Actress. With a career spanning almost forty years, Maria João Abreu was one of the most acclaimed Portuguese actresses of the last three decades. She debuted as a professional actress at the age of nineteen, on September 24, 1983, on the stage of Maria Matos Theatre in Lisbon, with Thomas Meehan's play "Annie," directed by Armando Cortez. She went on to be a regular presence on the stages of Lisbon theatres, especially in the "revista" genre, the Portuguese revue. Known for her comedic talents, she consecrated herself as a comic actress in the play "O Último dos Marialvas," on July 18, 1991, on the stage of the CCB, Lisbon. In 1988, she founded, together with her first husband and fellow actor José Raposo, a theatre production company named Toca dos Raposos, which was responsible for many successes. Also in 1988, she made her first television appearance, in a series entitled "Uma Bomba Chamada Etelvina." She would eventually become one of the leading television actresses of the country, participating in numerous sitcoms, series and soap operas of national success, namely "Os Malucos do Riso" (1996), "Médico de Família" (1998-2000), "Jardins Proibidos" (2000-2001), "Aqui Não Há Quem Viva" (2006-2008), "Morangos Com Açúcar" (2007-2008), "A Família Mata" (2011-2012), "Amor Maior" (2016-2017), "Paixão" (2017-2018), "Golpe de Sorte" (2019-2021), in which her character "Maria do Céu Garcia" was the protagonist, being this one of the most successful Portuguese soap operas of the last decade and "A Serra" (2021), her last work, having died before the end of the recordings. She also participated in several films, namely "António, Um Rapaz de Lisboa" (1999), "Call Girl" (2007), "A Mãe é que Sabe" (2016) or "Cartas de Guerra" (2016). Her two sons from her first marriage, Miguel Raposo (born 1986) and Ricardo Raposo (born 1992), also pursued acting careers. She married her second husband, musician João Soares, in 2012. She died as a result of an aneurysm at Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, at the age of 57. Her death caused consternation nationwide. Her funeral, which was attended by hundreds of people, was televised by all channels in the country. She was cremated at Alto de São João Cemetery, Lisbon. A tribute was paid to her at the 2021 Portuguese Golden Globes, having won posthumously in the category of Best Actress, in Fiction.