Zezé Motta

Acting

Zezé Motta

Born June 27, 1944 · Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (age 82)

Maria José Motta de Oliveira OMC (Campos dos Goytacazes, June 27, 1944), better known as Zezé Motta, is a Brazilian actress and singer, considered one of the greatest artists in the country, an exponent of Afro-Brazilian culture. Zezé has already won numerous awards, including a Candango Trophy at the Brasília Festival, and an Air France Award, in addition to receiving nominations for three Grande…

Known For

The Son of a Thousand MenThe Son of a Thousand Men · 2025
The Son of a Thousand Men
★ 7.52025
MovieDrama
In a small village, a lonely fisherman yearning for a son is drawn to an ethereal light that links him to others and their long-buried secrets.
A SerpenteA Serpente · 1992
A Serpente
★ 2.01992
MovieDrama
Two sisters are newly married; Guida to Paulo and Lígia to Décio. They spend their honeymoon in the apartment, a gift from the father of the brides. They will live there. Just a wall separating the intimacy of the two couples. Guida and Paulo are very happy. But on the other side of the wall; Ligia and Decius were never able to consummate their marriage. Decius is impotent and Ligia decides to commit suicide. To avoid the tragedy Guida, asks her own husband Paul to sleep with her sister for one night to help her losing her virginity. But when they continue to see each other, Guida gets jealous.
The LongingThe Longing · 2003
The Longing
★ 4.52003
MovieAdventureDrama
Cyrus, Tim and Erik were high school buddies and meet again ten years later. They spend the summer together in Brazil. All of them are occupied in dealing with experiences from their past but new developments make them face their inner conflicts and their friendship with each other
Mãe BonifáciaMãe Bonifácia · 2026
Mãe Bonifácia
2026
MovieHistoryDrama
CarolinaCarolina · 2003
Carolina
★ 7.02003
MovieDrama
Carolina Maria de Jesus. Her favela diary was a success in 1960. Despite her recognition, she died forgotten and poor.
The Devil QueenThe Devil Queen · 1974
The Devil Queen
★ 6.31974
MovieCrimeDrama
Rio's criminal underworld is run by an unexpected boss: a femme Queen with a taste for power and violence. But heavy lies the crown: what Queen can trust her subjects, however fabulous? When she sets up a stoolie to take the fall for her boy, a plot against Her Majesty arises!
PolêmicaPolêmica · 1999
Polêmica
★ 6.81999
MovieComedyMusic
A film on the feud between samba songwriters Noel Rosa and Wilson Batista.
Alma Negra, do Quilombo ao BaileAlma Negra, do Quilombo ao Baile · 2026
Alma Negra, do Quilombo ao Baile
★ 10.02026
MovieDocumentary
A deep dive into Afro-Brazilian culture, exploring the trajectory of soul music in Brazil from the late 1960s to its peak at "black balls" in the following decades. Through the lens of intellectuals such as Beatriz Nascimento, Lélia Gonzalez, and Edneia Gonçalves, the documentary recovers and celebrates the importance of these parties as spaces of resistance and affirmation of Black identity in Brazil, connecting Quilombola traditions to contemporary urban culture.

Filmography

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Gonzaga: From Father to SonGonzaga: From Father to Son · 2012
Gonzaga: From Father to Son
★ 7.22012
MovieDramaHistory
Luiz Gonzaga decides to change his destiny and leaves his childhood home for the big city to overcome a romance. When he arrives, he meets a woman he falls in love with, the Odaleia (Nanda Costa). After the birth of his son and his wife's health complications, he decides to return to the road to ensure a better future for his son. He has a friend in Rio de Janeiro and with him leaves the little one and heads to Brazil. He didn't imagine that this distance between them would develop into a complicated relationship, enhanced by the strong personalities of both. Based on conversations between father and son, this is the story of Luiz Gonzaga, a singer and accordion player known as Rei do Baião or Gonzagão.

