Biography
Born in France to Portuguese singer Nícia Silva de Abreu, Gilda de Abreu established herself as a pioneering scriptwriter, actress, and film director in Brazil and maintained a partnership with Ary Barroso. She arrived in Brazil at age four solely for baptism and returned to the country where her mother had settled; World War I then compelled Nícia to bring her there permanently, after which the elder Abreu became Gilda’s first vocal instructor. De Abreu later received her diploma from the National Institute of Music.
Her marriage to the already celebrated tenor Vicente Celestino, with whom she appeared in numerous operettas, propelled her career forward. Attracted to cinema by Oduvaldo Viana in an acting capacity, she also moved into directing after completing O Ébrio, one of the most enduringly popular titles in Brazilian film history.
After 1920 she performed leading roles at Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Theater, opening with Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Delibes’ Lakmé, and Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and it was during this period that she met her future husband.
Her earliest recordings, made in 1930, included “A Baiana Tem Cocada,” “Tenha Medo do Bicho,” “O Kinkalou,” “You’re Always in My Arms,” “Se Estou Sonhando,” “Bonequinha de Seda,” and “I Love You.” She continued to release albums as a vocalist until 1963 without achieving commercial success. In 1933 she began working in music revues, appearing in the operetta A Canção Brasileira (Luís Iglésias/Miguel Santos/Henrique Vogeler) alongside Vicente Celestino, whom she married five months after the premiere. From that point until his death she collaborated with Celestino on songs, musical revues, and film scripts.
In 1935 she starred in Oduvaldo Viana’s film Bonequinha de Seda, drawn from her own namesake waltz that had succeeded in her husband’s interpretation. That year she also wrote the operetta Aleluia, which opened in 1939.
Her debut as a director occurred in 1937 with Alegria. In 1942 she joined Ary Barroso to supply lyrics for “Mestiça” and likewise wrote the words to “Ouvindo-Te” (music by Celestino), both of which became hits for Vicente Celestino. She and Celestino toured Brazil in 1944 with their operetta company. Two years later she wrote the screenplay for and directed O Ébrio, based on the song Celestino had composed and popularized since 1937—a portrait of a life destroyed by alcohol that preceded Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend (1945). With Celestino in the lead role, the film immediately packed theaters and established a box-office record. De Abreu scored another screen success in 1951 with a story inspired by Celestino’s hit Coração Materno, which he had written and performed. She also produced several children’s books and novels as well as the 1956 biography A Vida de Vicente Celestino.
Her marriage to the already celebrated tenor Vicente Celestino, with whom she appeared in numerous operettas, propelled her career forward. Attracted to cinema by Oduvaldo Viana in an acting capacity, she also moved into directing after completing O Ébrio, one of the most enduringly popular titles in Brazilian film history.
After 1920 she performed leading roles at Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Theater, opening with Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Delibes’ Lakmé, and Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and it was during this period that she met her future husband.
Her earliest recordings, made in 1930, included “A Baiana Tem Cocada,” “Tenha Medo do Bicho,” “O Kinkalou,” “You’re Always in My Arms,” “Se Estou Sonhando,” “Bonequinha de Seda,” and “I Love You.” She continued to release albums as a vocalist until 1963 without achieving commercial success. In 1933 she began working in music revues, appearing in the operetta A Canção Brasileira (Luís Iglésias/Miguel Santos/Henrique Vogeler) alongside Vicente Celestino, whom she married five months after the premiere. From that point until his death she collaborated with Celestino on songs, musical revues, and film scripts.
In 1935 she starred in Oduvaldo Viana’s film Bonequinha de Seda, drawn from her own namesake waltz that had succeeded in her husband’s interpretation. That year she also wrote the operetta Aleluia, which opened in 1939.
Her debut as a director occurred in 1937 with Alegria. In 1942 she joined Ary Barroso to supply lyrics for “Mestiça” and likewise wrote the words to “Ouvindo-Te” (music by Celestino), both of which became hits for Vicente Celestino. She and Celestino toured Brazil in 1944 with their operetta company. Two years later she wrote the screenplay for and directed O Ébrio, based on the song Celestino had composed and popularized since 1937—a portrait of a life destroyed by alcohol that preceded Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend (1945). With Celestino in the lead role, the film immediately packed theaters and established a box-office record. De Abreu scored another screen success in 1951 with a story inspired by Celestino’s hit Coração Materno, which he had written and performed. She also produced several children’s books and novels as well as the 1956 biography A Vida de Vicente Celestino.