Domingos Montagner Filho (26 February 1962 – 15 September 2016) was a Brazilian
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
, playwright and entrepreneur. He began his career in theaters and circuses, through the course of interpretation of Myriam Muniz. In 1997, Montagner formed La Mínima group, alongside Fernando Sampaio, and won the Shell Award for Best Actor. In 2003, he founded the Zanni Circus, of which he was artistic director.
He began his career on TV, three years later, but gained national notoriety after portraying Captain Herculano in the soap opera ''
Cordel Encantado
''Cordel Encantado'' (English: ''The Enchanted Tale'') is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by TV Globo from 11 April to 23 September 2011. It has been re-aired in Globo's ''Vale a Pena Ver de Novo'' since 14 January 2019.
Synopsis
...
'' (2011), Mundo in ''
Joia Rara'' (2013), and Miguel in ''
Sete Vidas
''Sete Vidas'' ( Literally English: ''Seven Lives'', International title: ''Parts of Me'') is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by Rede Globo from March 9 to July 10, 2015 replacing ''Boogie Oogie''.
It was created by Lícia Manzo a ...
'' (2015). In cinema, he participated in the feature film ''Gonzaga: de Pai pra Filho'' (2012). He became "one of Brazil's most loved TV actors."
In 2016, Montagner portrayed Santo dos Anjos, the protagonist of the soap opera ''
Velho Chico
''Velho Chico'' (English title: ''Old River'') is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by Rede Globo that premiered on 14 March 2016, replacing ''A Regra do Jogo'', and ended on 30 September 2016, being followed by ''A Lei do Amor''.
C ...
'', broadcast by
Rede Globo
TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Gr ...
, his last work. In a break between filming, he drowned while swimming in the
São Francisco River
The São Francisco River (, ) is a large river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil (after the Amazon, the Paraná and t ...
, the main setting of the aforementioned television drama.
Biography and career
Montagner was born in São Paulo's neighborhood of
Tatuapé
Tatuapé (, from Tupi Guarani "path of the armadillo", or "short way") is a district in the subprefecture of Mooca, in São Paulo, Brazil. It is divided by a railway and the eight lane Radial Leste highway cutting the district into two, northern a ...
in a family of
Italian Brazilians
Italian Brazilians ( it, italo-brasiliani, pt, ítalo-brasileiros) are Brazilians of full or partial Italian descent. Italian Brazilians are the largest number of people with full or partial Italian ancestry outside Italy, with São Paulo bein ...
. He began working at sixteen in the bar of his parents in Tatuapé, where he worked as an office boy and archivist in an engineering company. Slender, at 6 ft 3 in (1.90 m) tall, he became an athlete of the
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista () is a Brazilian sports club based in the Tatuapé district of São Paulo. Although competing in a number of different sports, Corinthians is mostly known for its professional association football team that plays ...
playing
handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
.
Montagner was a
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in the
Brazilian Army and after leaving military service graduated in
physical education
Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...
, teaching in the 1980s in public and private schools in São Paulo. It was nearly eleven years later when he began his artistic career at 27.
He was a Roman Catholic.
His artistic career began in the circus, in his theater company La Mínima in 1980. In 1990, Montagner joined the theater as a clown.
Montagner became a star of Brazilian television despite the fact that his first major television role did not come until he was 46.
His first television series was ''
Cordel Encantado
''Cordel Encantado'' (English: ''The Enchanted Tale'') is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by TV Globo from 11 April to 23 September 2011. It has been re-aired in Globo's ''Vale a Pena Ver de Novo'' since 14 January 2019.
Synopsis
...
'' of
Rede Globo
TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Gr ...
. He made a few appearances on the television shows ''
Força-Tarefa
''Força-Tarefa'' (in English, "Task-Force") is a Brazilian television series directed by José Alvarenga Jr. and Mário Márcio Bandarra and written by Fernando Bonassi and Marçal Aquino. The series aired two season since April 16, 2009 on R ...
'' and ''A Cura''. He also participated in the show ''Divã'', portraying Carlos Alencar, the lover of the protagonist Mercedes, played by actress
Lília Cabral
Lília Cabral Bertolli Figueiredo (born 13 July 1957) is a Brazilian actress. She has already been nominated twice to the International Emmy Award for Best Actress.
Biography
She is daughter of an Italian father, Gino Bertolli, and a Portugue ...
. In 2012, he played the role of President Paulo Ventura in the miniseries ''
O Brado Retumbante''.
In the same year, he played in ''
Salve Jorge
''Salve Jorge'' (Literally: ''Hail George'', International title: en, Brave Woman ) is a Brazilian primetime telenovela created by Glória Perez and directed by Marcos Schechtman.
It premiered on 22 October 2012 replacing '' Avenida Brasil'' ...
'' the Turkish tour guide Zyah, who falls in love with Bianca,
Cléo Pires
Cleo Pires Ayrosa Galvão (born 2 October 1982), known mononymously as Cleo, is a Brazilian actress and singer.
