Name	Xuxa Meneghel
Height	5' 10"
Naionality	Brazillian
Date of Birth	27 March 1963
Place of Birth	Santa Rosa, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Famous for

Xuxa’s stint for Playboy magazine paved her way to the screen, where she immediately acquired the female lead role of Diana in O Fuscão Preto (1982) and then received the part of Tamara, a prostitute seducing a 13-year old boy, in the drama Amor estranho Amor (1982). Later on, Xuxa bought the copyrights to Amor estranho Amor and restricted the distribution of the film. Also, she went to the small screen and had a small role in the series “Elas por Elas” (1982) before appearing in the family comedy movies O Trapalhão na Arca de Noé (1983), Os Trapalhões e o Mágico de Oróz (1984, as Aninha) and Os Trapalhões no Reino da Fantasia (1985, played Irmã Maria).

Latin America’s media giant Globo TV took Xuxa under their wing in 1985. A year later, she was hosting the long-running children show “Xou da Xuxa” (1986-1992), a weekday morning TV program presenting musical performances, games, guests and cartoons. The series was known for the pink spaceship Xuxa arrived in at the beginning of the show, as well as Xuxa kissing a boy’s cheek at the end of the show.

Following the massive success of the show, the album Xou da Xuxa was released in 1986 and sold over 2 million copies. Almost concurrently, other show-supporting albums were issued, such as Xegundo Xou da Xuxa (1987), Karaokê da Xuxa (1987) and Xou da Xuxa 3 (1988). The latter album became the biggest-selling album in Brazil and the first single, “Ilariê,” ruled the Latin America charts.

Xuxa, who was seen in the erotic Eu (1987), continued to build her fame with the hero characters in the family movie Super Xuxa Contra o Baixo Astral (1988, as Xuxa) and A Princesa Xuxa e os Trapalhões (1989, as Princess Xeron), both of which ended up box-office hits. While hosting the kid program “El Show de Xuxa” (1990-1993) for an Argentinean TV channel, the star took the turn of Tatiana in the modern day tale adaptation O Mistério de Robin Hood (1990) and played Maria da Graça in the Tizuka Yamasaki-directed family film Lua de Cristal (1990).

After doing the Spanish version of her TV program in Argentina, Xuxa extended her talents to the Spain-recorded “Xuxa Park” (1992) and the English-language “Xuxa” (1993). Additionally, the productive performer recorded a self-titled album in 1993 and several other titles during the next years (1994’s Sexto Sentido, 1995’s Luz No Meu Caminho, 1996’s Xuxa 10 Anos and Tô de Bem Com A Vida, 1997’s Arraiá da Xuxa and Boas Notícias).

Xuxa, who in 1994 hosted the less successful “Xuxa Hits,” also appeared in “Planeta Xuxa” (1997-2002). Later, both of her 1997 shows were cancelled after a fire at Xuxa Park sent some children to the hospital.

In 1999, Xuxa emerged on the big screen as Nena, a journalist and ex-student of a dance academy trying to prevent her ex-school from being sold, in the family drama Xuxa Requebra, for which she also sang “Efeito Dominó” and “Só O Nosso Amor.” Rounding up the year, the artist launched the album Xuxa 2000 (1999).

In the new millennium, the pop star recorded more songs and put their video clips in CDs and a DVD under the title Xuxa Só para Baixinhos series (Xuxa Just for Kids). Soon, the first and second album of the series, which was released in 2000 and 2001, won two Grammys. Up to now, there are six volumes of the series, the last of which was titled Xuxa Só Pra Baixinhos 6 - Xuxa Festa (2005).

Some of the other films Xuxa was seen in are Popstar (2000, as Nick the top model), Xuxa e os Duendes (2001, starred as Kira) and its sequel Xuxa e os Duendes 2 - No caminho das Fadas (2002). The host of the fantasy series “Xuxa no Mundo da Imaginação” (2002), Xuxa also had leading turn as Sofia in Xuxa Abracadabra (2003), Bárbara/Deusa Blomma in Xuxa E o Tesouro da Cidade Perdida (2004) and guardian angel Xuxa/Xuxinha in the animated film Xuxinha e Guto Contra os Monstros do Espaço (2005). In 2006, the performer will have her first villainous character in Xuxa Gêmeas.