Maria Elvira Meireles (born 11 October 1958), better known as Totia Meireles, is a Brazilian actress. She is known for her various performances on telenovelas, film, and in theatre. She has earned awards for her performances in América, Gypsy, and Salve Jorge.
Biography Meireles was born in 1958 in Rio de Janeiro. Totia has been her nickname since her childhood, and uses it more than her birthname. Despite being from Rio de Janeiro, she was raised in Cuiabá. She is one of eight children to Zulmira Meireles and José Mauro Meirelles, who came from Conselheiro Lafaiete, Minas Gerais. José was a colonel in the military, who served as a commander in the 9th Battalion of Construction Engineering, based in Cuiabá, which had the objective of building highway BR-163, from Cuiabá to Santarém in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. Colonel Meireles, who for his contributions to the construction project became known as the "Pai da Cuiabá-Santarém", was also the vice-mayor of Cuiabá beginning in 1992, during the Dante de Oliveira government, and became mayor in 1994 as Oliveira ran to be the governor of Mato Grosso.
Career Meireles began her career as a ballet dancer and soon after was discovered as a singer during an audition for a musical Chorus Line, with Cláudia Raia as the protagonist. In 2010, she performed as Mamma Rose in the musical Gypsy, to which her rendition led her to be nominated to the Shell de Teatro Prize.
Beginning in the 1990s, she worked through participations in Rede Globo telenovelas and series, such as with secretary Sonia in Mulheres de Areia (1993); Elaine, during the 1995 season of Malhação and the sexologist Cacilda in O Fim do Mundo (1996); along with Matilde in Suave Veneno (1999), the friend of Inês/Lavínia (Glória Pires).
In 2001/2002, she participated in the telenovela O Clone as Laurinda, the friend of Ivete, played by Vera Fischer, from there beginning at that point a partnership with Glória Perez in her productions. In 2005, she acted as Vera Tupã in América. In the telenovela her character is romantically involved with Jatobá, played by Marcos Frota.
Meireles, in 2006, performed as Silvana Munhoz, a perfume seller in Saara of Arab background, and the aunt of Duda (Daniel de Oliveira), one of the protagonists of the João Emanuel Carneiro telenovela Cobras & Lagartos. From 2007 to 2008, she participated in the miniseries Amazônia and the series Casos e Acasos.
In 2009, she played the role of Dr. Aída Motta, the romantic partner of Dario (), on Caminho das Índias.
In 2011, Meireles worked with Aguinaldo Silva as Zambeze Maciel in Fina Estampa. In 2012, she performed as Wanda in Salve Jorge by Glória Perez, that brought more attention in the telenovela to human trafficking, disgruntling the human trafficker Morena (Nanda Costa) and the other traffickers. Her first villain role in novelas was lauded by critics.
In 2014, Meireles acted as the medic Adriana in Alto Astral. In 2015, she participated in the Brazilian version of the musical Nine from the duo Möeller and Botelho, playing the role of Lilliane la Fleur, a film producer and ex-vedette of the Cabaret Folies Bergère.Carvalho, Eduardo. "Novo musical de Charles Möeller e Claudio Botelho, 'Nine' estreia 21 de maio, no Teatro Porto Seguro, em São Paulo" . Retrieved on 15 February 2024. She starred that November in the musical Mulheres à Beira de um Ataque de Nervos, in São Paulo, as Lúcia, who is seen on the verge of a nervous breakdown when she is abandoned by her husband. The cast included Marisa Orth and as protagonists. The following year, she was on the cast of the Brazilian version of Cinderella, where she played Lady Tremaine.
Personal life In 1989, Meireles met Jaime Rabacov, a doctor, to where they became engaged in 1992 and married in 1994. She lived since the 1980s in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Lagoa. Her husband lives on a farm in Miguel Pereira, in a rural part of Rio de Janeiro state. She went there every weekend if she did not have any professional obligations, or every fifteen days, and spent some weeks together, sometimes going to Rio, or for Meireles going there to visit him. The actress has 19 nieces and nephews, 5 great-nieces and great-nephews, and two grandchildren, Santiago and Pilar, her husband's biological grandchildren.
