Mariana Ximenes

Mariana Ximenes Do Prado Nuzzi (born 26 April 1981) is a Brazilian actress.

Mariana Ximenes Do Prado Nuzzi was born in São Paulo on 26 April 1981 and grew up in Vila Mariana, a neighborhood in São Paulo.

Mariana dreamed to be an actress since her childhood.

At age 6, she appeared in a school play as Cinderella.

She began acting in amateur theater, insisting to her parents invest in her career as an actress, even participating in various advertising campaigns.

Her first acting lessons were in Teatro Escola Célia Helena, and at age 12, she had already appeared in more than 200 commercials.

She attended Colégio Marista Arquidiocesano, where she studied from 3rd grade till her 3rd year of high school.

When she was thirteen, in 1994, Mariana debuted on television in the telenovela 74.5 - Uma Onda no Ar in Rede Manchete making a cameo appearance to the latter.

Her first role was in the telenovela Fascinação in 1998 where she portrayed the role of Emília Gouveia.

In the same year she played the role of Ruth Stern in the film Caminho dos Sonhos.

Shortly afterwards, she was invited to join the cast of Fascinação of SBT in 1998, where she played the character Emília, her first major television role.

In the same year, she joined Rede Globo and began working in her (Rede Globo) productions.

She appeared in the episode "Dupla Traição" in the series Você Decide and in the film Caminho dos Sonhos portraying the character Ruth Stern.

She also participated in the pilot of the series Sandy & Junior portraying the character Vicky.

In 1999, she played Celi Montana in Andando nas Nuvens.

In 2000, she played in Uga-Uga portraying "Bionda".

This role rise to prominence as she became widely known in Brazil and internationally.

She also made a cameo appearance in the telenovela Força de um Desejo playing Ângela, in 2000.

Mariana played the character Bionda, which yielded great success for her career.

She later starred in the film Xuxa Popstar.

Later in 2001, she offered her services in the Portuguese voice over translation in the Canadian/Chinese animated series Braceface, for the character Sharon Spitz.

In 2001, she appeared in Brava Gente in the episode, "A Sonata", playing the character Luciana.

She first performed in the Portuguese voice over translation for the character Sharon Spitz in the Canadian/Chinese animated series Braceface.

She later did some ads for Fox Kids Brazil and she also played Izabel de Avelar in A Padroeira.

That same year, she also starred in her second film, Dias de Nietzsche em Turim, playing Júlia Fino.

In 2002, Mariana Ximenes made a guest appearance in the comedy series Os Normais, in "A Turma Do Didi" as Glorinha and Brava Gente in episode "Arioswaldo e o Lobisomem" as Branca Luz, alongside Suzana Vieira and Ângelo Antônio.

Earlier that year, she had starred in her third film O Invasor, which earned her the award for Best Supporting Actress at the Festival Do Recife, Passista Trophy, Grande Prêmio BR Do Cinema Brasileiro and Cinema Brazil Grand Prize.

The following year, she played the character Rosário in A Casa das Sete Mulheres.

She won the award for Best romantic couple along with Thiago Fragoso earning her a Contigo Award for her character that became popular among viewers, although her character died at the end of the miniseries.

During this period, Mariana made a special participation in the program Zorra Total and A Grande Família.

Her next role was in a telenovela perhaps one of her most prominent in her entire career.

She played Ana, the main protagonist, also known as Aninha, in Chocolate com Pimenta that earned her media attention due to its success thanks to her portrayal in the telenovela.

Mariana also starred in films such as O Homem Do Ano and Uma Estrela Pra Ioiô (2003).

In 2004, she also participated in the special Histórias de Cama & Mesa.

In 2005, she was cast the critically acclaimed telenovela América as the rebellious Raíssa.

She later played the protagonist in Cobras & Lagartos in 2006 and Lara in A Favorita, later in 2008.

In 2010, she portrayed her first villainous role in the critically acclaimed telenovela Passione.

Since 2010 she has appeared in several telenovelas, television series, films and theatre performances.

In 2016, she starred the successor of Totalmente Demais, Haja Coração, together with Malvino Salvador.

Mariana Ximenes has also earned several accolades throughout her acting career such as: Melhores Do Ano, Troféu Impresa, Festival de Gramado, Festival Do Recife, Prêmio Contigo among others.