In her teens, she took a job as a receptionist and typist at Buffet Torres, a wedding reception and event catering company in São Paulo. Her brother Hélio presented the
TV Tupi children's show
Jardim Encantado. At age 14, Braga was invited by director Vicente Sesso to play small roles in children's programs and
teleteatros on TV Tupi, including
Jardim Encantado. Braga then joined a theater group in
Santo André, in the
ABC region. At 17, she debuted in the play
George Dandin in Santo André. In 1968, she was cast in the first Brazilian production of the musical
Hair. She was turned down at first by director , but at the insistence of producer/actor , she joined
Antônio Fagundes,
Ney Latorraca, and the rest of the cast. Despite the dictatorship in Brazil having promulgated
Institutional Act No. 5, which imposed widespread censorship, the musical ran for three years. In 1977,
Caetano Veloso wrote the song
Tigresa in tribute to her: “She tells me she was an actress and worked on
Hair. With some men she was happy, with others she was a woman ..." In 1975, Braga starred in the telenovela
Gabriela, an adaptation of
Jorge Amado's novel
Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon. Directed by Walter Avancini, the
soap opera was a great national and international success, establishing her as a
sex symbol. Braga returned to embody another Jorge Amado character, starring in the 1976 film
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands directed by
Bruno Barreto, alongside
José Wilker and
Mauro Mendonça. The romantic comedy was a box office hit in Brazilian cinemas and also received major recognition internationally. In 1983, she starred in the film
Gabriela, alongside
Marcello Mastroianni. In 1976, Braga participated in the cast of
Saramandaia. The following year she starred in
Espelho Mágico as Cynthia Levy. One of the highlights of the soundtrack of the soap opera is the cover version that
Gal Costa recorded of
Tigresa, music that
Caetano Veloso composed in honor of Braga. In the late 1970s, Braga gave life to another renowned character in Brazilian television, Julia Matos in ''Dancin' Days'' (1978). In the storyline, Braga played an ex-convict who gets out of prison ready to win back the love of her daughter, played by
Gloria Pires. In 1979, Braga performed in children's theater in the play
No País dos Prequetés. The following year she returned to television in the telenovela
Chega Mais alongside
Tony Ramos. In the early 1980s, Braga, who had already made films like
Lady on the Bus (1978), decided to devote herself exclusively to the movies. In 1981, she starred in
Eu Te Amo directed by
Arnaldo Jabor, and won the best actress award at the
Gramado Film Festival. She starred in the movie
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) alongside
William Hurt and
Raul Julia. Her role led to a
Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress and its success led to her international work. In 1987, she was the first Brazilian to present a category at the
Oscars. She was announced by
Goldie Hawn as one of the most glamorous actresses in the world, before appearing with
Michael Douglas, who announced the result of the best short film. She received her second
Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress for her performance in the film
Moon over Parador (1988) alongside Raul Julia and
Richard Dreyfuss. That same year, she appeared in
Robert Redford's
The Milagro Beanfield War. In 1990, she appeared in
Clint Eastwood's action film
The Rookie. She also appeared in American television series, such as the strict teacher Mrs. Westlake in two episodes of
The Cosby Show and medical researcher Sophie Wagner in an episode of
Tales from the Crypt. ,
Robert Redford and Braga promoting
The Milagro Beanfield War at the
Cannes Film Festival in 1988 Braga decided to leave Brazil for a career in the United States, where she lived for 14 years. In 2003, she obtained
American citizenship. Braga competed for many prestigious awards in the United States. For her performance in
The Burning Season (1994), she was nominated for the third time for the
Golden Globe for best supporting actress. In 1995, she was nominated for an
Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for
The Burning Season, but lost to
Shirley Knight. The film details the life of Brazilian activist
Chico Mendes. In 1996, she won the Lone Star Film & Television Award for best supporting actress for her work in
Streets of Laredo directed by
Joseph Sargent. That same year, director
Nicolas Roeg offered her the lead role in the film
Two Deaths alongside
Patrick Malahide. Braga also had the lead in
Tieta of Agreste (1996), directed by
Carlos Diegues. In 1999, after nearly 20 years away from Brazilian television, the actress made a cameo in the first 15 chapters of the soap opera
Força de um Desejo (1999), by Gilberto Braga and Alcides Nogueira, in the role of Helena Silveira, mother of characters
Fábio Assunção and
Selton Mello. In 2001, she joined the cast of
Memórias Póstumas directed by
André Klotzel, based on
The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas by
Machado de Assis. For her performance in this film, she won the Kikito award for best supporting actress at the
Gramado Film Festival. In 2001, Braga appeared in
Angel Eyes, a romantic drama film directed by
Luis Mandoki and starring
Jennifer Lopez. That same year, she had a recurring role as
Maria Diega Reyes in the television series
Sex and the City. In 2002, she appeared in
American Family, a
PBS series created by
Gregory Nava that follows the lives of a
Latino family in
Los Angeles, and in the crime film
Empire. In 2005, she had a recurring role in the series
Alias. She also guest-starred in episodes of series including
George Lopez,
Law & Order,
CSI: Miami,
Ghost Whisperer, and
Brothers and Sisters among others. In 2006, she returned to work in Globo's telenovela
Páginas da Vida, playing sculptor Tônia. In 2010, she starred in the episode "A Adultera da Urca" of the miniseries
As Cariocas, and in 2011, made a cameo in
Tapas & Beijos. Braga had a recurring role as Lorraine Correia in the sixth season of the series
Royal Pains. Braga's scenes were filmed on location in Mexico and her episodes were aired in August 2014. In 2016, she appeared in
Netflix's Marvel show
Luke Cage as Rosario Dawson's mother. Braga received positive reviews for her film
Aquarius when it premiered at the
2016 Cannes Film Festival. Braga plays a widow and retired music writer who lives in the titular apartment complex and refuses to leave when developers offer her a buy-out. Though the film did not earn an Oscar nomination for Braga, it did contend for Best Foreign Film at France's
Cesar Awards and the
Independent Spirit Awards. She ranked in the top five in
IndieWire's 2016 critics' poll for
Academy Award for Best Actress. She also appeared in the films
Wonder (2017),
Bacurau (2019),
Fatima (2020), and
The First Omen (2024). In 2020,
The New York Times ranked her #24 in its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century. ==Personal life==