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Birth
Carmen Miranda was born on Feb. 9 1909 at Marco de Canaveses, Portugal. Her family was Aurora Miranda(Sister),David Sebastian (Spouse),Maria Emília Miranda (Mother),Amaro Miranda(Brother),Maria Paula Richaid(Niece),Oscar Miranda(Brother),Gabriel Richaid(Nephew),Cecília Miranda(Sister),José Maria Pinto da Cunha(Father), and Olinda Miranda(Sister) -
Frist job
At the age 14, she had to take a job to help support her family. So she worked in a Rio department store as a model and millinery sales-woman, during her breaks she often performed popular Brazilian hit songs to entertain co-workers. A guitarist overheard one of her impromptu performances, he invited her to sing with him on a local radio show -
Nightclub
Soon Miranda was offered a nightclub singing job, but her father strongly disagreed with the opportunity at first. Finally, he changed his mind when he learned of the generous offer and agreed to let her perform, provided he serve as her manager and she not be billed under her family name. Thus, she became "Carmen Miranda." -
First Hit Song
Miranda recorded a few albums with composer and violinist Josue de Barros, but these failed to catch on with Brazilian listeners. Her breakthrough came in 1930, when she made "Prá Você Gostar de Mim," a traditional Brazilian marcha tune by composer Joubert de Carvalho. The record was a massive hit, propelling Miranda to a string of top-sellers that turned her into one of her country's biggest stars of the 1930s. -
Movie
The movie A voz do carnaval, a musical comedy made in Brazil and released in 1933, marked Miranda's big-screen debut. She made several more films, in between a heavy touring schedule that took her across South America several times. She was usually backed by her own five-man band, called Banda da Luna (Band of the Moon). During one of her shows at a casino in the Rio district of Urca, well-known American theater manager Lee Shubert spotted her and offered her a role on Broadway. -
A Fake?
Miranda returned to Brazil after the Broadway show closed, but found she was viewed as a traitor. Brazilians asserted she had turned their beloved culture into a joke, and she was ridiculed in the press for selling out. -
Carmen is Known
Miranda became a household name in the United States, thanks to her films and singing engagements. She sang in Portuguese, often accompanied by frenzied gesturing that was widely caricatured as a hallmark of the exotic Latina songstress -
Her Look
She had brought from Brazil her trademark look, which was known as bahiana in her country. The term was taken from Bahia, Brazil, home to many African-Brazilians, and was characterized by many layers of bright fabrics, often with ruffles or rick-rack, along with a turban-style hat. -
The Accident
Miranda's final film appearance came in 1953 with Scared Stiff, which starred the comedy duo Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Her last performance came on one early series, The Jimmy Durante Show, in August of 1955. After she finished her song, the show's host came out to applaud her, and Miranda appeared to come close to fainting, but Durante quickly moved to catch her. -
Death
she died the following day at her home in Beverly Hills, California. Her death was officially reported as a heart attack, but it was later revealed that the 44-year-old star was pregnant, and died of preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related condition characterized by high blood pressure and kidney malfunction.
