Adriana Ferreyr

Adriana Ferreyr
File:Adriana Ferreyr Cannes 2017 a.jpg File:Adriana Ferreyr Cannes 2017 a.jpg Ferreyr at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival
Born	(1983-05-18) 18 May 1983 Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
🏳️ Citizenship	Brazil United States
🎓 Alma mater	Columbia University Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
💼 Occupation	Actress, entrepreneur
📆 Years active	1992–present
🌐 Website	adrianaferreyr.com

Adriana Ferreyr (born 18 May 1983) is a Brazilian-American film, television, stage actress and entrepreneur. Born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, she rose to prominence at the age of 19 after landing the lead antagonist role of Vanessa Lima do Vale in the prime-time SBT series Marisol (Brazilian TV series), one of the most commercially successful series in the network's history. The series has since been rerun three times (2007, 2012, and 2023) and broadcast internationally across Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, and parts of Western Europe.

Early life and education

Ferreyr was born on 18 May 1983 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, the daughter of Rogério Ferreiro, a civil engineer.

Her acting career began in the theater at the age of eight when she joined the theater company of the late and widely respected director Fernando Peltier. She performed in several productions, including O Jardim das Borboletas (The Butterfly Garden), O Jardim das Abelhas (The Bees' Garden) — for which she won an award for Best Child Actress — Turma da Mônica (Monica and her Pals), and The Sound of Music (A Noviça Rebelde), a landmark multimedia theatrical production staged at the Cine Teatro Casa do Comércio in Salvador. Produced with a budget of US$30,000, the show combined theater, music, and classical dance, and was developed over 30 days of intensive rehearsals. The production was directed by Peltier alongside ballet dancer Louise Sande, who also served as choreographer, and featured a cast of young performers trained in both acting and classical dance. The production was notable for its high production values, including elaborate costumes and live orchestral arrangements of the original Rodgers and Hammerstein score. Alongside her theater work, Ferreyr was a prolific child actress in her hometown of Salvador, booking numerous speaking roles in television commercials and achieving recognition within the city. She participated in two national McDonald's commercials, one of which achieved considerable notoriety. Ferreyr also underwent rigorous training in classical ballet, studying under Louise Sandy at her ballet school in Salvador, and later with a director of the Joffrey Ballet at Ballet Dalal Achcar in Rio de Janeiro.

Adriana Ferreyr as Marta in The Sound of Music in July 1992

At the age of 15, she participated in an exchange program at Monroe-Woodbury High School in Central Valley, New York, where her coursework included advanced mathematics, physics, and Advanced Placement Physics Electromagnetism. During that period she attended acting, dance, and singing classes on Saturdays at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. Upon completing the program, she was awarded a scholarship to attend Bard College at Simon's Rock, which she declined in order to return to Brazil.

At 16, she enrolled in law school at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), and around that time became an apprentice and protégé of acclaimed actress and acting teacher Camilla Amado, who lived a few blocks from the university in the Gávea neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro. Amado was widely regarded as one of Brazil's foremost acting teachers, having trained many of the country's most prominent actors. During this period Ferreyr received critical acclaim for her stage performances, including the title role in August Strindberg's Miss Julie, the one-woman play Valse Number 6 by Nelson Rodrigues, and Helena in William Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well, among others.

After two years at PUC-Rio, she landed the lead antagonist role in the prime-time SBT telenovela Marisol (2002), playing Vanessa Lima do Vale, Marisol's adopted daughter. Marisol proved to be a major commercial success for SBT and one of the most successful series in the network's history,

Following Marisol, Ferreyr returned to the United States, and later pursuing a double major in financial economics and philosophy with a minor in computer science at Columbia University's School of General Studies.

File:Adriana Ferreyr attends for American Film Market 2016 "Thai Film Night" at the launch of the “Thailand Film Incentive Measure”.jpg

Adriana Ferreyr at the 2016 American Film Market for “Thailand Film Incentive Measure”

Career

Television

In 2002, Ferreyr starred in the prime-time SBT telenovela Marisol, playing Vanessa Lima do Vale, the adopted daughter of the titular character. The series was a major commercial success for SBT, debuting on April 9, 2002, to an average of 16 IBOPE points and peaking at 20 points in the Greater São Paulo area. Over its original run, the series frequently competed against Rede Globo's flagship newscast Jornal Nacional and its prime-time novela Esperança, regularly sustaining averages of 19 to 22 IBOPE points during those competitive slots, concluding with a general average of approximately 13 points, well above SBT's benchmark for the timeslot.

Ferreyr's storyline proved to be a turning point in the series' viewership. The show's highest ratings coincided with its second narrative phase, driven by the introduction of her character Vanessa Lima do Vale and the "Verônica" revenge arc, with audiences tuning in at peak numbers to follow Marisol's dramatic transformation and her systematic revenge against Amparo and her allies. Public reception highlighted Ferreyr's portrayal of Vanessa as a standout, with media outlets praising her ability to convey the character's complex mix of vulnerability and defiance, which resonated with younger audiences and propelled her to national fame. Brazilian press coverage, including features in outlets like Folha de S.Paulo, noted the novela's role in launching Ferreyr as one of the country's most recognized young actresses, with her performance generating buzz for its emotional depth despite her limited prior experience. The role's visibility led to an immediate career surge, including increased media appearances and subsequent acting offers within Brazil's telenovela industry, solidifying her status as a rising star.

Marisol has since been rerun three times on SBT following its original broadcast. The series was first rerun from January 1 to March 23, 2007, in a condensed format of 60 episodes, though this rerun was considered a ratings disappointment, leading SBT to heavily edit the episode count. It was rebroadcast a second time from March 5 to August 20, 2012, in 119 episodes, performing significantly better and frequently reaching peaks of 8 IBOPE points. A third rerun aired in early 2023, proving to be a strong asset for SBT's afternoon programming block, growing its audience week-over-week and consistently ranking among the network's highest-rated afternoon programmes. Its conclusion was notably felt when its replacement, Rebelde, saw an immediate ratings decline upon Marisol leaving the schedule.

Entrepreneurship

In 2011, Ferreyr owned a retail business selling sunglasses and Christmas ornaments through kiosks in malls on the West Coast of the United States.

Personal life

Ferreyr previously dated George Soros for 5 years. On August 10, 2011, Ferreyr filed a $50 million lawsuit against Soros for fraud, harassment, emotional distress, estoppel and assault and battery. In 2011 Soros tried to dismiss the lawsuit and was unsuccessful. In March 2013, Soros sued Ferreyr for defamation and assault. On April 1, 2014, Soros won a partial dismissal of Ferreyr's lawsuit; the appellate court, in a unanimous decision, dismissed her claims of fraud, infliction of emotional distress and other claims against Soros. The appellate court didn't dismiss Ferreyr's claim of assault and battery, however.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2016	Love Circumstances	Doctor Saoirse
2017	Space Opera – The Shade of Human Soul	Earth Control
2017	Killing is Killing	Ruth Sannon

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	Marisol	Vanessa Lima do vale

External links

• Adriana Ferreyr on IMDb

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