Rodrigo Santoro

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Rodrigo Santoro

Rodrigo Santoro, 27 March 2003
Born Rodrigo Junqueira dos Reis Santoro
22 August 1975 (1975-08-22) (age 36)
Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Occupation Actor
Years active 1992–present
Website
http://www.rodrigosantoro.com.br/

Rodrigo Junqueira dos Reis Santoro (born 22 August 1975) is a Brazilian actor.

Contents

[edit] Life and career

Santoro was born in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro. He is of half Brazilian and half Italian descent.[1] In 1993, as Santoro was studying Journalism at PUC-Rio, he entered the Actor's Workshop of Rede Globo. Santoro went on to play parts in many of Globo's telenovelas, such as Olho no Olho (1993), Pátria Minha (1994), Explode Coração (1995), O Amor Está no Ar (1997), Suave Veneno (1999) and Mulheres Apaixonadas (2003), as well as the miniseries Hilda Furacão (1998), in the role of a priest. Santoro was also the voice actor of the titular character in Stuart Little and its sequel in the Brazilian dubbed copies.

His first major role in a cinema production would come in 2001, with Bicho de Sete Cabeças (Brainstorm) by Brazilian director Laís Bodansky. By the end of the film, he received a standing ovation from the audience.[2][3] He also went on to win the festival's best actor trophy. After Bicho, his reputation as an actor had been solidified and he was cast as the male lead in Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun), one of the nominees for best foreign film in the 2002 Golden Globe Awards. He had another performance in the 2003 Hector Babenco film Carandiru, where he played a transexual prisoner known as "Lady Di".

Santoro in Stuyvesant High School, New York City, in 2004.

Canadian director Robert Allan Ackerman signed Santoro for his TV production The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone after being mesmerised by his performance in Bicho de Sete Cabeças. Since Santoro did not have an agent in North America, Ackerman contacted Santoro's father. He spent two months filming in Rome, alongside renowned actors such as Helen Mirren and Anne Bancroft. Soon after he finished shooting for Mrs. Stone, he received an offer from Columbia Pictures for a part in the blockbuster Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. His performance in Charlie's Angels kick-started his career in Hollywood. After Charlie's Angels, he played the character of Karl, the enigmatic chief designer and love interest of Laura Linney's character, in the romantic comedy Love Actually, alongside Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley and Rowan Atkinson.

Santoro holding the statue he won at the 44th Festival de Brasília for the movie Meu País, in 2011.

He also started getting work in the advertising business as he appeared in a commercial campaign with Gisele Bündchen in 2002. He also played the male lead in No. 5 The Film, the 3-minute-long commercial for Chanel, directed by Baz Luhrmann alongside Nicole Kidman in 2004.

In 2006, Santoro joined the cast of Lost as survivor of Oceanic Flight 815, Paulo. His first appearance was in episode titled, "Further Instructions". His character was killed off in the episode "Exposé". He also voices his character Paulo in the Portuguese dub for Brazil.

Santoro was cast as Persian emperor Xerxes in the movie 300, based on the Frank Miller comic of the same name, in 2007. The role had many special requirements, such as intensive workout for the physicality of the role (Santoro had lost 24 pounds to work in a Brazilian miniseries), extensive CG work to portray the 6'2" Santoro as the 7-foot God-King, a four-and-a-half-hour makeup application process and the complete removal of Santoro's body hair first by waxing and then by shaving when that proved too painful.[4] His eyebrows were kept intact, however, covered over with prosthetics and drawn in rather than being shaved.[5] Santoro read the works of Herodotus, an Ancient Greek historian, in order to prepare for his part. Regarding Xerxes, he says:

He's rich, he's arrogant, he's a very unstable megalomaniac. He just wants to conquer the world. His ambition is unlimited. He wants glory; he wants victory; he wants eternal fame. Underneath all that wanting, though, he's ultimately weak and very insecure."[4]


For his role on 300, Santoro became the first Brazilian actor nominated to the MTV Movie Awards in the category of Best Villain. He did not win however, and the award went to Jack Nicholson for The Departed.

He plays the late footballer Heleno de Freitas in the 2012 film Heleno.[6]

[edit] Filmography

Films
Year Film Role Notes
1996 Depois do Escuro Julio short
1998 Como Ser Solteiro Herself
1999 O Trapalhão e a Luz Azul Musketeer
2001 Abril Despedaçado Tonho
Bicho de Sete Cabeças Wilson Souza Neto
2003 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Randy Emmers Cameo
Carandiru Lady Di
Love Actually Karl
The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone Young Man TV movie
2004 A Dona da História Luiz Cláudio/Young
2007 300 Xerxes Nominated: MTV Movie Awards for Best Villain
Não Por Acaso Pedro
2008 Live, Love, Laugh, But... Bellboy short
Redbelt Bruno Silva
Os Desafinados Joaquim (young)/Antonio Goldfaber
Leonera Ramiro
Che Raúl Castro
2009 Post Grad David Santiago
I Love You Phillip Morris Jimmy
2011 There Be Dragons Oriol
Rio Túlio voice
Meu Pais Marcos
Homens de Bem Ciba TV Movie
2012 Hemingway & Gellhorn Zarra TV movie
Heleno Heleno de Freitas
2013 Last Stand Frank Martinez
Television
Year Film Role Notes
1993 Olho no Olho Pedro Brazilian telenovela
1994 Pátria Minha Fernando Brazilian telenovela
1995 Explode Coração Sérgio Brazilian telenovela
1996 A Comédia da Vida Privada Brazilian miniseries
1996 Sai de Baixo Gama Episode: O Sexo Nosso de Cada Dia
1997 O Amor Está no Ar Léo Brazilian telenovela
1998 Hilda Furacão Frei Malthus Brazilian minseries
1999 Suave Veneno Eliseu Vieira Brazilian telenovela
2001 Estrela-Guia Carlos Charles Brazilian telenovela
2001 Os Normais Júlio Episode: Grilar é Normal
2002 Pastores da Noite Padre Gomes Brazilian minseries
2003 Mulheres Apaixonadas Diogo Ribeiro Brazilian telenovela
2005 Hoje É Dia de Maria Amado/Dom Chico Chicote Brazilian minseries
2006–2007 Lost Paulo 7 episodes
2009 Som & Fúria Sanjay Brazilian miniseries
2010 Afinal, o Que Querem as Mulheres? Rodrigo Santoro Brazilian series
2010 Papai Noel Existe Robson Luiz Brazilian series
2012 As Brasileiras Carioca Episode A Indomável do Ceará

[edit] Awards and nominations

[edit] Other nominations and honors

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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