Brazilian soap opera icons Laura Cardoso and Glória Menezes died on Tuesday, August 18, passing away within hours of each other.
Cardoso, who was 98 years old, passed away early Tuesday morning. Menezes, aged 91, died later the same day in the early afternoon.
Their deaths leave Brazil in mourning over the loss of two of the country's most celebrated television drama figures. Both women were instrumental in creating and defining the profession of television actress in Brazil, with careers that spanned the entire history of the medium.
During the early decades of Brazilian television drama, popular soap operas drew such massive public engagement that stadium crowds gathered to watch final broadcast episodes together on large screens.
Contrasting Roles on Television
Although both performers shared a lifelong devotion to stage and screen, directors and playwrights cast them in very different types of characters throughout their careers. Menezes built her screen reputation playing mostly refined, elegant, and wealthy figures.
In contrast, directors almost always cast Cardoso to portray working-class and less affluent women. Despite these different paths, both became household names across South America's largest nation.
Final Years and Last Appearances
Menezes performed her final television acting role in the 2016 soap opera Totalmente Demais. Four years later, in 2020, she ended her exclusive contract with broadcast giant TV Globo after more than 50 years with the network.
TV Globo recently recognized her contributions by dedicating a star to Menezes on the Walk of Fame at Globo Studios, though she was unable to attend the honoring ceremony.
Cardoso completed her last scripted television work in the 2019 drama A Dona do Pedaço. Her final public appearance on television came in December 2025 during a New Year special broadcast by TV Globo.
During that broadcast, Cardoso asked assistants to help her rise from her wheelchair so she could stand alongside fellow performers, sing with the ensemble, and deliver a message appealing for a better world.
