Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for her portrayal of Eunice Paiva, a mother and activist grappling with the forced disappearance of her husband, in Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here / Ainda Estou Aqui.
Torres is the second Brazilian actress ever nominated for a Golden Globe, following her mother Fernanda Montenegro’s 1999 nomination for Central Station, also directed by Salles. She won the award over Angelina Jolie (Maria), Kate Winslet (Lee), Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), and Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door).
Also starring Maeve Jinkings, Fernanda Torres, and Selton Mello, I’m Still Here recounts the true story of the Paiva family and their five children. In 1970s Rio de Janeiro, during the military dictatorship, former deputy Rubens Paiva was taken from his home by soldiers for interrogation and was never seen again. The search for answers spanned 30 years, but just as the truth began to surface, Eunice Paiva, his wife, started showing the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
Born on September 15, 1965, Torres is one of the leading Brazilian actresses of her generation having won the Best Actress Award at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival for her work in Arnaldo Jabor’s Love Me Forever or Never. She’s married to Brazilian director Andrucha Waddington, and has worked in numerous films including Foreign Land, the Oscar-nominated Four Days in September, and The Sand House.
