A mini-bio by Rogério Menezes

Girl from Copacabana, girl from Rio

A girl from Copacabana (Posto 4, to be precise), where she was born on May 8th, 1941. A girl from Rio, who earned the epiteth and caused an impact yesterday, today and always. Daughter of a housewife and an army officer, she wasn't intimidated by her father's high patent, and was a naughty girl. Or rather: very naughty. She wasn't afraid of facing anyone, and Mom and Dad found themselves with a real spitfire at home. With a precocious desire of being an artist, she decided - at four - to leave the cozy-but-boring home for a traveling circus she saw passing by.

Mom & Dad, of course, did not allow it. But Elisabeth Maria Silva de Faria didn't desist. In the following year, she decided to be not a circus artist, but a ballerina: And began to study classic ballet, with such obsession and discipline that not even the military father's voyages through Brazil could make her change her mind. An when she came back to the sands of Copacabana, she quickly put on the ballet shoes again and off she went.

Between Marlon Brando and Oscarito

Dancing held such a fascination for her that school, first at the Colégio Pedro II (her primary school) and at the Colégio Mello e Souza (her secondary school) was not the best moment in the already hectic days of Maria Elizabeth Silva de Faria. After ballet, cinema became another object of desire for that girl from Rio. It was the high point of rock'n'roll, which, riding the hot motorcycles of the so-called rebels without a cause, set ablaze the movie theaters all around the world. Rio Included. It must be said, it set ablaze the blossoming libido of this girl from Copacabana. The culprits: Marlon Brando and James Dean, who testified that sex was, and is, the most sublime sin.

Oh, yes: Elizabeth Maria also watched all the movies from the Atlântida studios. She didn't miss any of them. Maybe Oscarito and Ankito did not have the Brando's and Dean's sex-appeal, but they helped her to perceive (and never forget): performing can be an indescribable pleasure (both for the performer and for the audience). Full proof of this lesson, showing the histrionic influence of these masters, can be found in her remarkable performances in A Estrela Sobe (by Bruno Barreto), Romance de Empregada (ditto), Bye Bye Brasil (by Cacá Diegues) and Anjos de Arrabalde (by Carlos Reichembach).

Against the will of Mom and Dad, a star is born

Back to the past: Mom & Dad still took exception to the artistic leanings of their darling daughter. Meanwhile, however, Maria Elizabeth dived deeper and deeper in the world of dance. With the incentive of masters such as Mme. Marie Makarowa, Pierre Klimov, Sandra Dieckens, Eugenia Feodorowa, Nina Verchinina and Jo Jo Smith. And to top the cake, we met the master of all masters, the man who made her see that living and dancing are two sides of the same coin: Lennie Dale, no less. That American-Brazilian who, years later, would create the dance group Dzi Croquettes and who, presumably, never believed in a God who couldn't dance. For many years they were always together, friends forever.

Just out of her teens, she began to take tests as a dancer in the TV Excelsior shows. Her first presentation was before the experienced Juan Carlos Berardi (one of the most remarkable choreographers of the first musicals in Brazilian TV), she wore a well-behaved tutu, the typical classic ballet skirt. The unforgiving Berardi laughed out loud. Hurt by his derision, she exchanged the venerable tutu for a low-cleavage showgirl leotard. She came back as a real showgirl. Good for her. A star was born. Betty Faria was born.

God writes straight with crooked lines

A showgirl, but a teenage showgirl; her military father was still on her heels. But she didn't give up. When 19, in 1960, among fifty other dancers, she was chosen by the American choreographer Sonia Shaw to take part in the musical Skindô. That made the father surrender (praise the Lord!). Being under 21, Betty Faria required (and received) parental authorization to act in the show, which premiered in the Golden Room of the Copacabana Palace, and afterwards traveled by São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Montevideo. She was so popular that, in the following show, Tio Samba, in 1961, she had a few solo numbers.

That God-who-knew-how-to-dance-believed-by-Lennie-Dale also seemed to write straight with crooked lines. When the flashy dancer suffered a serious knee lesion, she had to leave the show Tio Samba in mid-season, opening a new track in Betty Faria's life: during her recovery, she took different courses in dramatic arts. And as we know, that would be very useful later on

The good companions of the rising star

But, while the actress was not born, the dancer survived the accident, suffered during an presentation. Thanks to Carlos Machado, perhaps the most important musical director Brazil ever had. He saw her in a TV show rehearsal, and, as a great talent hunter, invited her to star, in big style, the show Chica da Silva 63. Together with Grande Otelo, no less - the same Grande Otelo who she saw, enchanted, in the popular comedies exhibited at the Copacabana theaters.

