Eliana Rocha

Eliana Rocha was born in Santos, on the coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in April 1944. She graduated in law and also trained in theatre. After moving to the state capital she worked as a proofreader and text editor, skills she later used as a writer and book editor alongside her acting career.

Rocha began acting on the São Paulo stage in the mid 1960s, appearing in O Cristo Nu under the direction of Carlos Alberto Soffredini. In the 1970s she worked with Flávio Rangel on A Capital Federal (1972) and, in 1974, joined Jandira Martini, Ney Latorraca and others in founding the theatre company Royal Bexiga's Company, which staged a series of productions. Over her career she appeared in more than thirty plays, among them As Avestruzes (1979, directed by Irene Ravache), O Estranho Casal (1991), Porca Miséria (1995, Gianni Ratto), As Mulheres da Minha Vida (2006, Daniel Filho), A Graça da Vida (with Nathalia Timberg), A Gaiola das Loucas (2011, Miguel Falabella) and Volpone (2016).

On television she appeared in the telenovelas Meu Bem, Meu Mal (1990), Razão de Viver (1996), Chiquititas (1998), Marisol (2002) and Negócio da China (2008), where she played Luli Maria Alonso, as well as in Mothern and Toma Lá, Dá Cá. Her best known role was Luz Divina in Miguel Falabella's TV Globo comedy Pé na Cova, which she played in 71 episodes from 2013 to 2016. Her last television role was Belize Bangalow in Eu, a Vó e a Boi (2019). On film she appeared in the short Divina Previdência (1983) and the feature A Causa Secreta (1994).

As a writer and editor she wrote Marcos Caruso: um obstinado (2007), a biography of the actor and playwright for the Coleção Aplauso of Imprensa Oficial do Estado de São Paulo, and Memórias de um tempo não vivido (2017). She also prepared the text of 50, Eu?, the autobiography of Zeca Camargo.

Rocha kept her private life largely out of public view. Her family's statement after her death described her as a loving mother and grandmother. She had long working friendships with Miguel Falabella, Jandira Martini and Marcos Caruso, among others.

Eliana Rocha died in São Paulo on 3 November 2026, aged 82. The cause of death was not disclosed. The news was first shared by Miguel Falabella, who wrote: "Eliana Rocha has gone. Our Luz Divina has gone out, an actress full of resources, a generous and conscientious colleague. Rest in peace, warrior! Thank you for so many unforgettable moments."

Her family announced the death in a message to friends describing her as a determined woman, a loyal friend, an artist passionate about the theatre, and a loving mother and grandmother. Tributes also came from Marcos Caruso, Fabiana Karla, Diogo Vivela, Emílio Orciollo Netto and Luciano Szafir. A farewell ceremony was held at 11am on Wednesday 4 November 2026 at Funeral House Pacaembu in São Paulo.

Rocha belonged to a generation of São Paulo theatre actors who moved between independent companies, commercial theatre and television. For a wide public she is remembered as Luz Divina in Pé na Cova, one of the best loved characters of the series, while in theatre circles she was valued as a versatile comic actress and a co-founder of Royal Bexiga's Company. Her biography of Marcos Caruso remains part of the Coleção Aplauso record of Brazilian performing artists.