Maria de Medeiros

Maria de Medeiros, born Maria Esteves de Medeiros Victorino de Almeida on 19 August 1965 in Lisbon, Portugal, is a multifaceted Portuguese artist whose career spans acting, directing, and music. The daughter of celebrated composer António Victorino de Almeida, she entered the world of performance at the tender age of fifteen, landing her first screen role and quickly demonstrating a natural affinity for the camera. At eighteen she moved to France to refine her craft, enrolling at the prestigious Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (CNSAD) and graduating in 1988, a period that forged her bilingual fluency and laid the foundation for her trans‑European appeal. Her breakthrough came when director Henry & June cast her as the titular writer Anaïs Nin in 1990, a role that highlighted her striking resemblance to the literary figure and earned critical praise. The following year she appeared in Ken McMullen’s historical drama 1871, and her international profile skyrocketed with Quentin Tarantino’s cult classic Pulp Fiction (1994), where she delivered a memorable performance as Fabienne, the tender girlfriend of Bruce Willis’s Butch. Beyond Hollywood, Medeiros has maintained a strong presence in Portuguese cinema, directing April Captains (2000) about the Carnation Revolution, a work screened in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, and starring in a variety of European arthouse films such as The Saddest Music in the World (2004) and The Forbidden Room (2015). In addition to her screen achievements, she is an acclaimed singer; since 2007 she has released four albums—including A Little More Blue and The Piano’s Playing the Devil’s Tune—showcasing her versatility in Portuguese, French, and English. Recognized for her cultural diplomacy, she became the first Portuguese UNESCO Artist for Peace, using her platform to promote artistic exchange and humanitarian causes. Married to Catalan filmmaker Agustí Camps, she balances her artistic pursuits with family life, raising two children while continuing to act, direct, and record music well into the 2020s.