Zezé Macedo (6 May 1916 – 8 October 1999) was a Brazilian comedienne and actress in radio, cinema and television, being the female record holder in Brazil for film appearances, having made over 100 films. She also published four books of poetry.[1]

Zezé Macedo
Macedo in 1957
Born
Maria José de Macedo

6 May 1916
Died8 October 1999 (Aged 83)
Occupation(s)Television and film actress
Known forComedy roles
Spouse(s)1. Alcides Manhães, 2. Vasco Lino Magalhães, 3. Victor Zambito

Early life

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Maria José de Macedo was born in Silva Jardim in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro on 6 May 1916. Her stepfather, Columbano Santos, was a notary and the local mayor as well as being a great supporter of the theatre. Her theatrical debut was at the age of four. As she could not read, she memorized the lines by listening to them read by her stepfather. At the age of fifteen, she married a mechanic and electrician, Alcides Manhães, giving up being an actress and moving to Niterói. They had a son who died at just one year of age when he fell from his paternal grandmother's lap and fractured his skull. Upon learning of her son's death, she gave a huge cry and was then silent for a long time, suffering shock. When she spoke again her voice had changed: it was completely hoarse and would remain that way for the rest of her life. The couple broke up shortly after their son's death and Macedo started working as a clerk at her stepfather's office.[1][2][3]

Radio and television

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Through her stepfather's connections, she began to read her poems on the Grande Jornal Fluminense, a show broadcast on Sundays by Rádio Tamoio. In 1944, she wrote and read stories of Brazil's participation in World War II. She became the secretary of the scriptwriter Dias Gomes and the actor Rodolfo Mayer for three years and, at the same time, gradually began to appear on radio shows, in plays and reading poems. In 1954, she published her first book of poetry, Coração Profano (Profane Heart), which was a great success. She would go on to publish three more books of poetry. Replacing another actress in a recording when the actress did not turn up, she came to the attention of the screenwriter and actor, Paulo Porto, who gave her the opportunity to start appearing on television. Her first performance was in the comedy programme Mesa Quadrada (1953), a satire of the football programmes on television. Macedo was thin and short with big eyes and a mocking expression, and this led to her nearly always being subsequently chosen for comedy roles, frequently as a maid, despite her wish to play more dramatic roles in television soap operas.[1][3][4]

 
Macedo in 1957

Cinema

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Through her poetry and appearances on radio and television she came to the attention of the screenwriter and director, Watson Macedo, and appeared in the films Warning to the Sailors (1950) and The Oil is Ours (O Petróleo É Nosso– 1954). From then on, Zezé Macedo became a strong presence in the cinema, acting for several production companies and still mainly playing humorous roles. Among the films she participated in were De Vento em Popa (1957), directed by Carlos Manga, in which she plays an opera singer, escaping from the role of a maid for a change; O Homem do Sputnik (1959), considered by moviegoers as one of the best chanchadas, a type of film that satirised Hollywood movies, and Esse Milhão É Meu (1959). In these three films, she played alongside the comedy actor Oscarito, who insisted that she perform with him. She also worked with the actor Grande Otelo. However, although she performed in many chanchadas, she never had a starring role.[1][3][4]

With the decline of the chanchada in the early 1960s, Macedo began to dedicate herself more to theatre and television, while continuing to make films. From 1965, she was hired by TV Globo, for which she would act until the end of her life. In the 1970s, her film career was boosted with the emergence of pornochanchadas, which were a type of sex comedy that stopped short of being pornographic. Meanwhile, on television, she began a partnership with Chico Anysio, which resulted in her two most famous characters: Biscoito, the ugly but rich wife of a drunk; and Dona Bela, a student.[1][3][4]

Later years

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Towards the end of her life Macedo began to reduce her workload, devoting herself more and more to television. In 1983, she starred as the protagonist in a satire for children on Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Three years later, she won a special award from the jury at the Festival de Gramado for her performance in Ivan Cardoso's As Sete Vampiras (The Seven Vampires). Her last feature film was Ivan Cardoso's The Scarlet Scorpion in 1990.[1]

Private life

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Macedo was married to the actor, Vasco Lino Magalhães, for a decade from 1950. In 1961, she married the actor and singer Victor Zambito, ten years her junior. The two remained together for 38 years, until Macedo's death.[1]

Death

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On 26 August 1999, Macedo suffered a stroke and was admitted to a clinic in Rio de Janeiro. She died on 9 October 1999. In 2012 her life was portrayed in the play A Revenge of the Mirror: the Story of Zezé Macedo, written by Flávio Marinho and starring Betty Gofman.[2]

Awards

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Festival de Gramado
  • 1996: Prêmio Especial do Júri, Kikito de Ouro, for her work in As Sete Vampiras