Priscila (70 anos)

Xuxa and the Mystery of the Little Ugly PrincessXuxa and the Mystery of the Little Ugly Princess · 2009
Xuxa and the Mystery of the Little Ugly Princess
★ 5.02009
MovieFamilyFantasy
Based on the book O Fantástico Mistério de Feiurinha, the story combines real world and fantasy, dream and determination, with a surprising end, even for a fairy tale. The movie shows the fight of the fairy tale characters, now adults, who come together to recover the fable of the Little Ugly Princess, a beautiful Princess with a strange name, which only makes sense for those who know her story. The problem is that children and adults have forgotten the story of the Little Ugly Princess, which is as wonderful as other major fables for children. Cinderella brings together other fairy tale characters to meet the writer who keeps, lost in a small notebook, the Little Ugly Princess story.

Jerusa

Love BitesLove Bites · 2002
Love Bites
★ 6.52002
SeriesSoapSci-Fi & Fantasy
Set in the fictional city of Maramores, the plot centers on the character of Lívia, whose destiny begins to be shaped in the 12th century when the vampire Boris falls madly in love with her and decides to win her over at any cost, regardless of time or place. In medieval times, Lívia is Princess Cecília, Beto is Count Rogério, and Boris is Duke Boris. The present-day story begins with the introduction of Lívia's story, her husband Beto, and their children, Zeca, Tetê, and Juninho. The family's happiness will be destroyed, just as in Lívia and Beto's past lives (Princess Cecília and Count Rogério), by the reappearance of the vampire Boris. He wants to reclaim Zeca, who is not actually Lívia and Beto's son, but his son with a mistress. As soon as he was born, while still in the maternity ward, Boris placed Zeca in the place of Lívia's true son.

Nadir

FloribellaFloribella · 2005
Floribella
★ 8.72005
SeriesComedyKids
Floribella is a Brazilian children's musical telenovela produced by RGB Entertainment and broadcast by Band from April 4, 2005, to August 12, 2006. It is an adaptation of the Argentine telenovela Floricienta (2004), created by Cris Morena. Adapted by Patrícia Moretzsohn and Jaqueline Vargas, with general direction by Elisabetta Zenatti, the telenovela stars Juliana Silveira, Roger Gobeth, Maria Carolina Ribeiro, Mário Frias, Suzy Rêgo, Daniel Ávila, and Cássia Linhares. The story follows Maria Flor, a kind and optimistic young woman who becomes the nanny of the wealthy Fritzenwalden family's five orphaned children. With her cheerful personality and love of music, Flor transforms the household while falling in love with Frederico Fritzenwalden. As they face jealousy, family disputes, and the schemes of the ambitious Delfina, Flor uncovers secrets about her past and learns that courage, friendship, and hope can overcome even the greatest challenges.

Cristina Ramos Garcia / Titina

Transas e CaretasTransas e Caretas · 1984
Transas e Caretas
★ 9.01984
SeriesSoapDrama
The telenovela tells the story of Francisca Moura Imperial, a wealthy businesswoman, and her two sons: Jordão and Tiago, who show little interest in the family business. Jordão is the product of a whirlwind romance in Francisca's youth, while Tiago was born from her marriage to Roberto, a seductive man who moves in high society but is penniless. Francisca is preoccupied with her sons but cannot interfere in their lives as much as she would like. Eccentric and full of outlandish ideas, she decides to undergo plastic surgery, which makes her look 20 years younger, believing that this will bring her closer to Jordão and Tiago. Francisca's greatest concern is that at least one of her sons will marry and give her a grandchild, thus ensuring the continuation of the family name.

Dorinha / Dorothy Dandara (Doralice Lafaiette da Silva)

SupermanoelaSupermanoela · 1974
Supermanoela
★ 7.01974
SeriesComedy
Manoela is employed in the home of Donato, an employee at a cosmetics factory, and Carolina. After her boss's death, Carolina finds herself unprepared to deal with the serious financial difficulties and fires Manoela, who agrees to work for free, becoming a kind of guardian angel, advisor, and administrator of the house. To pay the mortgage on the property, she suggests that Carolina rent out two of the vacant rooms. The new tenants are four students who have recently arrived in Rio to take the university entrance exam. During their studies, the young men meet Marcelo, nicknamed Belo, who falls in love with Manoela. The relationship gives her the opportunity, for the first time, to forget about other people's problems and live her own life.

Doralice