# Alice Braga

Alice Braga Moraes (Brazilian Portuguese:; born 15 April 1983) is a Brazilian actress and producer. She has appeared in several Brazilian films, starring as Angélica in the acclaimed City of God (2002), Karinna in Lower City (2005), and Dolores in Only God Knows (2006).
Braga came to international prominence after appearing opposite Will Smith in I Am Legend (2007), and has since become a familiar face in Hollywood, having appeared in films such as Predators (2010), The Rite (2011), Elysium (2013), The Shack (2017), Soul (2020), and The Suicide Squad (2021). She portrayed the starring role of Teresa Mendoza in the USA Network crime drama-thriller television series Queen of the South (2016–2021). In 2024, she starred in the Apple TV+ science fiction series Dark Matter.

## Early life

Alice Braga Moraes was born in São Paulo and raised in a Catholic family. She speaks fluent Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
Her exposure to acting came at an early age; both her mother Ana Braga and aunt Sônia Braga are actresses, and she often accompanied them to film sets. She began her career by appearing in school plays and commercials. Her first commercial was for yogurt when she was 8 years old. As a teenager, she began pursuing roles in television and films.

## Career

Braga made her acting debut in the Portuguese-language short film Trampolim (1998) and then returned to her schooling. Her breakthrough came when she was cast as Angélica in the critically acclaimed crime film City of God (2002), for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination from the Cinema Brazil Grand Prize. Afterward, she attended university while appearing in a pair of well-regarded South American films: Lower City (2005) and Only God Knows (2006). She also appeared in the popular Brazilian television program Carandiru, Outras Historias (2005).
Braga made her English-language debut with a starring role alongside Brendan Fraser, Mos Def, and Catalina Sandino Moreno in the crime thriller Journey to the End of Night (2006), which premiered at the 5th Annual Tribeca Film Festival. She received further recognition when she was cast opposite Will Smith in the blockbuster action thriller I Am Legend (2007). She subsequently had roles in the David Mamet-directed martial arts film Redbelt (2008), alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, the post-apocalyptic thriller Blindness (2008), alongside Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo, and the crime drama Crossing Over (2009), alongside Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Jim Sturgess, and Ashley Judd.
Braga portrayed Beth in the science fiction film Repo Men (2010). She starred as Isabelle in Nimród Antal's science fiction action film Predators (2010), which was shot and produced by Troublemaker Studios and Robert Rodriguez. Braga appeared as Frey Santiago in Neill Blomkamp's science fiction action film Elysium (2013), co-starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. In 2014, she starred as Vania in the Brazilian jungle film The Ardor, as Olivia in the Argentine romance drama Latitudes, and as Alice Taylor in Kriv Stenders' action-thriller Kill Me Three Times.
In 2016, Braga starred as Marisol Kingston in the western drama The Duel, alongside Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson. In 2017, she starred as Sophia in the Christian drama The Shack, alongside Octavia Spencer and Sam Worthington, based on the novel of the same name.
From 2016 to 2021, Braga starred in the crime drama series Queen of the South, produced for USA Network, an adaptation of Arturo Perez-Reverte's best-selling novel La Reina del Sur. The series marked Braga's first lead American television role. She previously had small supporting roles in a non-English television series.
Braga starred as Cecilia Reyes in the superhero horror film The New Mutants, which was released in 2020. She starred as Maggie Teixeira in the HBO drama miniseries We Are Who We Are, which was written and directed by filmmaker Luca Guadagnino. Braga appeared in the superhero action film The Suicide Squad, which was released in August 2021.

## Personal life

Braga maintains residences in Los Angeles, California, and São Paulo, Brazil. She is friends with actors Diego Luna and Wagner Moura.