Filmography
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1985Chico Anysio ShowVarious roles1986Memórias de um GigolôÚrsula1989Que Rei Sou Eu?Monah1990Lua Cheia de AmorRosa MariaRainha da SucataProstituteEpisode: "5 de fevereiro"PantanalVedeteEpisode: "29 de março"Mãe de SantoPriscila1993Mulheres de Areia Sônia1992Escolinha do Professor RaimundoBranquinha, fiancée of João CanabravaGuest participation1994Tereza Mercantil1996O Fim do MundoCacilda RenaultVocê DecideEpisode: "Tempo de Namoro"1998Por AmorCorinaEpisode: "10 de fevereiro"1999Suave VenenoMatildeVocê DecideEpisode: "O Príncipe da Feira"2000Você DecideMarielzaEpisode: "Miami ou Me Deixe"2001O CloneLaurinda de Albuquerque2002A Grande FamíliaMargarethEpisode: "O Chamado da Natureza"2004A DiaristaSusanaEpisode: "Quem Vai Ficar com Marinete?"A Grande FamíliaReginaEpisode: "Depois Daquela CoisaCarga PesadaMatildeEpisode: "Direção Perigosa"2005AméricaVera do Nascimento2006Cobras & LagartosSilvana Salgado Munhoz2007Amazônia, de Galvez a Chico MendesDalvaDuas CarasJandira Alves2008Casos e AcasosCatarinaEpisode: "A Prova, a Namorada e a Isca"2009Caminho das ÍndiasDrª. Aída MottaChico e AmigosStellaYear End Special2011Fina EstampaZambeze Siqueira Maciel2012Salve JorgeWanda Rodrigues / Adalgisa2014Alto AstralDrª. Adriana Máximo2015Super Chef CelebridadesParticipantSeason 42017A Força do QuererMaria Helena Borges Garcia (Heleninha)2019Verão 90Mercedes Ferreira LimaPopstarParticipant2021DesjuntadosAnita2 episodes
Film YearTitleRole1996Um Céu de Estrelas2003Apolônio Brasil, o Campeão da AlegriaNamorada de Apolônio2015Divã a 2Cristina2016Mulheres no PoderSenadora Lucia Helena2017Talvez uma História de AmorDrª. Marcia Bruner2021Um Casal InseparávelEsther
Theatre YearTitle1984A Chorus Line1987Noviças Rebeldes1989Little Shop of Horrors1990Meu Primo Walter1993–94Sweet CharityBaixa SociedadeNa Era do Rádio1996Metralha1997Don Juan19995X Comédia2000Um Caso de Vida ou Morte2001Company2002The Vagina Monologues2005Cristal Bacharach2007Garota Glamour2010Gypsy2013–15Uma Luz Cor de Luar2015Nine – Um Musical Felliniano2015–16Mulheres à Beira de um Ataque de Nervos2016Cinderella2017Show - Meu Nome É Totia2018Show - Meu Nome É TotiaPippin2022Procuro o homem da minha vida, marido já tive
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryWorkResult2006Troféu Super Cap de OuroBest ActressAmérica Troféu Globo de Melhores do AnoBest Supporting Actress Cobras & Lagartos rowspan="2" 2007Prêmio Arte Qualidade BrasilBest Musical Theatre Actress - SP Garota Glamour2010Prêmio Qualidade BrasilBest ActressGypsy Prêmio ShellBest Actress rowspan="2" 2011Prêmio APTR de TeatroBest Actress and Protagonist2013Prêmio Contigo! de TVBest Supporting Actress Salve Jorge Prêmio Extra de TelevisãoBest Supporting Actress rowspan="13" Prêmio Quem de TelevisãoBest Supporting Actress2016Prêmio APTR de TeatroBest Supporting ActressNine — Um musical FelinianoPrêmio Bibi FerreiraBest Supporting ActressCinderela, O Musical5º Prêmio Botequim CulturalBest ActressPrêmio Arte Qualidade BrasilBest Actress in Musical2018Prêmio Reverência de Teatro MusicalBest ActressPrêmio Cesgranrio de TeatroBest Actress in Musical Theatre2019Prêmio Destaque Imprensa DigitalHighlighted ActressPrêmio Brasil MusicalBest ActressMusical Ensemble2021Prêmio Bibi FerreiraBest Actress in Musicals2022Prêmio Bibi FerreiraBest Supporting Actress in Theatrical Piece Procuro o Homem da Minha Vida, Marido Já Tive
References