Larissa Manoela Taques Elias Santo (born December 28, 2000), known as Larissa Manoela, was born in Guarapuava, Paraná. She is the daughter of real estate consultant Gilberto Elias Santos and educator Silvana Taques. At the age of 4, while shopping with her mother at a supermarket, she was discovered by a talent scout who recommended her to an agency. At 5, she participated in the "Projeto Passarela" contest, where she emerged as the first among 300 children.
Her first TV appearance was in 2006, playing herself in the series "Mothern" on GNT channel. In the same year, she acted in the play "A Noviça Rebelde" as Greti. In 2010, she portrayed Dalva de Oliveira as a child in the series "Dalva e Hervelto: uma Canção de Amor." She also appeared as Lequinha in the series "Na Fama e na Lama" on Multishow. Additionally, in 2010, she played Baby June in the play "Gypsy."
In 2011, Larissa Manoela made her debut in cinema in "Essa Maldita Vontade de Ser Pássaro" as Pedrita. That same year, she starred in the film "O Palhaço," directed and starring Selton Melo, in the role of Guilhermina. The movie was Brazil's submission for the 2013 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. In theater, also in 2011, she performed in "As Bruxas de Eastwich" as Maria Clara.
Her success as an actress and a long-term contract with SBT led Larissa's parents to move from Paraná to São Paulo to support her career. In 2012, SBT aired the soap opera "Corações Feridos," where she played Viviane. That same year, SBT created a children's time slot in prime time with the school-based soap opera "Carrossel," where she portrayed Maria Joaquina, a role that became a major hit.
In 2013, Larissa starred in SBT's series "Patrulha Salvadora" as Maria Joaquina, a character that brought her nationwide recognition. In 2014, she released her first album, "Com Você." In 2015, SBT launched the soap opera "Cúmplices de um Resgate," written by Iris Abravanel, wife of Silvio Santos, where Larissa played the twins Manoela and Isabela, the evil twin. In July 2015, "Carrossel: o Filme," a co-production of SBT, directed by Alexandre Boury and Maurício Eça, was released in cinemas and achieved box office success. In December 2015, SBT renewed Larissa Manoela's contract for another two years.
On her 15th birthday, Larissa celebrated with a fairy tale-themed party attended by friends and family in São Paulo. She publicly announced her relationship with João Guilherme, son of the singer Leonardo, who portrayed Joaquim in the soap opera "Cúmplices de um Resgate."
The actress received nominations such as "Revelation" at the Extra Television Award (2012) and "Best Child Actress" at the Contigo Award (2013). In 2013, she won the Troféu Imprensa for "Revelation Actress." In 2014, she received the Troféu Imprensa for "Revelation Actress" for her role as Maria Joaquina in the soap opera Carrossel.
