Singer and actress. She was one of the leading Portuguese personalities of the 20th century. Born at São José Hospital, in Lisbon, on October 23, 1907, she was the daughter of unknown father and Josefina Augusta, a widow, into a family of few means. She grew up in the Castelo neighborhood, next to the São Jorge Castle, in Lisbon, and began singing at an early age. She became an apprentice seamstress in a tailor shop on Rua dos Fanqueiros, but soon began to take an interest in artistic life. A regular at Sociedade de Recreio Leais Amigos ("Loyal Friends Recreational Society"), she ended up joining the group as an amateur actress, in 1925, having sung her first fados accompanied by the piano. The following year, she joined the Gil Vicente Artistic Tour, and toured the country, passing through many cities and villages. She soon became a notable presence at the fado retreats and artistic salons in Lisbon, which did not hesitate to hire her, due to the originality and authenticity with which she sang her fados. She also sang at the end of film screenings and at Parque Mayer (a famous theatre enclosure with restaurants, carousels, esplanades, pavilions, fado houses, shooting stands and other entertainment). On April 9, 1927, her only son, Mário Silva, was born. She also aspired to be a stage actress and began performing fados in three plays at Parque Mayer during 1929: "Ouro Sobre Azul," "De Trás da Orelha" and "Off Side." In 1931 she performed two operettas in the Cine Oriental: "Alfama" and "Poder de um Califa." In 1932 she performed the operetta "Fonte Santa" at the Maria Vitória Theatre, which settled her stage career. In 1933 she participated in the revista (Portuguese revue) "Feijão Frade," in which she was the second figure on the poster right after the renowned actress Beatriz Costa. From then onwards, her successful interpretations in theatre made her one of the best known faces in Lisbon. Her singing skills, combined with a remarkable capacity as a comic actress, in such a way that her creations were constantly remembered in journalistic reviews, made her one of the great names of fado and theatre in Portugal. Some newspapers of the time referred to her as the great national star, going so far as to say that the fado singer had "a crowd of fanatical admirers." Her creative melismatics, the inclusion in fado of less sad lyrics, sometimes with a strong social critique, and her commitment to bringing non-traditional songs and the Portuguese guitar to fado, created the so-called "musical fado." Considered the main interpreter of fado in the revista genre of the 1930s and 1940s in Portugal, Silva had resounding successes with the plays "Zé dos Pacatos" (1934), "Arre Burro!" (1936) and "Chuva de Mulheres" (1937), interpreting the characters "Velha Tendinha," "Rosa Enjeitada" and "Mãos Sujas," respectively. With the interpretation of the character "Maria da Luz," she appeared for the first time on the big screen with the film "A Aldeia da Roupa Branca" (1938), where she sang the themes "Fado da Fadista" and "Fado do Retiro." In 1943, she again developed a film role in "O Costa do Castelo," alongside the great names of the Golden Age of Portuguese cinema such as António Silva, Maria Matos and Milú. In the role of singer "Rosa Maria," she sang the themes "Fado da Saudade" and "Fado Rosa Maria." She also participated in the films "Um Homem do Ribatejo" (1946) and its sequel "Ribatejo" (1949). In the first film, she sang "Fado da Sina" and in the second, "Fado da Cigana." On March 27, 1949 she married Vítor Manuel Teixeira Leite Guerreiro. After several presences abroad, with special focus on Brazil and Spain, Silva bet on a more focused career in Portugal. Her relationship with the revista genre was constant from the 1930's to the 1950's. Some of her best known performances were in "Sempre em Pé" (which granted her the 1st National Theatre Prize in 1946), "Iscas com Elas," "O Banzé," "Bailarico," "Boa vai ela!," "Boa Nova," "Toma Lá Dá Cá," "Rosa Cantadeira," "O Tiroliro," "‘Tá bem ou não ‘tá?," "Ai, Bate Bate," "Ora Agora Viras Tu," "Fogo de Vistas," "Lisboa Antiga," "De bota abaixo," "Daqui fala o Zé" and "A Casa da Sorte." In 1958 she opened her own fado houses: "Solar da Hermínia" in Lisbon (Bairro Alto) and "Pôr-do-Sol" in Benavente. She would dedicate herself to these projects in such a way that she stopped performing in theatre. She started to perform as a fado singer in her Lisbon establishment (and sometimes in Benavente) until 1982. In 1969 she made her last appearance in cinema with the film "O Diabo Era Outro," acting as herself. She returned to make some sporadic theatre appearances, notably in 1964, 1965, 1975 and 1976. She also performed in France, United States and Canada, throughout the 1970s. The path of great success and popularity of Hermínia Silva is manifested in her vast discography, although with few reissues in CD format. The recording facet of her career began with being linked to the theatre, with 78 rpm editions of some of her hits. She was also a regular presence on Portuguese television for decades, whether in televised theatre or telefilms, or in programs of another nature. Possessing an easy and graceful improvisation, some of her phrases were so popular that became expressions of Lisbon slang. In 1980 she was awarded the Gold Medal of the Lisbon City Council. She was also awarded the rank of Commander of the Order of Prince Henry (June 10, 1985), being elevated to Grand Cross of the same Order (June 10, 1990). Her name was given to 19 streets in Portugal. Her last public appearance was in a documentary about her life made by RTP, premiered in 1992.