After Carlos Machado, everybody wanted to make Betty Faria dance. Miéle & Bôscoli, one the most productive musical director partnerships in the country, and very smart fellows, didn't lose any time: they invited her to sing and sway her body in many shows. One of these was a historical mark in the Brazilian television: the meeting of a famous singer, Dick Farney, and a famous dancer in Dick & Betty 17, the inauguration show of TV Globo, in 1965. As you can see, dear reader, the lady was always in excellent company.

Cinema, theater and love - oh, love

It was then that her cinema career began. The dramatic lessons took by Betty Faria during the knee lesion in the showTio Samba were not in vain. Flávio Tambellini, senior, invited her to perform in O Beijo, based in Nelson Rodrigues' play. Soon after, her friend, Hugo Carvana, indicated her to act in Amor e Desamor, directed by Gerson Tavares. Envious, theater imitated cinema: the director Antonio Cabo called her to star As Inocentes do Leblon. A star was born.

The dancer was still there, but the actress asked permission to enter - and enter she did. Then Betty Faria perceived she had a lot to learn, and got to work. She looked for dramatic arts courses and entered the Grupo de Teatro Jovem, directed by Kleber Santos, where she starred João, Amor e Maria, by Hermínio Bello de Carvalho. She wanted more. She studied theater with Eugênio Kusnet, one of the most important masters of Brazilian theater of all time. There she met the director José Celso Martinez Correa, who invited her to act in Os Pequenos Burgueses, by Maximo Gorki. A romantic moment: in this play she worked with Cláudio Marzo, whom she would marry soon after.

Hard times, harsh censorship, a finished marriage

Cláudio Marzo and Betty Faria became business partners as well as husband and wife. They and Antonio Pedro founded the Teatro Carioca de Arte, which staged O Bravo Soldado Schweik, by Jaroslaw Hazek, and A Falsa Criada, by Pierre Marivaux. The company intended to stage quality plays, criticizing the political situation of the country - the height of the military dictatorship that seized power on April 1st, 1964. The proposal wasn't, let us say, exactly welcome in times of a Draconian censorship and an absolute scarcity of democratic freedom.

The company, in debt, and almost without work, closed its doors. Cláudio Marzo, the only one who already acted in Globo soap-operas, was forced to pay most of the costs. Betty Faria then acted in two not-exactly-spectacular movies: A Lei do Cão and Sete Faces de um Cafajeste. Both by Jece Valadão. Both not really masterpieces. But after all, the actress had to eat. Soon afterwards, pregnant of Alexandra, who was born on September 26th, 1968, she dubbed American movies exhibited on TV.

With the birth of Alexandra and the end of the company, the expenses rose exponentially. Then Betty Faria went to TV Rio, looking for a job. With Leila Diniz, her dear friend, as fairy godmother, she got a secondary role in a soap-opera directed by Daniel Filho (whom she would later marry): Os Acorrentados. The soap-opera was a failure, TV Rio went bankrupt and threatened to pay its employees with domestic appliances instead of money. As disasters never come alone, during this period her marriage with Cláudio Marzo began to sink. But God is great.

The rebel rose became the street whore

Betty Faria didn't let her spirit sink: she went to TV Globo, and, at least, changed the course of (her) history. She implemented the television career which would take her to the heights of glory and which would make her one of the most important TV, cinema and theater actresses in Brazil. In this network, she performed continuously in A Última Valsa, A Rosa Rebelde, Véu de Noiva, A Próxima Atração, O Bofe, O Homem Que Deve Morrer, Cavalo de Aço... - whew!

In 1970, Betty Faria, in the space between two tearful/moving soap-operas, recovered the most irreverent side of that girl from Copacabana and that girl from Rio: she starred two super-marginal, super-iconoclastic movies, with a somewhat shabby production: Monstros de Babalu, by Eliseu Visconti, and Piranhas no Asfalto, by Neville de Almeida. As it was obvious, clear and evident, a sign of times, both were forbidden by the Federal Censorship Department, and liberated many years later.

