Daughter of Portuguese actor
Manuel Pêra and actress of Italian descent Dinorah Marzullo, Pêra stepped onto a theater stage for the first time at the age of four, alongside her parents, who were part of the cast of
Henriette Morineau's company. From the age of 14 to 21, she worked as a dancer and participated in musicals and revues, including
Minha Querida Lady (1962), starring
Bibi Ferreira. According to Pêra, she passed because the directors were looking for someone who could do stunts, which was rare at that time. She also acted in other plays such as
O Teu Cabelo Não Nega (1963), a biography of
Lamartine Babo, in the role of
Carmen Miranda. She would return to play the role of the singer in the show
A Pequena Notável (1966), directed by
Ary Fontoura; at
A Tribute to Carmen Miranda at
Lincoln Center,
New York (1975), directed by
Nelson Motta; in the only performance
A Pêra da Carmem, at
Canecão, in 1986, and in the musical Marília Pêra canta Carmen Miranda (2005), directed by Maurício Sherman. In 1964, Pêra defeated
Elis Regina in an audition for the musical
Como Vencer na Vida sem
Fazer Força, both still unknown to the public at the time. Her first appearance on television was in
Rosinha do Sobrado, on
Rede Globo, in 1965 and then in
A Moreninha. In 1967 she made her first performance in a musical show, A Úlcera de Ouro, by Hélio Bloch. In the 1960s, she was arrested during the performance of
Chico Buarque's play
Roda Viva (1968) and forced to run naked through a Polish corridor (i.e.
run the gauntlet). She was arrested a second time, as she was considered a
communist, when police invaded her house, scaring everyone, including her seven-year-old son, who was sleeping. In 1969, she achieved great success in the role of the protagonist in the drama
Fala Baixo Senão Eu Grito, by
Leilah Assumpção, directed by Clóvis Bueno, the first play by the São Paulo playwright. For her interpretation of the complex character
Mariazinha, a virgin spinster who lives in a boarding house for nuns, Pêra received the
Molière Award and also the Award from the
São Paulo Association of Theater Critics (APCT), currently the
São Paulo Association of Art Critics (APCA). Her future husband Paulo Villaça played a thief who one night jumps out of her bedroom window with the intention of stealing. In the conversation between the two, which lasts all night, the spinster reveals her frustrations to the public and to herself. In 1975, she recorded the LP
Feiticeira, released by
Som Livre. Pêra was the actress who performed most alone on stage, managing to attract children to the difficult art of the
monologue. In addition to Carmen Miranda, she played on screen and on stage the roles of famous women, such as
Maria Callas,
Dalva de Oliveira,
Coco Chanel and the former first lady of Brazil
Sarah Kubitschek. Her debut as a director took place in 1978, in the play
A Menina e o Vento, by
Maria Clara Machado. In 1992, she presented the musical
Elas por Elas, for TV Globo. Alongside singer
Simone and
Cláudia Raia, they made public their support for then presidential candidate
Fernando Collor de Mello in the 1989 elections. In a statement made to the television program
Fantástico in 2006, due to the success of her character Milu, in the telenovela
Cobras & Lagartos, Pêra spoke about her career, revealing that she could not stand working with actors with bad breath and
foot odor. She commented that there are many actors who do not care about hygiene, without mentioning names (a hint towards his romantic partner in the telenovela, Herson Capri). Pêra stated that she never thought she was beautiful and that she was always clumsy. In 2008, she starred in the film
Polaroides Urbanas, by
Miguel Falabella, in which he played twin sisters. In 2009, she was cast by TV Globo to play
hippie Rejane Batista in the miniseries
Cinquentinha, by
Aguinaldo Silva. After several scenes were recorded, the actress gave up the role, causing discomfort among the network's management.
Betty Lago took over the role from Pêra. Some news that circulated at the time stated that the reason for not wanting to continue with the interpretation was that he did not feel comfortable with the role. In 2010, she was part of the cast of the series
A Vida Alheia, by Miguel Falabella, on Rede Globo, as
Catarina. In January 2013, the series
Pé na Cova premiered, in which Pêra played Darlene, a makeup artist at her ex-husband Ruço's (Miguel Falabella) funeral home, who lives in the suburbs. In April 2014, due to personal problems, the actress left the series, returning to recording on 11 June 2014. At the 2015 carnival, Pêra was honored by the
samba school Mocidade Alegre, in
São Paulo. In August of the same year, she was honored at the
Gramado Film Festival, where she received the
Oscarito Trophy. == Personal life ==