Career
She made her debut as an actress when she participated in the ''Memorial de Maria Moura'' mini-series in 1994. It was a qui ...
' character. In 2013, he played the role of the activist Mundo in ''
Joia Rara''.
In 2015, he was cast as the protagonist of ''
Sete Vidas
''Sete Vidas'' ( Literally English: ''Seven Lives'', International title: ''Parts of Me'') is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by Rede Globo from March 9 to July 10, 2015 replacing ''Boogie Oogie''.
It was created by Lícia Manzo a ...
'', in the role of Miguel, a man who discovers that he has seven children, after being a
sperm donor
Sperm donation is the provision by a man of his sperm with the intention that it be used in the artificial insemination or other 'fertility treatment' of a woman or women who are not his sexual partners in order that they may become pregnant by h ...
.
His last performance was in 2016 in the soap opera ''
Velho Chico
''Velho Chico'' (English title: ''Old River'') is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by Rede Globo that premiered on 14 March 2016, replacing ''A Regra do Jogo'', and ended on 30 September 2016, being followed by ''A Lei do Amor''.
C ...
'', interpreting the character Santo dos Anjos.
Personal life
Married since 2002 to Luciana Lima, administrative producer of La Mínima group, Montagner claimed that his wife would encourage him the most.
In 2013, the family moved to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
,
but settled in
Embu das Artes
Embu das Artes, previously and commonly known simply as Embu, is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the State of São Paulo (state), São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 276,535 (2 ...
, in
Greater São Paulo
Greater São Paulo ( pt, Grande São Paulo) is a nonspecific term for one of the multiple definitions of the large metropolitan area located in the São Paulo state in Brazil.
Definitions
Metropolitan Area
A legally defined specific term, ''Reg ...
, about from the capital, in a quiet fenced residential condominium with their three sons.
Death
On 15 September 2016, during the lunch break of the filming for Velho Chico, Montagner jumped into the São Francisco River, in the city of
Canindé de São Francisco
Canindé de São Francisco is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Sergipe. Its population was 30,402 (2020) and its area is .
Conservation
The municipality holds part of the Rio São Francisco Natural Monument, which protects the sp ...
, state of
Sergipe
Sergipe (), officially State of Sergipe, is a state of Brazil. Located in the Northeast Region along the Atlantic coast of the country, Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil by geographical area at , larger only than the Federal District. Serg ...
, but did not return to the mainland. Actress
Camila Pitanga
Camila Manhães Sampaio (born 14 June 1977), known professionally as Camila Pitanga, is a Brazilian actress and former model. She is internationally renowned for her roles in film and television. In film, she is known for her roles in ''Quilombo ...
was swimming with Montagner and saw him disappearing into the water, dragged by a strong current. She screamed for help, being initially mistaken as if she was filming a scene. After realizing that the actress was screaming out of panic, the crew immediately stood up to check what was happening, as a boat came to rescue her. Montagner went missing for four hours until his body was found submerged and lifeless. According to reports the Legal Medical Institute (IML) of Sergipe, the result of the
autopsy
An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...
performed Montagner's body pointed out that the actor died of
mechanical asphyxia by
drowning
Drowning is a type of suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where others present are either unaware of the victim's situation or unable to offer a ...
.
The Brazilian version of online magazine ''
The Intercept
''The Intercept'' is an American left-wing news website founded by Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill, Laura Poitras and funded by billionaire eBay co-founder Pierre Omidyar. Its current editor is Betsy Reed. The publication initially reported ...
'' speculated that the strong currents where the actor drowned were caused by the hydroelectric dam, the
Xingó Dam
The Xingó Dam is a concrete face rock-fill dam on the São Francisco River on the border of Alagoas and Sergipe, near Piranhas, Brazil. The dam was built for navigation, water supply and hydroelectric power generation as it supports a power st ...
, upstream.
The dam lies approximately two kilometers upstream, and the flow rate allowed through the dam can affect currents.
At the time of his death, the filming of Velho Chico was just a few days from completion. However, climactic scenes for the finale, in which Montagner was the main character, hadn't been filmed yet. Production decided to complete the job as scheduled. Scenes in which Montagner's character, Santo, would have appeared would be shot from the character's
point of view
Point of view or Points of View may refer to:
Concept and technique
* Point of view (philosophy), an attitude how one sees or thinks of something
* Point of view (literature) or narrative mode, the perspective of the narrative voice; the prono ...
. Thus, Santo would be present in the scene, but would not be seen.
Weeks prior to the casualty,
Rede Globo
TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Gr ...
aired a scene where Santo would be saved by Indians, who found him unconscious floating on the São Francisco River, having been shot by his enemy. The river was the same where the actor lost his life.
Filmography
Films
Television
Theatre
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montagner Domingos
1962 births
2016 deaths
Male actors from São Paulo
Brazilian male actors
Brazilian people of Italian descent
Brazilian Roman Catholics
Brazilian male television actors
Deaths by drowning