Carmen Miranda: the path to fame

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Surely many people know this name - Carmen Miranda. The public became aware of her talent in the 20s of the last century. In 1933, she played her first feature film role in The Voice of the Carnival and signed a long-term contract with Rádio Mayrink Veiga radio. However, we will learn about how Miranda managed to achieve such dizzying success from our article.

Star Childhood

The famous actress was born in 1909, February 9th. Her homeland was Portugal. In the family, the girl was the second child. Carmen's mother's name was Maria Emilia Miranda, and her father's name was José Maria Pinto de Cunha. When the baby was not even a year old, the head of the family decided to emigrate to Brazil. Later, the whole family followed. It should be noted that until the very last days, Carmen did not renounce Portuguese citizenship, despite the fact that she had never lived in this country.

The family moved to a poor area of Rio de Janeiro for permanent residence. There Jose opened a barbershop. It's worth saying thatlittle Carmen from early childhood began to show artistic abilities. Parents learned early that the girl dreams of becoming a singer or actress. Neither mom nor dad Carmen shared her desire for world fame, so the baby stopped demonstrating her talents.

Later, Carmen again declared her desire to become a star. In this, her mother supported her, for which she was later beaten by the head of the family. A father laid a hand on his wife just because she let her daughter pass the audition for a radio show.

Youth and studies of Carmen

Miranda studied at the school at the monastery of Saint Therese of Lisieux. It is noteworthy that Carmen is not the real name of the girl. Her parents named her Mary. She received such a nickname from her father, thanks to her love for the opera Carmen. At the age of 12, the girl was already performing at parties in Chicago, performing her songs. Two years later, Carmen had to get a job as a saleswoman, because the girl's sister had tuberculosis. There was not enough money for her treatment. Working in a hat-making shop, she managed to open her own trading shop, which, by the way, turned out to be quite profitable. Miranda's clients said that the girl was constantly singing.

First steps to success

One fine day, a nice man came into Carmen's shop and accidentally heard her singing. It turned out that the visitor was the producer of Rádio Mayrink Veiga. He immediately invites the girl to perform in one of his shows. So a two-year contract was signed. In 1933, Carmen was invited to star infilm called "Voice of Carnival". By the end of the decade, the girl becomes a real star.

Peak career

In 1939, Carmen Miranda participates in an American musical revue. She performs compositions on Broadway. In addition, after the next performance, the girl is introduced to US President Roosevelt. Despite the fact that the meeting was held in a politicized way, this did not at all embarrass the young talented actress. Soon Carmen Miranda was in Hollywood. Here in North America, she becomes a real star. The audience appreciated her immense talent and sparkling energy. In all the films she was offered the same role. The seductive beauty, dancing in the Brazilian style, always wore revealing outfits, high platform shoes and an original hat resembling a fruit basket. Thanks to the latter, Carmen was even given a nickname - Lady with a tutti-frutti hat.

The years of popularity of the actress fell on the period of the Second World War. At this time, she became the most popular and highly paid actress. Carmen Miranda played in 14 films. The actress did not refuse to participate in the show on TV. One of the most popular and sensational films in which Carmen starred was the comedy musical The Whole Gang Assembled (1943). The fans remembered the song performed by Carmen Miranda - “Tiko-Tiko”. It is worth saying that this composition is still very popular even among the younger generation.

Career decline

Miranda's fame didn't last very long. After graduationDuring the Second World War, her career began to decline. The last film in which the actress played is called Scared to Death. After leaving the television screens, Carmen Miranda, whose biography is described in detail in our article, was still trying to stay afloat, but her former popularity still haunted her.

Last years of life. "Walk of Fame"

In the last years of her life, the actress fell into a serious depression. Miranda suffered a heart attack while on The Jimmy Durante Show. The actress died the same day at her Beverly Hills mansion. It turned out that this was not Carmen's first heart attack. And it happened because of the abuse of alcohol and drugs. The actress died very early - at the age of 46.

The body, at Miranda's request, was transported to Brazil. More than 60 thousand people attended her funeral, about half a million more followed her coffin. It is also important that the Walk of Fame is decorated with Miranda's star. Several museums have been opened in Portugal in memory of the great actress.