Ercília Botelho Farinha Costa (performing as Ercília Costa; nicknamed “Santa do Fado”; 3 August 1902 – 16 November 1985) was a Portuguese fado singer and revue actress from Costa da Caparica. Costa worked as a seamstress before beginning a theatrical career in Lisbon. Costa debuted as a fado singer in 1927 at the Teatro da Trindade in a duet with Alberto Reis. In 1930, Costa won First Prize in a fado competition organized by the magazine Guitarra de Portugal. Throughout the 1930s, Costa performed in revues and films, including Amor de Mãe (1932) and Madragoa (1952). Costa recorded the song “Fado Lisboa” in 1930. In 1936, Costa began an international tour in Brazil. Costa performed at the Comédie Française in 1937 and represented Portugal at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Costa recorded for the Odeon label and toured the United States for ten months. Costa died in Algés on 16 November 1985.
