All these words and much more would serve to describe Betty. For reasons unknown (but suspected) by me, I was called to write about her. And the first thing that came to my head were these loose, free words, free as the life of this actress. Her life didn't happen by chance; she desired, fought, studied, strived. If she wasn't the daughter of a military man, always traveling through Brazil when she was a little girl, perhaps she would have had a earlier beginning in the profession. When still a minor, she was already on TV, as an assistant and dancer. And when she became emancipated, she danced in one of the most beautiful shows staged in the Copacabana Palace. When Copacabana was still worthwhile. I met her in Ipanema beach. At the Castelinho. Wearing a bikini, with a haughty look, saying that she would be an actress. It didn't take long and there she was, seducing Jorge Doria, in the first version of "Beijo no Asfalto". And already, in a Carlos Machado (the "Rei da Noite", "King of the Night") show, she was "Chica da Silva", the title character. She sang, danced, and together with Lennie Dale, began to make everybody "sway" in the "Bossa Nova" rhythm. Restless, wherever you looked at in Rio, there she was.

An artist's life only begins to count when the great public knows him or her. And this only happened when television crossed the country. Everybody began to recognize her. But she had already walked many paths, learned many things. Vaudeville and the theater Oficina, singing, dancing and making humor on TV, comedies in the cinema, she was one of the "Sete Faces de um Cafajeste" (Seven Faces of a Scoundrel) called Jece Valadão. She walked together with other "girls" who drove the boys crazy. She, Leila Diniz and Marieta Severo. Well, it was Leila, who remembered her name for a soap-opera that I was beginning to write. Betty had just given birth to her first child, Alexandra Marzo, with Cláudio Marzo. "Acorrentados" would be her first soap-opera, a genre that was starting to dominate the audience, and soon she was one of the stars. Then came the invitation to be the protagonist in a movie with the obvious title "A Estrela Sobe" (A Star Rises). She was already rising, and when she got to the top, she pierced the ceiling. I directed Betty on TV, many times, and as I always say, the success of the first version of "Pecado Capital" had much to do with her. It's a pity that nobody saw her "Widow Porcina", forbidden with 36 recorded chapters; we're sure of success when the censoring came. Some actors have this gift - even though they "live up the characters", their persona is very present. That's her case. The hot, swingy voice. The frank gaze. A firm body. Strong women. From "Bye, Bye Brasil" to "Romance da Empregada" this woman was there. And, believe me, there was also Betty Faria. Even as the suffering teacher of "Anjos do Arrabalde", she gives dignity to the loser. But for me, the most admirable trait is the Brazilian character. Few actors and less actresses are so Brazilian in the screen. It's her trademark. Being like this makes her even more loved by our public. Being that way is what made Jorge Amado, while he was writing "Tieta do Agreste" in London, say to her: -"This book I'm writing now is for you". And Zélia agreed: -"Yes, Betty is just like Tieta". I'm a witness. And the fighter Betty, after buying the rights (for a father-to-daughter price) and took it for television. "Tieta" in TV is practically a co-production of hers. Brazil is on Betty's body and blood. The fourth generation of authentic Brazilians. Pernambucanos, Goianos, Indians, Caboclos, Portuguese. This melting pot of races is there. In each pore, in each movement of her body. A body and eyes who warmed the imagination of the audience, from Iapoque to Chuí. Her name, she doesn't like others to know, but in her birth certificate it is written: "Maria Elizabeth da Silva Faria", look at the mix of Elizabeth with Maria and Silva, and tell me if that's not the true Brazil. The years didn't wear down the "girl" I knew back in Ipanema. Many years and awards later, here I am, writing about her, for this well-deserved homage. She loves movies, and just produced and starred in a new one. "Bens Confiscados" from Carlos Reichenbach.

And now, I stand up and join everybody in applause, and I say: Bravo for believing that there are no barriers, when you love and believe in a mission! Bravo for representing so well the Brazilian woman! Bravo Betty Faria, actress, mother, grandmother, Brazilian, dreamer, fighter, winner!