Berta Loran

In 1937, at the age of eleven, Berta moved with her parents, some relatives and six siblings to Brazil, fleeing Nazism in Europe. Upon arrival, the family settled in a townhouse in downtown Rio de Janeiro, where, altogether, fourteen people shared a bedroom and a bathroom. With the encouragement of her father, who was an actor and a tailor in the early 1940s, her career began in small theaters, performing a duo act with her sister Bela Ais. Berta married Suchar Handfuss, an actor based in Buenos Aires, when she was 20 and he was 51. They moved to Buenos Aires, where they lived for two years, and lived in Portugal for several years, where Berta had a successful time as an actress. Her first big break in Brazil was in vaudeville theater in 1952, at the age of 26, on the stage of the traditional 'Teatro Carlos Gomes', which led to her first film role in 1955. In 1957, she performed in the play 'Fogo no Pandeiro' in Portugal, where she ended up living for another six years. Returning to Brazil in 1663, she was cast in numerous plays and musicals, eventually being invited to work on TV. In 1966, she became a contract player for Rede Globo (the largest network in South America), launching a successful career as a comedic actress on shows as well as telenovelas. In 2016, the actress was honored by journalist João Luiz Azevedo with a biographical book, 'Berta Loran: 90 anos de humor' (Berta Loran: 90 years of humor), a documentary and an exhibition with photos from her personal collection, and objects and memorabilia from her various appearances in film, theater and television.