### Relationships

In January 2020, Braga revealed she was in a relationship with actress Bianca Comparato, which began three years prior. In December 2023, it was reported that Braga and Comparato had separated.
As of February 2024, Braga is in a relationship with producer Renata Brandão.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | Trampolim | Cláudia | Short film |
| 2002 | City of God | Angélica | |
| 2005 | Lower City | Karinna | |
| 2006 | Only God Knows | Dolores | |
| 2006 | Journey to the End of the Night | Monique | |
| 2006 | Drained | Waitress | |
| 2007 | The Milky Way | Júlia | |
| 2007 | Rummikub | Daughter from São Paulo | Short film |
| 2007 | I Am Legend | Anna Montez | |
| 2008 | Redbelt | Sondra Terry | |
| 2008 | Blindness | Woman with Dark Glasses | |
| 2009 | Crossing Over | Mireya Sanchez | |
| 2009 | Cabeça a Prêmio | Elaine | |
| 2010 | Repo Men | Beth | |
| 2010 | Predators | Isabelle | |
| 2010 | Predators: Moments of Extraction | Isabelle (voice) | Short film |
| 2011 | The Rite | Angelina Vargas | |
| 2012 | On the Road | Terry / Bea Franco | |
| 2012 | City of God – 10 Years Later | Herself | |
| 2012 | Uma Vida Inteira | Woman | Short film |
| 2013 | Elysium | Frey Santiago | |
| 2013 | Os Amigos | Júlia | |
| 2014 | Muitos Homens Num Só | Eva | |
| 2014 | Latitudes | Olivia | Also producer |
| 2014 | The Ardor | Vania | |
| 2014 | Kill Me Three Times | Alice Taylor | |
| 2016 | The Duel | Marisol Kingston | |
| 2016 | Entre Idas E Vindas | Sandra | |
| 2017 | The Shack | Sophia | |
| 2020 | Eduardo & Mônica | Mônica | |
| 2020 | The New Mutants | Cecilia Reyes | |
| 2020 | Soul | Counselor Jerry A (voice) | |
| 2021 | 22 vs. Earth | Counselor Jerry A (voice) | Short film |
| 2021 | The Suicide Squad | Sol Soria | |
| 2023 | Hypnotic | Diana Cruz | |
| TBA | House/Wife | Grace Sutton | Post-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | Carandiru, Outras Histórias | Vânia | Episode: "Ezequiel, o Azarado" |
| 2010 | Superbonita | Host | Unknown episodes |
| 2012 | The Brazilians | Mirtes | Episode: "The Tameless from Ceará" |
| 2014 | A Mulher da Sua Vida | Roberta | Episode: "Roberta" |
| 2016–2021 | Queen of the South | Teresa Mendoza | Lead role; also executive producer |
| 2018 | Samantha! | Symantha | 2 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2019 | Sintonia | None | 6 episodes; producer |
| 2020 | We Are Who We Are | Maggie Teixeira | Main role |
| 2022 | Slumberkins | Sloth's Mother (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2023 | A Murder at the End of the World | Sian | Main role |
| 2024 | Dark Matter | Amanda | Main role |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2021 | Predator: Hunting Grounds | Isabelle (voice) |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2003 | Cinema Brazil Grand Prize | Best Supporting Actress | City of God | Won |
| 2005 | Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival | Best Actress | Lower City | Won |
| 2006 | ACIE Awards | Best Actress | Lower City | Won |
| 2006 | São Paulo Association of Art Critics Awards | Best Actress | Lower City | Won |
| 2006 | SESC Film Festival | Audience Award Best Actress | Lower City | Won |
| 2006 | SESC Film Festival | Critics Award Best Actress | Lower City | Won |
| 2006 | Verona Love Screens Film Festival | Best Acting Performance | Lower City | Won |
| 2006 | Prêmio Contigo Cinema | Best Actress | Lower City | Won |
| 2007 | Cinema Brazil Grand Prize | Best Actress | Lower City | Won |
| 2008 | Black Reel Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Blindness | Nominated |
| 2008 | SESC Film Festival | Audience Award Best Actress | The Milky Way | Won |
| 2008 | Cinema Brazil Grand Prize | Best Supporting Actress | Drained | Nominated |
| 2009 | Cinema Brazil Grand Prize | Best Supporting Actress | Blindness | Nominated |
| 2009 | Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival | Best Actress | Cabeça a Prêmio | Won |
| 2010 | Festival de Cinema de Punta del Este | Best Actress | Cabeça a Prêmio | Won |
| 2011 | Cinema Brazil Grand Prize | Best Actress | Cabeça a Prêmio | Nominated |
| 2014 | Cine PE | Best Actress | Muitos Homens Num Só | Won |
| 2015 | Cinema Brazil Grand Prize | Best Supporting Actress | Os Amigos | Nominated |
| 2016 | Cinema Brazil Grand Prize | Best Actress | Muitos Homens Num Só | Nominated |
| 2017 | Cinema Brazil Grand Prize | Best Supporting Actress | Entre Idas e Vidas | Nominated |
| 2017 | Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Actress – Television | Queen of the South | Nominated |
| 2018 | Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Actress – Television | Queen of the South | Nominated |
| 2019 | Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Actress – Television | Queen of the South | Nominated |
| 2020 | Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Actress – Television | Queen of the South | Nominated |
| 2021 | Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Actress – Television | Queen of the South | Nominated |