Glória Pires

2.1. Early life and family

Glória Pires was born on August 23, 1963, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is the daughter of Elza Pires, a producer, and Antônio Carlos Pires, an actor. She has one sister, Linda Pires, who works as a therapist. Pires' ancestry includes both Native Brazilian and Portuguese heritage.

2.2. Early career

Glória Pires began her acting career at a very young age, making her debut at the age of five in the telenovela A Pequena Órfã, which was broadcast on the now-defunct TV Excelsior. Initially, she was only part of the show's opening sequence. However, director Dionísio Azevedo later cast her in a minor character role. On her first day of shooting, she experienced a nasal hemorrhage and had to be removed from the production. Subsequently, when the lead actress, Patrícia Ayres, withdrew due to contractual issues, Pires was given the opportunity to dub Ayres' voice.

In 1971, Pires auditioned for the role of Zizi in the TV Globo telenovela O Primeiro Amor but was not cast. The following year, 1972, marked her debut on TV Globo in the Caso Especial episode titled "Sombra de Suspeita." In the same year, she made her telenovela debut on the network with a minor role in Janete Clair's Selva de Pedra. In 1973, she secured a small role in Clair's O Semideus. During this period, she also performed alongside her father and Chico Anysio on the comedy program Chico City, broadcast on Rede Globo, and went on to appear in several other comedy shows. In 1976, Pires starred in Clair's Duas Vidas, where she gained valuable experience working with veteran actor Luiz Gustavo, who played her father in the series. By 1977, feeling dissatisfied with the roles being offered to her, she decided to take a temporary break from acting.

3.1. 1970s

In 1978, Glória Pires learned from her father that director Daniel Filho was seeking an actress to portray Sônia Braga's teenage daughter in his upcoming telenovela, Dancin' Days. After careful consideration, she decided to audition for the role. The telenovela became a major success, and Pires' performance earned her the Best Newcomer Award from the São Paulo Association of Art Critics (APCA). During the original broadcast of Dancin' Days, she faced censorship from the Juvenile Court, which prohibited her from giving interviews due to her controversial opinions regarding the school system. In June 1979, Pires landed the lead role of Zuca in Cabocla, starring opposite her then-husband, Fábio Jr.. However, she was unable to film the final scenes of the telenovela due to a severe stress crisis that required her hospitalization for two weeks.

3.2. 1980s

Following her hospitalization in 1980, Glória Pires decided to change her appearance, opting for a shorter, lighter hairstyle. Her subsequent telenovela roles included Água Viva and As Três Marias, an adaptation of Clarice Lispector's novel. She made an agreement with Globo to star in her first feature film after the conclusion of As Três Marias. In 1981, Pires starred in Fábio Barreto's Índia, a filha do Sol, portraying Putkoy, a Native Brazilian woman who falls in love with a white soldier played by Nuno Leal Maia. This film also marked Fábio Barreto's directorial debut in a feature film.

In 1982, Pires took a hiatus from acting due to her first pregnancy. She returned to telenovelas in 1983 with Louco Amor, where she played Cláudia, a newly graduated journalist. During the production of this telenovela, Nelson Pereira dos Santos invited her to portray Heloísa, the wife of Graciliano Ramos, in his film Memoirs of Prison. This marked her second collaboration with Fábio Barreto, who appeared in the film as Siqueira Campos. Pires attended the film's premiere alongside the real-life Heloísa. In 1984, she acted in the telenovela Partido Alto. The following year, to commemorate Globo's 20th anniversary, the mini-series O Tempo e o Vento, an adaptation of Érico Veríssimo's novel of the same name, was produced. Upon learning that Paulo José, the director of the mini-series, intended to cast her as the main lead, Ana Terra, Pires successfully convinced Globo's head director, Daniel Filho, that she could manage filming both the telenovela and the mini-series concurrently.

