Biography
Who is Lúcia Moniz?
Early life and family
Ana Lúcia Pereira Moniz was born in Lisbon, Portugal. Her parents are Carlos Alberto Moniz, a conductor and performer, and Maria do Amparo, who is a singer and actress. She is the oldest of two daughters in her family.
During her childhood, she lived on the island of Terceira in the Azores. After a major earthquake hit the archipelago in 1980, she moved with her family to Lisbon. As a young child, she studied at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia until she turned 14.
Education and early career
In the early 1990s, Lúcia spent a year as an exchange student in the United States. She attended Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota, where she earned her high school diploma. While there, she participated in the school choir and performed in a production of the musical Kiss Me, Kate.
She returned to Portugal and entered the Festival da Canção in 1996. She won the competition with her song O meu coração não tem cor. This victory allowed her to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest, where she finished in sixth place. This remains one of the country's most successful results in the contest.
Acting and film roles
Lúcia Moniz began her television acting career in 1997. She played the twins Susana and Bárbara in the soap opera A Grande Aposta. She followed this with a role in the successful soap opera Terra Mãe. Her international acting breakthrough occurred in 2003 when she played the character Aurélia in the British ensemble film Love Actually.
In 2017, she reprised her Love Actually role for the short film Red Nose Day Actually, which aired on British television to support the charity Comic Relief. Also, she won the Best Performance award at the 2021 Raindance Film Festival for her portrayal of a mother in the 2020 movie Listen.
Music releases and other work
She has released five studio albums throughout her music career. Her debut album, Magnolia, was released in 1999 and achieved Gold status in Portugal. She followed this with the album 67 in 2002, which she recorded with producer Nuno Bettencourt. Later releases include Leva-me p'ra casa in 2005, Fio de Luz in 2011, and Calendário in 2015.
Beyond music and acting, Lúcia has engaged in other creative projects. In 2011, she worked on the design for a cookbook that received a Gourmand Award. Two years later, she published a book of her own photography titled Vou Tentar Falar Sem Dizer Nada.
Birthday and age
Lúcia Moniz was born on September 9, 1976, which makes Lúcia 50 years old today. That birthday falls under the Virgo sign. Lúcia shares the date with 63 other famous people.
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