Calabar, Roque Santeiro and the birth of João

The censorship department, by the way, apparently didn't like Betty Faria very much (a point for the actress!), as we'll see in the following examples. Episode 1, 1974: under the direction of Fernando Peixoto, she reseharsed the role of Ana of Amsterdam, in the musical Calabar, by Chico Buarque. After two years of preparation, in the premiere eve in Rio de Janeiro, the play was absolutely forbidden. The charge: 'subversion'. Episode 2, 1975: in a text by Dias Gomes, Roque Santeiro, she played the protagonist, the Widow Porcina, under the direction of Daniel Filho. With many chapters recorded, and dozens of ads broadcasted by TV Globo, the soap-opera was forbidden in the premiere day. (This soap-opera would be broadcast only eleven years later, with a different cast; Betty Faria refused to play the role again and was replaced by Regina Duarte)

The blue mood caused by the censoring of Calabar, however, wouldn't last long: besides the birth of her son João, on April 1st, 1975, Betty Faria receive in this period an invitation which would help to upgrade her acting career. After seeing her in the Calabar rehearsals, director Bruno Barreto, then a young man in his twenties, went to her with a script under his arm, and said: "I saw the Calabar dress rehearsal and you are the only one able to star my movie ". Bullseye: A Estrela Sobe not only would be one of the best Brazilian movies in the 20th century, but also gave Betty Faria one of her most unforgettable performances in the silver screen. A talent recognized: the role earned the Air France Award for Best Actress of the Year.

All the great hits of the arisen star

The cinema gave Betty Faria the opportunity for excellent performances. Besides A Estrela Sobe, the actress shone in Bye Bye Brasil (by Cacá Diegues, 1979), Anjos de Arrabalde (by Carlos Reichembach, 1986, Kikito Award for Best Actress in the Gramado Cinema Festival) and Romance da Empregada (by Bruno Barreto, 1988, Air France Cinema Award, as Best Actress).

In soap-operas, Betty Faria also had great performances, such as in Pecado Capital (1976), Duas Vidas (1977), Tieta (by Aguinaldo Silva, 1990), De Corpo e Alma (1992), A Indomada (by Aguinaldo Silva, 1997), Salvador da Pátria (by Lauro César Muniz, 1998 ) and Suave Veneno (by Aguinaldo Silva, 1999), whew again!, all produced by Rede Globo. In the TV Bandeirantes, the actress worked in A Idade da Loba (by Alcione Araújo, 1995).

In 2005, back to Rede Globo, she gives life to the sassy rogue Pimenta, in América, by Glória Peres.

.. after all, a businesswoman

In 1985, after refusing the role of Widow Porcina in the Roque Santeiro remake, Betty Faria worked as the producer of Jubiabá, by Nelson Pereira dos Santos. She also acted in it with her daugther, Alexandra Marzo, in her first role in the movies. Recently, she produced and starred the feature-film Bens Confiscados, by Carlos Reichembach, playing in the cinemas later this year.

Buddha comes to stay

As if to integrate her many different sides (the TV, cinema and theater star; the producer; the libertarian, the protagonist of two official marriages and many non-official dalliances; the mother, the grandmother of Giulia, daughter of Alexandra Marzo, and the twins Valentina and João Paulo, sons of João), Buddhism appeared in Betty Faria's life at the right time. Always mystically inclined, the actress flirted with Candomblé, Umbanda and other religions for a long time. In 1986, in a trip to Los Angeles, she met Buddhism via a friend of actor Dennis Hopper, her boyfriend at the period.

But it was only in 1992 that Buddhism became important to Betty Faria, making her receive the Gohonzon (Buddhist oratory), kept with special care and devotion in the big room of her penthouse, in Leblon, Rio de Janeiro. Presently she is a member of BSGI (Brazilian Soka Gakai International), a Buddhist organization that works for peace, culture and education all over the world.

About Buddhism, Betty Faria says: "Everything is a part of ourselves: luck, whealth, happiness are the effects of your actions in the past, in the present, and in previous incarnations. So, we differ utterly from the religions that attribute powers and responsabilities to Orishas and Gods, and our practise imply a inner revolution, a honest exam of your actions, and responsability for your acts, words and thoughts. Deep and difficult, the practise demands discipline, study and attention to the effects caused by thoughts, words and actions."

That's all, dear reader. The story so far

*Rogério Menezes is a journalist and writer. Author of the chronicle book A Solidão Vai Acabar Com Ela (Versal, 2003) and the novels Meu Nome é Gal (Codecri, 1984) and Três Elefantes na Ópera (Record, 2001), at the present he is writing the biography-testimonial of Betty Faria for the Perfil/Aplauso collection of the São Paulo Official Press. .