Maria de Medeiros

Maria Esteves de Medeiros Victorino de Almeida, DamSE (born 19 August 1965), known as Maria de Medeiros (Portuguese pronunciation: [mɐˈɾiɐ ðɨ mɨˈðɐjɾuʃ]), is a Portuguese actress, director, and singer who has been involved in both European and American film productions. She is best known for playing Fabienne in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction.

Maria de Medeiros was born in Lisbon, Portugal, the daughter of musician and composer António Victorino de Almeida. She played her first part on screen at the age of 15. At the age of 18, she moved to France to pursue her acting studies and was a student at the CNSAD.

Medeiros speaks French fluently without an accent and has acted extensively on stage and on screen in French productions. She also acts in Spanish, German, and Italian productions. Medeiros is the first Portuguese woman to be designated a UNESCO Artist for Peace.

Among Medeiros' most memorable film appearances are three early 1990s roles. Her considerable resemblance to Anaïs Nin landed her the primary role in Henry & June (1990), in which she played the author. In 1990, she played the role of Maria in Ken McMullen's film about the rise of the Paris Commune, 1871. In 1994, Medeiros appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction playing Fabienne, the girlfriend of Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis).

In 2000, Medeiros directed the film April Captains (in which she also had a small role) about the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2003, Medeiros appeared as a hairdresser in the movie My Life Without Me starring Sarah Polley. She has starred in the Canadian movie The Saddest Music in the World (2004) directed by Guy Maddin and co-starring Isabella Rossellini and Mark McKinney.

In 2007, Medeiros released an album, A Little More Blue, in which she performs songs by Brazilian musicians, including Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Ivan Lins, and Dolores Duran. On the album, she sings in Portuguese, French ("Joana Francesa" by Buarque), and English ("A Little More Blue" by Veloso).

On 23 February 2010 her second recording was released, Peninsulas & Continentes.

In 2009, she sang "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" on the Legendary Tigerman album Femina.

De Medeiros at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

As director

• Sévérine C. (1987)
• Fragmento II (1988)
• A Morte do Príncipe (1991)
• April Captains (2000)
• Mathilde au matin (2004)
• Je t'aime moi non plus (2004)
• Repare Bem (2012)

As actress

• 1871 (1990)
• Henry & June (1990)
• Meeting Venus (1991)
• Huevos de Oro (1993)
• Pulp Fiction (1994)
• Adão e Eva (1995)
• Polygraph (1996)
• Go for gold (1997)
• Airbag (1997)
• April Captains (2000)
• Deuxième vie (2000)
• Honolulu Baby (2001)
• A Samba for Sherlock (2001)
• Stranded: Náufragos (2002)
• My Life Without Me (2003)
• Moi César, 10 ans 1/2, 1m39 (2003)
• The Saddest Music in the World (2004)
• The Remains of Nothing (2004)
• Je m'appelle Élisabeth (2006)
• Medea Miracle (2007)
• Midsummer Madness (2007)
• Fallen Heroes (2007)
• Riparo (aka Shelter Me) (2007)
• My Stars (2008)
• David's Birthday (2009)
• O Contador de Histórias (aka The Story of Me) (2009)
• Chicken with Plums (2011)
• Holidays by the Sea (2011)
• Journey to Portugal (2011)
• Dream and Silence (2012)
• Women Directors, talking on a blade (2014)
• Pasolini (2014)
• The Forbidden Room (2015)
• Le Fils de Joseph (2016)

• A Little More Blue (2007)
• Penínsulas & Continentes (2010)
• Pássaros Eternos (2013)
• The Piano's Playing the Devil's Tune (2016) — with Phoebe Killdeer & the Shift

Collaborations

• Drama Box, by Mísia (2005)
• Rendez-vous chez Nino Rota, CD+DVD from the Italian Mauro Gioia (2008), with Adriana Calcanhotto, Martirio, Ute Lemper, Catherine Ringer, Susana Rinaldi and Sharleen Spiteri. De Medeiros sings "La pappa col pomodoro"
• Femina, by The Legendary Tigerman (2009). De Medeiros sings "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"
• Señora (ellas cantan a Serrat) (2009). De Medeiros sings "Nanas de la Cebolla"