After O Tempo e o Vento, Glória Pires starred in her second film, Francisco Ramalho Júnior's Besame Mucho, alongside Antônio Fagundes and José Wilker. For two months, she relocated to São Paulo with her daughter Cléo Pires for the film's production. In 1987, she starred in the telenovela Direito de Amar and the film The Long Haul. In 1988, she postponed her honeymoon with her second husband, Orlando Morais, to take on the role of Maria de Fátima, the daughter and antagonist to Regina Duarte's character, in Vale Tudo.

3.3. 1990s and 2000s

In 1990, Glória Pires starred in Mico Preto, followed by O Dono do Mundo. In 1993, after the birth of her second daughter, Pires took on a challenging role in Mulheres de Areia, where she played twin sisters. Her performance earned her the Troféu Imprensa Award for Best Actress. In 1994, she starred in the mini-series Memorial de Maria Moura, an adaptation of Rachel de Queiroz's novel of the same name. This role brought Pires another award from the São Paulo Association of Art Critics and the mini-series was distributed in various international markets under the title Merciless Land. In 1995, she starred in O Quatrilho, marking her third collaboration with Fábio Barreto. Pires received several best actress awards for her work, and the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In 1996, Glória Pires starred in O Rei do Gado alongside Patrícia Pillar, who had also been her co-star in O Quatrilho. In 1997, she took on the main lead role in Anjo Mau, which became one of the highest-rated telenovelas ever in the 6 p.m. timeslot. The following year, Pires and her family moved to Los Angeles in search of greater privacy. After living in California for a year, Pires starred in Suave Veneno.

In 2000, Glória Pires gave birth to her third daughter. The following year, she starred in the film adaptation of A Partilha, a play by Miguel Falabella. Like the play, the film achieved both critical and commercial success. In 2002, Pires starred in Desejos de Mulher, which became one of the lowest-rated telenovelas in Globo's history. The subsequent year, she relocated with her family to Goiás, her husband's home state, dividing their time between a ranch and an apartment. In 2004, she gave birth to Bento, her fourth child and first son.

In 2005, Pires' father passed away due to complications from Parkinson's disease. That same year, she filmed Daniel Filho's If I Were You alongside Tony Ramos. The film became one of the highest-grossing Brazilian films since the Retomada, selling over 4 million tickets. After the disappointing performance of Desejos de Mulher, she returned to telenovelas with the 2005 hit Belíssima, starring alongside Fernanda Montenegro.

In 2007, she starred in the Daniel Filho-directed Primo Basílio, an adaptation of the José Maria de Eça de Queiroz novel Cousin Bazilio. The following year, she starred opposite Tony Ramos in Paraíso Tropical. In early 2008, once again seeking privacy, she moved to Paris with her family. In 2009, she released Se Eu Fosse Você 2, which became the highest-grossing Brazilian film of the decade. That same year, she starred in Lula, Son of Brazil, a biopic about President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, marking her fourth collaboration with Fábio Barreto and her first with her daughter, Cléo Pires. She also starred in É Proibido Fumar.

3.4. 2010s

Glória Pires announced the release of her biography before returning to Paris on March 8, 2010. The book, titled 40 Anos de Glória, was written by Eduardo Nassife and Fábio Fabrício Fabretti, commemorating 40 years of her career.

In 2013, she starred in the film Reaching for the Moon alongside Miranda Otto, directed by Bruno Barreto. In the same year, she was honored by Forbes Brazil as one of the country's most influential individuals, ranking 28th out of the 30 shortlisted personalities.

4.1. Film

4.2. Television

6.1. Influence

Glória Pires is widely recognized as an influential figure in Brazil. In 2013, she was honored by Forbes Brazil as one of the country's most influential persons, ranking 28th among the 30 individuals selected for this distinction. Her long and successful career, marked by a diverse range of memorable roles in both television and film, has solidified her status as a respected and beloved actress, contributing significantly to the landscape of Brazilian entertainment and popular culture.