Leona Cavalli

Acting

Leona Cavalli

Born 1969-11-06 · Rosário do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Alleyona Canedo da Silva ( Rosário do Sul , November 6 , 1969 ), better known as Leona Cavalli , is a Brazilian actress and theater director . She is the winner of several awards, including an APCA Award , two Brazil Quality Awards , a Shell Award , and a Guarani Award , as well as having received nominations for three Grande Otelo Awards . Leona made her debut in professional theater at the age of 16, participating in a production of Waltz No. 6 . After studying theater at PUC in São Paulo , she took part in other productions of classic plays, such as Farsa by Inês Pereira and Auto da Barca do Inferno . [ 2 ] She received critical acclaim for her performance in the film Um Céu de Estrelas (1996), where she played hairdresser Dalva, who lives in a dark and violent relationship with her husband. For her work, she won the APCA Award for Best Actress in Cinema , the Candango Award for Best Actress at the Brasília Festival , as well as receiving her first of four nominations for the Guarani Award . [ 3 ] In 2000 she began playing Geni in the play Toda Nudez Ser Castigada , a play written by Nelson Rodrigues in 1965 , for which she won the Shell Award for Best Actress . In 2002 she was praised for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in the play A Streetcar Named Desire , selling the Prêmio Qualidade Brasil for Best Actress in a Drama Play. [ 4 ] Cavalli made her television debut in a special appearance in the series Os Normais , on TV Globo , in 2002. In the same year, she acted in the film Amarelo Manga , directed by Cláudio Assis . For her performance, she again received critical acclaim, winning the Guarani Award for Best Supporting Actress and being nominated for the Grande Otelo for Best Actress . [ 2 ] Her performances in the films Carandiru (2003) and Contra Todos (2004) earned her nominations from the Brazilian Cinema Academy for Grande Otelo for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress , respectively. In 2007 she played Justine in the miniseries Amazônia, from Galvez to Chico Mendes , her first prominent role on television, for which she won the Brazil Quality Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries . She also stood out in the character of the prostitute Zarolha in the soap opera Gabriela (2012) and in the role of the villain Glauce in the prime time soap opera Amor à Vida (2013). [ 5 ] In 2019 she played Teresa in Orphans of the Earth .

Acting credits

A Starry Sky poster
5.1

A woman ready to move away from Brazil is kidnapped by her jealous ex-lover.

A Starry Sky

1996

Carandiru poster
7.6

When a doctor decides to carry out an AIDS prevention program inside Latin America’s largest prison: the Casa de Detenção de São Paulo – Carandiru, he meets the future victims of one of the darkest days in Brazilian history.

Carandiru

2003

Através da Janela poster
7.0

Selma, a retired nurse, is an extremely loving mother for his son Raimundo, in an almost incestuous relationship. One day, she becomes aware of some changes in her son's behavior. At first, she thinks it may be some girlfriend. But soon she learns it's something else.

Através da Janela

2000

No artwork available
NR

Joana suffers from a double personality and is obsessed with Anna Karenina, the character from Tolstoy's novel. Embodying the myth of Narcissus, Anna K. is the image and resemblance of Joana, stronger and more seductive.

Anna K.

2014

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Medley

2026

Water Pigs poster
6.0

Gualtieri is an apathetic ex-cop, fighting himself, almost nothing excites him. That is why he accepts an easy job in the jungle of the triple border. Investigating how and why a person was killed becomes the key to revealing other truths that should be buried under the wet red soil of the place.

Water Pigs

2020

Circular Capital poster
8.5

In the streets of Rio de Janeiro, survival is the name of the game where the protagonist is an imported 'hot' car. People, from all social levels, will do anything in order to possess it, if only for a few minutes.

Circular Capital

2004

Call Center poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Call Center

2025

Poemaria poster
NR

Inspired by Eduardo Coutinho's films, debutant director Davi Kinski proposes the documentary Poemaria, assembled from conversations with 24 personalities. The subject: poetry.

Poemaria

2024

No artwork available
NR

He is a tightrope walker. She is a whore. Asymmetrical dreams take place in the geometry of São Paulo.

