Aurora Miranda

Aurora Miranda da Cunha Richaid (20 April 1915 – 22 December 2005) was a Brazilian singer and actress. She began her career at the age of 18 in 1933. Miranda appeared in several films, including The Three Caballeros, where she danced with Donald Duck and José Carioca, singing the song, "Os Quindins de Yayá". Her sisters were Carmen Miranda and Cecilia Miranda.[1]

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is da Cunha and the second or paternal family name is Miranda.
Aurora Miranda
Born
Aurora Miranda da Cunha

(1915-04-20)20 April 1915
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died22 December 2005(2005-12-22) (aged 90)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Resting placeSão João Batista Cemetery, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
OccupationSinger, dancer, actress
Years active1933–1990
Spouse(s)
Gabriel Richaid (m. 1940⁠–⁠1990)
Relatives

Career
Carmen Miranda (center) and Aurora in São Paulo (1934).
Aurora Miranda with Walt Disney (1943).

Aurora Miranda had a successful career in Brazil and the US, perhaps overshadowed by that of her sister, Carmen Miranda. Aurora was six years younger than her sister and equally talented and vivacious.

In 1932, aged 18, she was asked to perform on the Mayrink Veiga radio station by Josué de Barros, the same composer who had launched her sister's career 10 years earlier. Soon she was snapped up by a rival station and within 12 months she had released her first record, Cai, Cai, Balão ("Drop, Drop Balloon") alongside the crooner then considered Brazil's rei da voz or "king of the voice", Francisco Alves. Alves was known for supporting up-and-coming artists and there was none more promising than Aurora, who many still believe had a more beautiful voice than Carmen.

Years later, she appeared in the documentaries Once Upon a Mouse and Carmen Miranda: Bananas is My Business.

Miranda died at the age of 90 on 22 December 2005.[2][3]

Personal life

In 1940 she married Gabriel Richaid clad in a gold-embroidered wedding dress shipped from the US by Carmen.

Unlike her sister, Aurora preferred married life to her career. In 1951 she returned to Rio and settled down as wife and mother. She often spoke of her sister Carmen and appeared in many documentaries.

Legacy

Aurora Miranda carved out her own niche, first as a pioneering singer and later as the first human being to interact with cartoons in a Walt Disney production. She appeared in the film The Three Caballeros, a mix of cinema and animation in which Aurora starred alongside Donald Duck.

But perhaps her greatest legacy was the first recording of Rio de Janeiro's unofficial anthem, Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvellous City), in 1934.

Tom Philips wrote in The Guardian that Aurora Miranda "personified the spirit of Rio."

Filmography
Aurora with Carmen Miranda in Alô, Alô Carnaval (1936).
Year Title Role Notes
1935Alô, Alô, Brasil!Performer: "Cidade Maravilhosa" and "Ladrãozinho"
EstudantesHerselfPerformer: "Onde Está o Seu Carneirinho?" and "Linda Ninon"
1936Hello, Hello, Carnival!Performer: "Cantores do Rádio" and "Molha o Pano"
1939Banana da TerraHerselfPerformer: "Menina do Regimento"
1944Phantom LadyEstela Monteiro
The ConspiratorsFado SingerUncredited
BrazilBailarina, Specialty Dancer
The Three CaballerosThe Brazilian Girl(as Aurora Miranda of Brazil)
1945Tell It to a StarSpecialty Act
1954DisneylandBrazilian GirlVoice, A Present for Donald (archive footage)
1978Mulheres de CinemaHerself(archive footage) (Documentary short)
1981Once Upon a MouseHerself
1989Dias Melhores VirãoHerself(final film role)
1995Carmen Miranda: Bananas is my BusinessHerselfDocumentary
2009Cantoras do Rádio - O FilmeHerself(archive footage)

See also

References
  1. "Overview for Aurora Miranda". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  2. "Morreu a irmã de Carmen Miranda". Diário de Notícias. December 25, 2005. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  3. Daniele Barreira (December 24, 2005). "Morre, aos 90 anos, irmã de Carmem Miranda". Ofuxico. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
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