu Angel. Maravilha also made a special guest appearance in the film.
She was also portrayed by Gianne Albertoni in Chacrinha: O velho guerreiro, a 2018 film biography about Chacrinha.
In 2022, Maravilha was portrayed by Maidê Mahl in O Rei da TV, a biographical television series about Silvio Santos.
Death Maravilha died in Rio de Janeiro on 16 August 2016 of multiple organ failure, from complications of a surgery to treat an ulcer.
Work
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1973A Volta de Beto RockfellerSofia1979Milagre – O Poder da FéHerselfSpecial participationFeijão Maravilha1986Memórias de um GigolôMadame Yara1982–1988Cassino do ChacrinhaJudge1988–1991Show de CalourosJudge1993–1996Programa Elke MaravilhaPresenter1998Pecado CapitalHerselfSpecial participation2004Big Brother Brasil 4JudgeCelebridadeHerselfSpecialDa Cor do PecadoJudgeParticipação Especial2007Luz do SolUrânia Szakaly2009Caminho das ÍndiasHerselfSpecial participation2012Morando SozinhoDona Violeta2013As CanalhasCacalaDestino: Rio de JaneiroAunt Selesniova2015FantásticoHerselfQuadro: O Grande Plano
Film YearTitleRole1970Salário MínimoModelo1971O Barão Otelo no Barato dos BilhõesSecretária1972Os MachõesQuando o Carnaval ChegarAtriz Francesa1973O Rei do Baralho1974Gente que TransaEsmeralda1976XicaHortência1977Tenda dos MilagresA Força de XangôIabaPastores da Noite1978Elke Maravilha Contra o Homem AtômicoElke Maravilha1979A Noiva da CidadeDanielaCinemateca Brasileira, A Noiva da Cidade [em linha]O MilagreElke1981PixoteDébora1987No Rio vale tudoEsposaRomanceAmiga de Antônio CésarTanga (Deu no New York Times?)1988Prisoner of RioFrank1999Xuxa RequebraIara Macedo "Macedão"2006Zuzu AngelLieselotte2007ElkeHerselfElke no país das MaravilhasHerself2010A Suprema FelicidadeAvó de PauloA Maravilha de ser ElkeHerself2011Fca CarlaLúcia2013The DognapperDona NoaraMeu Passado Me Condena Mirtes2015A Lenda do Gato PretoAngelinaSuper OldboySenhora2016Carrossel 2: O Sumiço da Maria JoaquinaDona LeléLua em SagitárioUlla
Stage Paixão de Cristo Elke – do Sagrado ao Profano Viva o Cordão Encarnado O Castelo das Sete Torres Rio de Cabo a Rabo Eu Gosto de Mamãe Carlota Joaquina A Rainha Morta O Homem e o Cavalo Orfeu da Conceição O Lobo da Madrugada
Music Maravilha recorded the song "Que vontade de comer goiaba", available in the compilation album Dançando em duplo sentido.
References
External links