Sobral (Brazil), 1935

By Afrânio Mendes Catani

Antonio Renato Aragão is one of the most popular actors in Brazilian cinema and television. With nearly 130 million viewers, he has appeared in over forty films. He made his TV debut in 1961, working for various networks before being hired by TV Tupi, where he created the comedy group Os Trapalhões in 1974, which in its most enduring formation included Dedé Santana, Mussum, and Zacarias. He joined TV Globo in 1977, remaining affiliated until 2015. Filmmaker J. B. Tanko directed eleven of his films, including Adorável Trapalhão (Adorable Tramp, 1967), Robin Hood, o Trapalhão da Floresta (Robin Hood, the Tramp of the Forest, 1974), and Os Trapalhões na Serra Pelada (The Tramps in Serra Pelada, 1982). Director Victor Lima, with Ali Babá e os 40 Ladrões (Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, 1972), pioneered a genre of parodies made from pastiches of universal literature, popular American films, and established works of Brazilian culture. Examples include Didi, o Cupido Trapalhão (Didi, the Tramp Cupid, 2003), based on Romeo and Juliet, Os Trapalhões na Guerra dos Planetas (The Tramps in the War of the Planets, 1978), and Os Trapalhões no Auto da Compadecida (The Tramps in the Auto of Compassion, 1987), adapted from Ariano Suassuna’s classic. In the late 1970s, Aragão set up his production company and built his studios in Rio de Janeiro. In January 2015, he celebrated his 80th birthday on stage alongside his daughter, Lívian, and his former partner from Os Trapalhões, Dedé Santana. The trio starred in the theatrical production Os Saltimbancos Trapalhões.