Grazi Massafera

Grazielli "Grazi" Soares Massafera, born on June 28, 1982, is a Brazilian actress and former model. She first achieved public attention through beauty pageants and reality television before transitioning into a career in acting and television presenting. Over the course of her career, she has established herself as a prominent figure in Brazilian media and earned recognition including an International Emmy Award nomination.

Massafera began her public career in pageantry. In 2004, she won the Miss Paraná competition and went on to represent her state in the national Miss Brasil contest later that year. She placed third in the national pageant, earning the title of Miss Brasil Internacional. This achievement allowed her to represent Brazil at the Miss International 2004 pageant held annually in China, though she did not reach the semi-finals. In 2005, Massafera gained widespread national recognition as a contestant on the fifth season of Big Brother Brasil, which became the most-watched season in the show's history. She finished in second place with 40 percent of the final vote and subsequently became the second former contestant from the franchise to establish a lasting celebrity career.

Following her appearance on Big Brother, Massafera experienced rapid media visibility, securing numerous commercial endorsements, public appearances, and magazine covers. She signed a one-year contract with the Brazilian television network Globo, where she was appointed as a reporter for the program Caldeirão do Huck, and plans were made for her to host a children's show. In August 2005, she appeared on the cover of Brazilian Playboy, becoming one of the publication's highest-paid subjects; the issue sold double the typical volume and became the best-selling cover of the year.

To prepare for a career in performance, Massafera enrolled in acting classes provided by Globo's acting department. She landed her first starring role in a 2005 Renato Aragão movie titled Didi, o Caçador de Tesouros. In early 2006, she secured a role in the Manoel Carlos soap opera Páginas da Vida on Rede Globo. Although she was initially cast in a small role, her part was expanded into a main character due to her popularity. The soap opera became the top show on Brazilian television with record ratings, and her performance received acclaim from both the press and the public.

Her breakout performance in Páginas da Vida earned her multiple honors, including the Prêmio Contigo for best newcomer and the Prêmio de Imprensa for personality of the year. Following her television success, she continued to expand her presence across various media and live events. In May 2007, she featured on her 134th magazine cover since 2005 on Boa Forma. That same year, she participated in a Rio Carnival parade with a Samba school, portrayed Maria in an Easter theatrical version of The Passion of Christ, and visited Portugal to film commercials.

Massafera continued her television acting career with a role in the soap opera Desejo Proibido from 2007 to 2008. In 2008, she was crowned queen of the Copacabana Palace carnival and received her first starring main role in a soap opera, playing a lead character in Negócio da China. Her acting achievements later culminated in a major international milestone in 2016, when she received a nomination for the International Emmy Award for Best Actress for her role in the telenovela Verdades Secretas.