Maria Francisca Bia called Mimi, (1809-1889) was a Dutch ballet dancer, opera singer and dramatic stage actress.

She was born to the ballet dancers Jean Lambert Bia (1767-1829) and Catherine Rebecca Grave (1782-1846) and married in 1828 to Reinier Engelman (1795-1845), actor and theatre director, and in 1865 to Jan Eduard de Vries (1808-1875) actor and theatre director.

She debuted as a ballet dancer in her childhood, as an actor in 1819 and as an opera singer in 1823. She was in 1827-1859 active at the theatre in Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

 and in 1859-1865 at the theatre in Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

. Her influence within the theatre was great: she either took the leading roles herself, or could influence who was given them. She was active at the Théâtre Français in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

in 1842-44.

Bia was regarded as one of the greatest actors of her time in the Netherlands.