Renowned Brazilian Soap Opera Star Laura Cardoso Passes Away at 98

Actress Laura Cardoso passed away at 98 early Tuesday morning in São Paulo. Her death was confirmed by her family through the official Instagram profile, according to a Portuguese source.

The message on the social network read: “Our great star has said goodbye to us. Laura Cardoso will forever be in our hearts. Thank you for everything, our beloved and eternal Laura Cardoso.”

Fátima Cardoso, the actress’s daughter, told G1 that Laura died Monday night after feeling unwell at her home in the Sumaré neighbourhood of western São Paulo.

With a career spanning over eight decades across television, radio, theatre, and film, Laura Cardoso is considered a leading figure in Brazilian drama. Born in 1927, she began her career at age 15 in radio soap operas on Rádio Cosmos.

She made her television debut in 1952 at age 25 in the program “Tribunal do Coração” on TV Tupi. Over the ensuing decades she appeared in more than 60 telenovelas, making her the Brazilian actress with the most credits.

She joined TV Globo in 1981 with the telenovela “Brilhante,” written by Gilberto Braga. In the decades that followed, she appeared in more than 20 productions on the network, including “Caminho das Índias,” “Gabriela,” “Chocolate com Pimenta,” “Império,” and “O Outro Lado do Paraíso.”

Her final television role was in the 2019 telenovela “A Dona do Pedaço,” broadcast in Portugal by SIC, where she portrayed Matilde.

Throughout her eight‑decade career, Laura Cardoso received Brazil’s top artistic honors, including five APCA trophies, the Oscarito Award at the Gramado Festival for her cinematic contributions, and in 2006 the Order of Cultural Merit from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, one of Brazil’s highest cultural honors.

Her final project was the short film “Dona Rosinha,” released in 2025, which examines the abandonment of elderly individuals.

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