ACTING
Ana Maria graduated as an actor from NIDA in 1998. She made her splash into the industry by starring in hit musicals such as Fame and Hair. She has also appeared in the musicals Mame, In A Pink Tutu, In the Heights at the Hayes Theatre then at the Opera House, and Miracle City at NIDA. Ana Maria has most recently performed in 9 to 5 the Musical as Margaret the office lush.
Theatre credits include The Listmaker for Bell Shakespeare Company; Noises Off for Ensemble Theatre Company, Dr Akars’ Women for Griffin Theatre Company; Company B’s Snugglepot & Cuddlepie, the Australian tour of Steel Magnolias, Tribes for Ensemble Theatre, and the world premiere of Fawlty Towers Live.
Ana Maria also led the Baby Proms Space Symphony at The Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Recital Hall.
Australian television credits include All Saints, Home & Away, White Collar Blue, House Husbands, Doctor Doctor, Secret City 2, Frayed season 1 & 2, Bump, Mikki vs the World, Appetite, and the soon to be released The Last Days of the Space Age for Disney plus.
In the UK she appeared in According To Bex and Life Begins.
Ana Maria starred in the AACTA nominated series It's Fine, I'm Fine, which was selected to premiere at CanneSeries 2022. It is now available to view on SBS On Demand. Ana Maria is also additional writer on this series. The last episode is performed in Auslan. Ana Maria won the Best Performance award at the Marseille Web Fest for her portrayal of Joanne.
Ana Maria has appeared in the feature films A Cold Summer, The Casting Game, The Book of Revelation and Unsound.
Ana Maria is also a filmmaker and has produced/written/directed the short films, Things To Do, Magic Words, and The Kid’s Table. She also created her own web series Real Tinder Nightmares.
REVIEWS
IN THE HEIGHTS
(Hayes Theatre Co.)
The standout of the supporting characters is Ana Maria Belo as Camilla, steely matriarch of the Rosario family. Belo crafts a unique characterisation for the determined woman, who can potentially be portrayed as merely long suffering. Belo’s Camila knows her mind and is not afraid to speak it, but has a heart of gold, with all her actions underpinned by a burning love for her family.
Simon Parris - Simon Parris: Man in chair
The volatile characterization by Ana Maria Belo (Camila) is startling, her song, ‘Enough’, a comic piece of bravura;
Kevin Jackson - Kevin Jackson’s Theatre diary
TRIBES
(Ensemble Theatre)
But it’s Ana Maria Belo who shines brightest as Sylvia, a woman who’s having to sail through a period of massive personal transformation as she loses hearing. Belo finds this character’s extraordinary optimism, which is only shaken at the most trying moments, and traces the transformation of her voice as her hearing deteriorates with great skill. Her own experience of deafness clearly informs and colours her performance in the most authentic and affecting way.
Ben Neutze - Daily Review.