Desequilíbrio

2004

Olga poster
7.1

Based upon the true story of Olga Benário, the German-born wife of Brazilian communist leader Luís Carlos Prestes. During the dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas (1930-1945) she was arrested and sent to Nazi Germany, where she was put to death in a concentration camp. After World War II began, Vargas decided to uphold the Allies.

Olga

2004

The Tenants poster
4.4

Valter's life turns upside-down when a gang of smalltime criminals move in next door. Valter's wife Iara wants something to be done about their new neighbors whos nigthtly activities does not allow them to sleep. Valter just wants to be left alone.

The Tenants

2009

Desire Machine: 60 Years of Teatro Oficina poster
5.0

In six decades, Teatro Oficina has done more than revolutionize theatrical language in the country: the aesthetic influence of José Celso Martinez Corrêa's company extends from Tropicalism to the renewal of Brazilian audiovisual languages ​​from the 1960s onwards. The film revisits a story that it involves personalities such as Caetano Veloso, Glauber Rocha, Lina Bo Bardi, Chico Buarque and Zé do Caixão, brings together scenic art, ecology, architecture and sexuality, and mixes art and life in the search for a Brazilian based language.

Desire Machine: 60 Years of Teatro Oficina

2021

Golden Oldies 2 poster
5.3

The heroes of Golden Oldies 1— Juca, PR, and Montanha — are back, following different routes. Montanha lives in an old mansion and gets ready to reunite with his friends. Once together again, the three friends get into hilarious situations.

Golden Oldies 2

2013

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Calendário do Amor

Aparecida - O Milagre poster
6.6

Marcos Resende is a cold and crisis man command MetalNobre company. Mark lost his faith in God when her father, Antonio, died in the construction of the Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida. He had asked the day before to Our Lady Aparecida cleats for him to play in a team and his father would buy them. Mark is separated from wife and Sonia have feuds with son Lucas, in addition to keeping a bad emotional relationship with Beatriz, an official of the company and his mother, Julia. After a misunderstanding, Lucas suffers a serious motorcycle accident. Then Mark revive its history and living with his father. And when he turns to Julia, she reveals the mysterious grace of his family.

Aparecida - O Milagre

2010

Mango Yellow poster
6.6

The lives of a macho butcher, his wife, a lonely waitress, a sadist and a flophouse manager intersect in Recife, Brazil.

Mango Yellow

2002

What Is It Worth? poster
6.6

Free adaptation of Machado de Assis's short story "Pai Contra Mãe", having some of Nireu Cavalcanti's 18th Century chronicles as inspiration, the film traces parallels between life in during the slavery period and in modern Brazil.

What Is It Worth?

2005

Cafundó poster
5.5

Cafundó is a 35 mm color film which blends fact with fiction in the life of João de Camargo, a former black slave (1858-1942, Sorocaba, Brazil) who, in his old age, works miracles and devotes himself to assisting others in order to attain his freedom. João de Camargo represents the genesis of religious and cultural syncretism in Brazil.

Cafundó

2005

As Doze Estrelas poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

As Doze Estrelas

2011

Luz, Câmera, 50 Anos: Dalva e Herivelto, Uma Canção de Amor - O Filme poster
9.5

The singer Dalva de Oliveira and the composer Herivelto Martins lived intensely on the stage and in life. The 13 years of marriage and the disagreements, which gained emphasis with the separation, contributed to an important artistic and cultural production.

Luz, Câmera, 50 Anos: Dalva e Herivelto, Uma Canção de Amor - O Filme

2015

Antônia poster
5.5

Determined to escape their poverty-stricken lives, four talented young women living on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, form an all-female rap group but find their road to success is riddled with sexism, racism, and violence. One by one, they succumb to their grim realities...until they discover that out of struggle comes strength, and out of strength, the courage to continue on.

Antônia

2007

Up Against Them All poster
5.3

A story about the lies, treachery and vengeance of a middle-class family living on the outskirts of São Paulo. Four characters try desperately to change their lives, but are unable to escape their destiny.

Up Against Them All

2004