Biography

Carmen Silva (April 5, 1916 – April 21, 2008), who was often credited as Carmem Silva, was a Brazilian television, stage and film actress. She was best known in recent years for her role on the Brazilian telenovela, Mulheres Apaixonadas in which she played Flora de Souza Duarte, the wife of Leopoldo Duarte (Oswaldo Louzada). Mulheres Apaixonadas was created by Manoel Carlos. Silva was born Maria Amália Feijó in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil on April 5, 1916. Her acting career only began in earnest in 1939 when she took a job at Rádio Cultura in Pelotas. She worked at the station, as well as others, in various capacities, until she moved to São Paulo, where she joined Radio Tupi. She also worked on Rádio Record with Janete Clair. The two wrote programs aimed at a female audience.

Silva's career switched to the newly popular medium of television during the 1950s. She began acting in soap operas and telenovelas during the decade, including A Próxima Atração, Ossos do Barão, Sinal de Alerta, as well as the miniseries O Primo Basílio. She also founded her own theater company in Rio Grande do Sul during the 1960s.

Silva hit a career highlight when she joined the popular Brazilian telenovela Mulheres Apaixonadas in 2003. She played an elderly character, Flora de Souza Duarte, while Brazilian actor Oswaldo Louzada portrayed her husband, Leopoldo Duarte, on the soap opera. Their characters often suffered ill treatment at the hands of their granddaughter, Dóris, who was played by actress Regiane Alves.

Carmen Silva last acting role was the in 2007 film, Valsa para Bruno Stein (Waltz for Bruno Stein), which was shown at the 2007 Festival de Gramado film festival.

Carmen Silva died of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome at the Hospital Mãe de Deus in age of 92 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on April 21, 2008. She had been hospitalized since April 1, 2008, for treatment of her illness. Silva was buried at the Irmandade Arcanjo São Miguel e Almas cemetery in Porto Alegre.

Sadly, Oswaldo Louzada, who played her television husband on Mulheres Apaixonadas, also died from multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, the same disease that afflicted Silva on February 22, 2008.