Glória Menezes was not born Glória: remember how the actress chose her stage name

Actress Glória Menezes dies at age 91 Glória Menezes, one of the biggest names in Brazilian dramaturgy, was not born with the name that made her famous on television, theater and cinema. The actress, who died aged 91, revealed in interviews that her given name was the result of a tribute to her parents, but she ended up adopting a stage name that she considered more universal during the beginning of her career. Born in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, the actress was named Nilcedes Soares Magalhães. According to what he said, the name was created at home from the union of his parents' names: Nilo and Mercedes. Later, when deciding to pursue an artistic career, he opted for a change. "But then we decided to put Glória, because Glória is Glória in any language", explained the actress. Son of Tarcísio Meira and Glória Menezes spoke about his parents' love and how he told his mother about the actor's death; remember Career The choice of the new name marked the beginning of a trajectory that would be intertwined with the history of Brazilian television itself. Glória began her artistic career after entering the School of Dramatic Art and debuted in drama at the age of 25, first on stage, where she received an award for new actress. Her television career began on TV Tupi, in 1959. A few years later, she would be part of historic moments in national television drama. In 1963, alongside Tarcísio Meira, he starred in 2-5499 Ocupado, on TV Excelsior, considered the first daily soap opera shown in Brazil. Glória Menezes in ‘Steel Horse’ (1973) TV Globo Before that, cinema had already projected its face internationally. In 1962, Glória played Rosa in O Pagador de Promessas, directed by Anselmo Duarte. The film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and remains the only Brazilian film to win the event's main award. At TV Globo, where he arrived in 1967, he built one of the longest careers in Brazilian dramaturgy, participating in more than 40 soap operas. Over more than six decades of acting, she played girls, villains and striking characters that crossed generations, in productions such as Irmãos Coragem, Rainha da Sucata, Páginas da Vida, A Favorita and Totalmente Demais, her last work on television, shown in 2016. Glória Menezes in 'Vira-lata' (1996) Nelson di Rago/TV Globo When choosing the name Glória to sign her works, the actress left behind the name of baptism, but created an identity that would become one of the most recognized in the history of Brazilian television. Glória Menezes, the grande dame of soap operas, dies at age 91 Jornal Nacional/ Reproduction READ ALSO: More than 40 soap operas and film awarded at Cannes; remember Romantic pair with Tarcísio and other soap operas; PHOTOS from Memória Globo’s career: see an interview with the actress