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role
1999 Parceiros & Palermas Prostitute
1990 O Escorpião Escarlate Housekeeper
1988 Fogo e Paixão Socialite[5]
Natal da Portela Maria Elisa
O Casamento dos Trapalhões D. Marieta
O Diabo na Cama Prostitute
1986 As Sete Vampiras Rina
1985 O Rei do Rio
1984 Os Bons Tempos Voltaram: Vamos… Grandma
1983 Etéia Etéia
1980 Ele, Ela, Quem? Madame Grignac[6]
1979 A Virgem Camuflada Spinster
1978 O Erótico Virgem Eulália
1977 Secas e Molhadas
As Eróticas Profissionais Tosca
1976 Sete Mulheres Para Um Homem Só Dudu[7]
Gordos e Magros Virgin Mary
Pedro Bó, o Caçador de Cangaceiros Maria Feiosa
1975 Com as Calças na Mão Dying
O Monstro de Santa Teresa Spinster
O Padre Que Queria Pecar
As Loucuras de um Sedutor Margarida[8]
1974 Robin Hood, o Trapalhão da Floresta Organist
Onanias o Poderoso Machão Cibele
Oh Que Delícia de Patrão Crazy
As Mulheres Que Fazem Diferente Widow
1973 Tati Dona Aurora
Os Mansos Old
Como É Boa Nossa Empregada Maid
Mais ou Menos Virgem Adélia[9]
1972 Salve-se Quem Puder - Rally da Juventude Client
1970 Os Monstros de Babaloo Family woman
1969 Macunaíma Mother
1966 As Cariocas Jealous woman
1965 Lana, Queen of the Amazons
1964 O Santo Módico
1962 Três Colegas de Batina Caixa Econômica's employee
1960 Minervina Vem Aí Melita
Cala a Boca, Etelvina Pancrácia
Virou Bagunça Biluca
1959 Dona Xepa Camila
Esse Milhão é Meu Augusta
O Homem do Sputnik Cleci
1958 O Camelô da Rua Larga Possidônia
Aguenta o Rojão
E o Espetáculo Continua Prudência
É de Chuá! Biluca
A Grande Vedete Fifina
1957 De Vento em Popa Madame Frou-Frou
Treze Cadeiras
Rio Fantasia Pension maid
Rico Ri à Toa Maid
Maluco por Mulher
Garotas e Samba Inocência
Tem Boi na Linha
1956 Quem Sabe, Sabe!
Tira a Mão Daí!
1955 Trabalhou Bem, Genival
Carnaval em Marte Justina
Sinfonia Carioca Faustina
O Feijão É Nosso
1954 O Petróleo é Nosso Young girl with the phone
1950 Aviso aos navegantes Young girl[10]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1999 Zorra Total Dona Bela (Segment: Escolinha do Professor Raimundo)
1996 Chico Total Biscoito
1992 Os Trapalhões Olive Oyl (segment: Agência Trapa Tudo) Special participation
1991 Estados Anysios de Chico City Various characters
1990-1993 Escolinha do Professor Raimundo Dona Bela
1986 Cambalacho Room maid Special participation[11]
1983-1990 Chico Anysio Show Biscoito / Dona Bela / Various characters
1977-1982 Sítio do Pica Pau Amarelo Dona Carochinha
1973-1976 Chico City Various characters
1973 João da Silva
1972 O Primeiro Amor Astúria
1968-1970 Balança Mas Não Cai Various characters
1965 Padre Tião Jacqueline
A Moreninha Zezé
Bairro Feliz Various characters 1965-1966[12]
1953 Mesa Quadrada

Bibliography

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  • Oração Profana (1954)
  • Uma Estrela Caiu (1981)
  • Meu Breviário (1981)
  • A Menina do Gato (1997)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Zezé Macedo, a atriz que transformou a tristeza em riso". Memórias Cinematográficas. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Morre Zezé Macedo aos 83 anos no Rio". Folha de S. Paulo. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Como 'a mulher mais feia do Brasil' se tornou a inesquecível Dona Bela..." UOL. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Zezé Macedo". Brasil Escola. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Fogo e Paixão". Cinemateca Brasileira. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  6. ^ "Ele, Ela, Quem?". Cinemateca Brasileira. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  7. ^ "Sete Mulheres Para Um Homem Só". Cinemateca Brasileira. Archived from the original on 2016-09-24. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  8. ^ "As Loucuras de um Sedutor". Cinemateca Brasileira. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  9. ^ "Mais ou Menos Virgem". Cinemateca Brasileira. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  10. ^ Cinemateca Brasileira, Aviso aos navegantes [em linha]
  11. ^ "Cambalacho". teledramaturgia.com.br. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  12. ^ "Bairro Feliz". Memória Globo. Retrieved 2018-04-09.