Héctor Eduardo Babenco (February 7, 1946July 13, 2016) was an Argentine-Brazilian

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, producer and

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 (), lit ...

who worked in several countries including

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. He was one of the first Brazilian filmmakers to gain international critical acclaim, through his films which often dealt with social outcasts on the fringes of society. His best-known works include ''

Pixote ''Pixote: a Lei do Mais Fraco'' (, lit. "Pixote (small child): The Law of the Weakest") is a 1980 Brazilian crime drama film directed by Héctor Babenco. The screenplay was written by Babenco and Jorge Durán, based on the book ''A Infância dos ...

'' (1980), '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1985), '' Ironweed'' (1987), '' At Play in the Fields of the Lord'' (1990) and '' Carandiru'' (2003). Babenco's films brought him several accolades. He was nominated three times for the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

of the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

, and was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibi ...

for ''Kiss of the Spider Woman.'' He won the Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro twice, and the Prêmio ACIE de Cinema once.

Early life

Babenco was born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

and raised in

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a sh ...

. His mother, Janka Haberberg, was a

Polish Jewish The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...

immigrant, and his father, Jaime Babenco, was an Argentine ''

gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...

'' of Ukrainian Jewish origin. Babenco lived in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

from 1964 to 1968. In 1969, he decided to stay in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

, permanently.

Career

His first solo feature film as a director was ''O Rei da Noite'' (''King of the Night'') (1975), starring Paulo José and

Marília Pêra Marília Soares Pêra (22 January 1943 – 5 December 2015) was a Brazilian actress, singer, and stage director. Hailed as "one of the decade's 980sten best actresses" by Pauline Kael, Pêra won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best ...

. Babenco had an international success with '' Pixote – A lei do mais fraco'' (1981). It concerns Brazil's abandoned children. In the words of E. Ruby Rich while it concerns "a pair of boys who form a symbiotic sexual union", the film cannot "be held up as an example of how gay desire can be depicted, given its sensationalistic and sordid treatment of gay sex as accommodation, substitution, and punishment". The film featured impressive work of young actor

Fernando Ramos da Silva Fernando Ramos da Silva (29 November 1967 – 25 August 1987) was a Brazilian actor who became renowned for his role as "Pixote," the 10-year-old title character in Hector Babenco's 1981 film '' Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco'', a documentary-sty ...

, 10 years old at the time, who was discovered in the suburbs of São Paulo. The film received numerous prizes, including nomination for Best Foreign Film at the 1982 Golden Globes Awards. For '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1985), Babenco was nominated for the

, the first Latin American to be nominated in this category. He directed some of the most respected American actors of his time, including

William Hurt William McChord Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) was an American actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he received various awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. H ...

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

, Raul Julia,

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

, Tom Berenger,

Daryl Hannah Daryl Christine Hannah (born December 3, 1960) is an American actress and environmental activist. She made her screen debut in Brian De Palma's supernatural horror film '' The Fury'' (1978). She has starred in various movies across the years, i ...

, Aidan Quinn and Kathy Bates. In 2012 Babenco was part of the jury in the 34th Moscow International Film Festival. His last film was '' My Hindu Friend'' (2016), which stars Willem Dafoe. It recounts the story of a film director close to death.

Personal life

In 2010, Barbenco married actress

Bárbara Paz Bárbara Raquel Paz (born 17 October 1974) is a Brazilian non-binary actress, producer, and film director. Life and career Paz graduated from the Macunaíma Theatre School and from the Antunes Centre for Theatre Research (CPT) and is a long-st ...

. He was previously married to Xuxa Lopes and Raquel Arnaud. He was the father of two daughters, Janka Babenco and Myra Arnaud Babenco, from his previous marriages, and also had two grandchildren.

Health issues and death

In 1994, Babenco fell ill and had to undergo a

bone marrow Bone marrow is a semi-solid biological tissue, tissue found within the Spongy bone, spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It i ...

transplant to treat a lymphatic cancer, a diagnosis which he had since he was 38 years old. On July 12, 2016, Babenco was admitted to

Hospital Sírio-Libanês The Hospital Sírio-Libanês (Syrian-Lebanese Hospital) is one of the most important hospitals in Brazil and South America. The hospital was founded by the large Syrian and Lebanese community of São Paulo in 1921. It is one of the most well-kn ...

to treat sinusitis. The following night, he suffered a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possi ...

, and died shortly thereafter.

Filmography

Documentaries

Television

Acting roles

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Babenco, Hector 1946 births 2016 deaths People from Buenos Aires Argentine emigrants to Brazil Male screenwriters Brazilian film directors Brazilian film producers Brazilian screenwriters Brazilian Jews Brazilian people of Polish-Jewish descent Brazilian people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Argentine film directors Argentine film producers Argentine screenwriters Argentine Jews Argentine people of Polish-Jewish descent Argentine people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Jewish Brazilian male actors Jewish Argentine male actors People from Mar del Plata Naturalized citizens of Brazil People with acquired Brazilian citizenship