Maria Della Costa

Maria Della Costa was a Brazilian theater, movie and TV actress and producer.

Life

She was born in Flores da Cunha, a small town in 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 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.
After retiring from show business, she owned and managed a small hotel in the historical and tourist town of Paraty, Rio de Janeiro. She died of a pulmonary edema on January 24, 2015.