Regina Duarte mourns the death of Ilva Niño, the maid Mina from ‘Roque Santeiro’

Actress Regina Duarte, 77, used social media to mourn the death of actress Ilva Niño, aged 90, due to respiratory, digestive and kidney complications, which culminated in multiple organ failure.

With more than 30 soap operas under her belt, the actress became well known for her role as the maid Mina in “Roque Santeiro” (Globo, 1985), a character who played directly opposite Viúva Porcina, the role of Regina in the plot by Dias Gomes (1922-1999) and Aguinaldo Silva.

“This is not the time to shout. But how can I fail to post the affection and affection that brought me together with Ilva Niño who left us today?”, began Regina in the post.

“In our meeting on the soap opera ‘Roque Santeiro’, I had the privilege of living with her. Allow, Our Lord, that we can continue laughing and chasing happiness”, he added.

In the soap opera, Mina was Porcina’s maid, to whom she was faithful, confidant and accomplice. The role of maid was a recurring role in Ilva’s career for more than six decades. But she also experienced many housewives or northeastern women in their work.

From the 1970s onwards, Niño began to have several roles in Globo soap operas — most of them as women with a strong personality. It was Alzira, the mother of the characters of Betty Faria and Elizangela, in “Pecado Capital”, from 1975, and Cotinha, the eldest of four sisters from Pernambuco, in “Sem Lenço, sem Documento”, from 1977.

She also acted in “A Patota”, from 1972, “Gabriela”, from 1975 and “Feijão Maravilha”, from 1979, before consolidating herself in the 1980s. After participating in “Água Vida”, from 1980, she stood out in the soap opera “Partido Alto”, from 1984, which dealt with samba, breakdance, carnival and Jogo do Bicho in prime time. Niño gave life to the gossiper Iara, to whom her husband was submissive.