Maria Della Costa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Gentile Maria Marchioro Della Costa 1 January 1926 |
| Died | 24 January 2015 (aged 89) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, Theater |
Maria Della Costa (born Gentile Maria Marchioro Polloni, 1 January 1926 – 24 January 2015) was a Brazilian theater, movie and TV actress and producer.[1][2]
She was born in Flores da Cunha, a small town of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, into a family of Italian immigrants from the region of Veneto. She was immortalized in paintings by Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, Flavio de Carvalho, Guanabarino and Djanira, and in a statue by Victor Brecheret. She started her career at 14 years of age, as a fashion model (she is considered the first professional model in Brazil).
She was married to Sandro Polloni, a theater producer, also of Italian origin. Together they founded Teatro Maria Della Costa in São Paulo in a building designed by Oscar Niemeyer and Lúcio Costa.[2]
After retiring from show business, she owned and managed a small hotel (Coxixo Hotel) in the historical and tourist town of Paraty, Rio de Janeiro. She died of a pulmonary edema on January 24, 2015.[1][2]
