Carmen Miranda

Carmen Miranda

Genres: samba, brazil, female vocalists, latin, brazilian

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About Carmen Miranda

Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (February 9 1909, Marco de Canaveses, Portugal — August 5, 1955, Beverly Hills, California), widely known as Carmen Miranda, was a Portuguese-Brazilian singer, dancer, Hollywood actress and performer of international fame. Her artistic career took place in Brazil and the United States between the 1930s and 1950s. She was considered by Rolling Stone magazine as the 15th greatest voice in Brazilian music, and is an international icon and symbol of Brazil abroad. Miranda began her singing career in Brazil in 1929 where she was a major star before moving to the United States. In 1939, she performed on Broadway on which led to a Hollywood film career in 1940, with her first film Down Argentine Way. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell", Miranda is noted for her signature fruit hat outfit she wore in her American films, particularly in 1943's The Gang's All Here. By 1945, she was the highest paid woman in the United States. Miranda made a total of fourteen Hollywood films between 1940 and 1953. Though hailed as a talented performer, her popularity waned by the end of World War II. She later grew to resent the stereotypical "Brazilian Bombshell" image she cultivated and attempted to break free of it with limited success. Undaunted, Miranda focused increasingly on her nightclub appearances, also becoming a fixture on television variety shows—indeed, for all the stereotyping she faced throughout her career, her performances made huge strides in popularizing Brazilian music, while at the same time paving the way for the increasing awareness of all Latin culture. Carmen Miranda was the first Latin American star to be invited to imprint her hands and feet in the courtyard of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 1941. She is considered the precursor of Brazil's Tropicalismo, cultural movement of the 1960s. On 4 August 1955, Miranda unknowingly suffered a mild heart attack while performing during the taping of an episode of The Jimmy Durante Show. She finished the show but died the following morning after suffering a second heart attack. A museum was later constructed in Rio de Janeiro in her honor, and in 1995 she was the subject of the acclaimed documentary Carmen Miranda: Bananas is My Business.

Taken from Last.fm

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