Juliana Paes

Juliana Couto Paes is a Brazilian actress and former model who became nationally recognized for her performances in Rede Globo telenovelas and her modeling work. Born on March 26, 1979, in Rio Bonito, Rio de Janeiro, she is the oldest child of Regina Couto and Carlos Henrique Paes and has three siblings. Paes, who holds a university degree, has a diverse ancestry comprising Arab, Indigenous, African, Spanish, and Portuguese heritage.

Early in her career, Paes appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine in May 2004. In 2006, she was named one of the one hundred sexiest people in the world by People Magazine. Following this international projection, she hired an agent to explore an acting career in the United States. Throughout her career, she has starred in advertising campaigns for brands such as Colorama and Hope, served as the face of Arezzo, and replaced top model Gisele Bündchen in campaigns for the jewelry brand Vivara. Beyond screen roles, she also starred as Ulla in a local stage production of the musical The Producers.

Paes achieved a major career milestone when she starred as Maya Meetha in the 2009 telenovela Caminho das Índias, written by Glória Perez. The role marked her debut as a protagonist and placed her in the group of lead actors for Rede Globo's eight o'clock telenovelas. The production won an Emmy Award in 2009, and that same year, Revista Época listed Paes as one of the 100 most influential Brazilians.

In September 2010, Paes debuted as the host of the program Por un fio on GNT. After the birth of her first child, she returned to television in September 2011 with a guest appearance on the remake of O Astro. In 2012, she played Janaína in "The Justice of Olinda" episode of As Brasileiras, directed by Daniel Filho, and starred as the title protagonist in the remake of Gabriela, written by Walcyr Carrasco and directed by Roberto Talma and Mauro Mendonça Filho.

In 2014, Paes accepted an invitation from director Luiz Fernando Carvalho to star in the reboot of Benedito Ruy Barbosa's Meu Pedacinho de Chão. That same year, she presented a new version of Golden Globe on Canal Viva alongside Márcio Garcia. In 2016, she played the villain Carolina in Totalmente Demais alongside Marina Ruy Barbosa, Fábio Assunção, and Felipe Simas. She resumed her partnership with Glória Perez in 2017, portraying Fabiana Escobar, known as Bibi Perigosa, in A Força do Querer. The telenovela achieved high ratings, and her character became widely popular, earning numerous awards from critics.

Paes married businessman Carlos Eduardo Baptista on September 9, 2008, at the Itanhangá Golf Club. The couple has two sons, born on December 16, 2010, in Rio de Janeiro, and July 21, 2013, in Barra da Tijuca. Outside of her entertainment career, Paes is a fan of football and publicly identified herself as a supporter of Vasco da Gama in 2011.