Norma Aleandro

Aleandro's one-woman show, "Sobre el Amor y Otras Cuentos," adapted from the writings of well-known Spanish and Latin American writers, toured South America before landing in New York in 1985, garnering her an OBIE Award. She then enjoyed a brief screen career in the USA, highlighted by her Oscar-nominated supporting turn as a woman devoted to helping a younger female cope with cerebral palsy in Luis Mandoki's "Gaby--A True Story" (1987), not to mention her colorful portrayal of Isabella Rossellini's mother in "Cousins" (1989), an Americanization of the French film "Cousin, Cousine" (1975). Her outstanding performance as Clara Goldstein in "La Seconda Volta/Autumn Sun" (1996) displayed a mature ardor as she essayed a lonely woman seeking a mate through personal advertisements and won her a Best Actress Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival. After tackling the tour de force stage role of Maria Callas in the Buenos Aires production of Terrence McNally's "Master Class" (1996), Aleandro offered a fine supporting turn as the mother of a future filmmaker in Hector Babenco's semi-autobiographical "Corazon iluminado/Foolish Heart" (1998).