LIA TORA

Lia Tora (born Horacia Correa D'Avila) was a Brazilian actress from the 1920s 1930s. Note that this is an incredibly fascinating woman (not just for movies, but for her entire life, some of which is hard to believe), but sadly, she is completely forgotten today! A few of the highlights: in 1924 at the age of 17, she was a Brazilian dancer. That year, she married Julio De Moraes (a Brazilian newspaperman and industrialist who also wrote and directed) who was 26 years older than her and had twins the following year. When her children were a year old, she entered a contest that William Fox had in other countries, and she won, getting a trip to Hollywood and an audition. She went to Hollywood in 1927. Unfortunately, after one movie, sound came in, and she could barely speak any English. But she wrote a screenplay that was made into a movie in 1929, with her in a role that required little speaking. But the movie was not successful, and she was released from Fox. She started a company to make movies in Hollywood to distribute in South America. She appeared in some of the Spanish language versions of U.S. movies that were made in 1931 and 1932. She then returned to Brazil, where she became a race car driver! In 1934, she was seriously injured in the Brazilian Grand Prix, but recovered. She became involved in Brazilian politics. She was involved in an attempted coup d'etat, but it failed, and her co-conspirators were convicted, but not her. She passed away in 1972 at the age of 65. Perhaps there will be a movie of her life made someday!