Málaga (Spain), 1906 – Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), 1970

By Afrânio Mendes Catani

Oscar Lorenzo Jacinto de la Imaculada Concepción Teresa Díaz was the baptismal name of Oscarito, perhaps the greatest comedian Brazilian cinema knew in the 1940s and 1950s. Coming from a family that had been working in circuses for decades, he arrived in Brazil in 1907, at just one year old, with his parents. Since childhood, he participated in circus and theatrical performances—initially in modest suburban theaters—and gained recognition through revue theater productions in Rio de Janeiro.

Until the end of his life, he always worked in theater, achieving great popular success with his company, which also included Margot Louro, his wife, and their daughter Myriam Therezinha. He worked in radio, recorded albums with carnival musicians, and had programs on TV Rio and TV Tupi. He formed a historic partnership with actor Grande Otelo in cinema, with highlights such as Aviso aos Navegantes (Watson Macedo, 1950), Dupla do Barulho (Carlos Manga, 1953), Nem Sansão nem Dalila (Carlos Manga, 1954), the latter a parody of the epic Samson and Delilah. With Otelo, he also starred in Noites Cariocas (Enrique Cadicamo, 1935), Céu Azul (Wallace Downey, 1940), and, already at Atlântida, Tristezas Não Pagam Dívidas (José Carlos Burle and Rui Costa, 1944). His film career included stints at Cinédia and Sonofilme before becoming an exclusive artist at Atlântida, leading a well-structured star system.

A complete comedian, he portrayed the simple Brazilian man like no one else in chanchadas and, according to João Luiz Vieira, parodied Nijinsky in A Dupla do Barulho; Gilda, from Rita Hayworth, in Este Mundo é um Pandeiro (Watson Macedo, 1947); Getúlio Vargas in Nem Sansão nem Dalila; and a grotesque travesty of Eva Todor’s character in Os Dois Ladrões (Carlos Manga, 1960). In Carnaval no Fogo (Watson Macedo, 1950), alongside Otelo, he parodied Romeo and Juliet in iconic scenes. Manga, who directed him several times, had only praise for his professionalism and work ethic, which allowed him to endure long overnight filming sessions. He passed away at a time when he could hardly find space to practice his craft on screen.