Maria Ivone da Silva Nunes (1936 — 1987), better known as Ivone Silva, was a Portuguese actress. She became famous for her humorous work on television and in revues.

Silva was the daughter of José António da Silva and Ermelinda Rosa Nunes Dias, both of whom worked as tailors. She was born on 24 April 1936 in Paio Mendes, a village located in the municipality of Ferreira do Zêzere in Portugal's Santarém District. From a very early age she was exposed to the performing arts, as her father was also an actor, having participated prominently in several Portuguese films. Her sister Linda Silva [pt] also became an actress. Their father died when she was 10. Silva left school at 13 and began working as a seamstress and, later, in a shop.^[1][2]

At the age of 16, Silva moved to Paris, where she worked for a decade, returning to Portugal in 1963. Following the advice of close friends, who insisted that the theatre was her natural vocation, she decided to stay in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, making her debut at the Teatro ABC in the play Vamos à Festa (Let's go to the party). Later, she appeared in Gente Nova em Biquini (Young people in bikinis), considered her breakthrough work. As a consequence of this success she became the headline star in her next revue (known in Portugal as Teatro de Revista or magazine shows), called Chapéu Alta (High Hat). She received the Press Prize for Best Light Theatre Actress in 1966 and, in the same year, the Estevão Amarante Prize, shared with José Viana. By 1973 she was well known and featured in an RTP television programme A Day with . . . Ivone Silva.^[3] Although she played other theatrical genres, it was in the humorous magazine shows at the theatres in the Parque Mayer theatre district of Lisbon that she thrived. She performed until 1987.^[1][2][4][5]

In cinema, Silva participated in several films including O Destino Marca a Hora (Destiny Sets the Hour - 1969), by Henrique Campos, and A Maluquinha de Arroios (The crazy woman of Arroios - 1970), by the same director. However, she had more impact on television, particularly in the 1981 comedy series Sabadabadu on RTP, written by Nuno Texeira, which won several awards, with Silva and Camilo de Oliveira becoming famous for playing two alcoholics, "Agostinho and Agostinha", who criticised politics and society at the time. A Feira (The Fair - 1978), Ivone Faz Tudo (Ivone does everything - 1979) and Ponto e Vírgula (Full stop and comma - 1984) were also great successes. Silva became famous for several catchphrases, including "with a simple black dress I never compromise".^[1][2][6]

In December 1986, Silva interrupted her work on a magazine show at the Teatro Maria Vitória, due to health problems. Her last performance was also in a revue at the Teatro Laura Alves in April 1987, which she left before the end of the run to be admitted to a cancer hospital. She died of breast cancer on 20 November 1987.^[1][2][4]

Silva was in four films:^[19]

• Estrada da Vida (Road of Life - 1968)
• A Maluquinha de Arroios (The crazy women of Arroios - 1970)
• O Destino Marca a Hora (Destiny Marks the Hour - 1970)
• Auto-retrato, Ivone Silva: "A Faz Tudo" (Self-portrait, Ivone Silva: "A Faz Tudo" - 1979)