Alessandra Maestrini

Daughter of the American Emílio and the Brazilian Noêmia Maestrini, Alessandra was born in Sorocaba, São Paulo. From an early age, she showed a passion for music, literature, and art in general. As a child, she enjoyed creating scenes, writing, singing, dancing, drawing, and directing her friends. After moving to Rio de Janeiro, she took a summer course with Cláudia Jimenez and, at the age of 11, joined the Tablado theater school. She began studying singing at 15, later transitioning to opera lessons with the renowned teacher Vera do Canto e Mello. A year later, she performed with the company of Daniel Herz and Suzanna Krueger. At 17, she was awarded a theater and music scholarship to study in the United States at the University of Evansville in Indiana.

In 1997, after returning to Brazil from her studies in the United States, Alessandra joined the cast of the award-winning musical As Malvadas,^[1] directed by Charles Möeller and Cláudio Botelho. From that point onward, her career flourished, with her work spanning theater, television, and cinema. She participated in other successful musicals, including O Abre Alas,^[2] Rent^[3] (as Maureen Johnson), Les Misérables^[4] (as Fantine), and Ópera do Malandro,^[5] also directed by Möeller and Botelho, where she portrayed Lúcia. She later took part in Ópera do Malandro em Concerto, a more compact version of the production.

Alessandra also collaborated with Lázaro Ramos and Drica Moraes in the play Mamãe Não Pode Saber and starred in O Casamento do Pequeno Burguês,^[6] earning a nomination for the Shell Award for Best Actress in 2004. Another notable production she appeared in was Utopia, an adaptation of Thomas More's 1516 classic.

In cinema, Alessandra worked with directors João Falcão (Fica Comigo Essa Noite), Miguel Falabella (Polaróides Urbanas), and Gleyson Spadetti (O Labirinto). On television, she appeared in the miniseries Chiquinha Gonzaga, the comedy Sob Nova Direção, and in the 2007 miniseries Amazônia: De Galvez a Chico Mendes, where she played Soledad, a singer in Maria Alonso's zarzuela company (portrayed by Christiane Torloni).

In 2007, Alessandra starred in the musical 7 - O Musical,^[7] created by Charles Möeller and Claudio Botelho, with a role written specifically for her. She portrayed Amélia, a betrayed woman seeking the help of a fortune teller, Carmen (played by Zezé Motta), to win back her husband. From 2007 to 2009, she captivated audiences as Bozena, the quirky Polish-Paranaense maid, in the comedy series Toma Lá Dá Cá. Her portrayal of Bozena, who humorously shared bizarre tales from her hometown of Pato Branco, Paraná, earned her honorary citizenship from the town.

While wrapping up Toma Lá Dá Cá, Alessandra debuted in Doce Deleite, directed by Marília Pêra, and began filming the soap opera Tempos Modernos, where she played the singer Ditta. In 2010, she recorded a cover of Cindy Lauper's True Colors for the international soundtrack of the soap opera Ti-Ti-Ti.

In 2012, Alessandra released her debut album, Drama ’n Jazz,^[8] through Som Livre. Shortly after, she recorded an English version of Chico Buarque's Eu Te Amo titled I Love You for the soundtrack of the soap opera Aquele Beijo. In 2014, she toured with Drama ’n Jazz and participated in the Nascente e Foz project, which combined poetry and music in major cities across Brazil. She also joined the ensemble cast of As Cantrizes, a musical production featuring renowned singer-actresses like Marisa Orth and Zezé Motta, held at São Paulo's Centro Cultural dos Correios.

Her television credits during this period include Correio Feminino^[9] (Fantástico), As Canalhas^[10] (GNT), and the feature film A Primeira Missa ou Tristes Tropeços, Enganos e Urucum, a comedy directed by Ana Carolina. Her performance as an indigenous character in the film earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Prêmio Qualidade Brasil. In 2014, Alessandra also performed in Sexo e as Negas,^[11] a series by Miguel Falabella, and independently produced Yentl em Concerto,^[12] based on Isaac Bashevis Singer's Yentl – The Yeshiva Boy, featuring music immortalized by Barbra Streisand.

Continuing her Drama ’n Jazz shows in 2015, she was named Voice Ambassador of the Year by the Brazilian Society of Speech-Language Pathology and made a guest appearance on the series Mister Brau.

In 2016, Alessandra returned to As Cantrizes in Rio de Janeiro's Centro Cultural dos Correios and began preparing to star in Tempero Secreto^[13] (GNT), where she played Cecília, a former advertising executive who uses her marketing skills to launch a restaurant catering to foodies. That year, she also resumed her Drama ’n Jazz show at Teatro Porto Seguro and brought Yentl back to the stage in São Paulo.

In 2014, Alessandra came out as bisexual during an interview to Caras magazine, saying:

"A good part of my friends are artists, 'open-minded' like me. The press always treats me with the care and discretion I would hope for, and yet, I am exhausted. Exhausted from not feeling unconditionally loved. Exhausted from not allowing myself to love and be loved as I should and as I deserve. Exhausted from feeling rejected, and, of course, especially by myself. Exhausted from taking superficial stances on so many issues to 'avoid exposing myself.' I am not giving up my privacy. I am insisting on my identity."^[14]

In 2015, Alessandra participated in the Rucoming Out Summer event in London, which raised funds for NGOs that support LGBTQ individuals who have experienced bullying and are at risk of harm.