Paulo Paquet Autran (September 7, 1922 – October 12, 2007) was a Brazilian film and

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

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 ...

. His accomplishments during his life earned him the nickname, "Lord of the Stage."

Biography

Autran was born in

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 ...

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 ...

on September 7, 1922. He initially attended law school and planned to become a diplomat. However, his career path changed when he began performing in amateur theater productions. Autran made the jump to professional theater during the late 1940s. He performed in his first professional

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

in 1949. This led him to further roles in stage,

screen Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing * Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry * Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...

and television. Throughout his long career, Autran appeared in more than 90 stage productions, six

telenovelas A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include ''teleserye'' (P ...

and nine films. He had one of his most acclaimed film roles in

Glauber Rocha Glauber de Andrade Rocha (; 14 March 1939 – 22 August 1981) was a Brazilian film director, actor and screenwriter. He was one of the most influential moviemakers of Brazilian cinema and a key figure of Cinema Novo. His films ''Black God, White ...

's ''

Entranced Earth ''Entranced Earth'' ( pt, Terra em Transe , "World in a Trance", also called ''Land in Anguish'' or ''Earth Entranced'') is a 1967 Brazilian ''Cinema Novo'' drama film directed by Glauber Rocha. It was shot in Parque Lage and at the Municipal T ...

'' (''Terra em Transe''), in 1967. On stage, Autran frequently acted in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

translations of major plays from all literatures. Among the important roles he did were

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...

'',

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He wa ...

in Bertolt Brecht's eponymous play, and

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and worl ...

's Harpagon in ''

The Miser ''The Miser'' (french: L'Avare; ; also known by the longer name ''L'Avare ou L'École du Mensonge,'' meaning The Miser, or the School for Lies) is a five-act comedy in prose by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed on September ...

'', his last stage role. Autran became known as a character actor later in his theater career, often playing the role of an elderly grandfather or a father figure. Autran's final film was '' The Year My Parents Went on Vacation'' (''O Ano em Que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias''), released in 2006. He played Mótel, the grandfather of Mauro in the film. "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation" was submitted as Brazil's entry for best foreign film at the upcoming

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in early 2008. Autran died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

on October 12, 2007, at Sírio-Libanês Hospital 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 Ga ...

Selected filmography

* ''

A Flea on the Scales ''A Flea on the Scales'' (Portuguese: ''Uma Pulga na Balança'') is a 1953 Brazilian comedy film directed by Luciano Salce and starring Waldemar Wey, Gilda Nery and Geraldo José de Almeida.Molinterno p.289 Cast * Waldemar Wey as Dorival * ...

'' (1953)

References

External links

* 1922 births 2007 deaths Brazilian male film actors Brazilian male stage actors Brazilian male telenovela actors Brazilian male television actors Male actors from Rio de Janeiro (city) University of São Paulo alumni Deaths from lung cancer in Brazil {{Brazil-actor-stub