Rodrigo Santoro
Rodrigo Junqueira Reis Santoro (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁoˈdɾiɡu ʒũˈkejɾɐ ˈʁejs sɐ̃ˈtɔɾu]; born 22 August 1975) is a Brazilian actor. He is most known for his portrayal of Persian King Xerxes in the film 300 (2006) and its sequel 300: Rise of an Empire (2014). Others include Brainstorm (2001), Carandiru (2003), Love Actually (2003), Che (2008), I Love You Phillip Morris (2009), and Rio (2011). He also appeared on the television series Lost, portraying the character Paulo, and on HBO's Westworld (2016–2020) as Hector Escaton.
Rodrigo Santoro | |
---|---|
Born | Rodrigo Junqueira Reis Santoro 22 August 1975 Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Alma mater | Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (dropped out) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1993–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 1 |
Website | www |
Early life
Santoro was born in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro state, to Francesco Santoro, an Italian engineer with roots in Paola, Province of Cosenza, Calabria,[1] and Maria José Junqueira Reis, a Brazilian artist of Portuguese ancestry.[2][3][4][5][6]
Career
In 1993, while studying Journalism at PUC-Rio, Santoro entered the Actor's Workshop of Rede Globo. He 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 also voiced the titular character in Stuart Little and its sequel Stuart Little 2 in the Brazilian-dubbed versions.
His first major role in a film production came in 2001, with Bicho de Sete Cabeças (Brainstorm) from Brazilian director Laís Bodansky. By the end of the film, he received a standing ovation from the audience.[7][8] 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. In the 2003 Hector Babenco film Carandiru he played Lady Di, a transgender prisoner.
Canadian director Robert Allan Ackerman signed Santoro for his TV production The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone after being mesmerized 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 such actors 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. This role kick-started his career in Hollywood. After Charlie's Angels, he played Karl, an enigmatic chief designer and the love interest of Laura Linney's character, in the romantic comedy Love Actually.
Santoro began obtaining work in the advertising business as he appeared in a commercial campaign with Gisele Bündchen in 2002. He played the male lead in No. 5 The Film, a three-minute-long commercial for Chanel, directed by Baz Luhrmann alongside Nicole Kidman in 2004.
In 2006, Santoro joined the season three cast of the ABC television series Lost as Paulo, a survivor of the Oceanic Flight 815 crash. His first appearance was in the episode "Further Instructions", and his character was killed off in the episode "Exposé". He also voiced the character in the Brazilian-dubbed version of the series.
Santoro was cast as Persian emperor Xerxes in Zack Snyder's film 300 (2006), based on the Frank Miller comic of the same name. The job had many special requirements, which included intensive workout for the physicality of the role (Santoro had previously lost 24 pounds (11 kg) to star in a Brazilian miniseries), extensive CGI work to portray the 6'2" Santoro as the seven-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 waxing proved too painful.[9] His eyebrows were kept intact, however, covered over with prosthetics and drawn in rather than being shaved.[10] Santoro read the works of Herodotus, an Ancient Greek historian, in order to prepare for his part. Regarding Xerxes, he has stated:
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.[9]
After playing the footballer Heleno de Freitas in the 2012 film Heleno,[11] Santoro co-starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2013 film The Last Stand before playing Garriga in the Will Smith drama film Focus (2015).
Santoro played Jesus in the 2016 historical action film Ben-Hur and received personal blessings from Pope Francis for the role.[12]
Personal life
Santoro has been in a relationship with Brazilian actress Mel Fronckowiak since 2013. On 22 May 2017, they welcomed their first child, a daughter named Nina. [13]
Filmography
Film
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Depois do Escuro[14] | Roberto | |
1998 | Como Ser Solteiro | Himself | |
1999 | O Trapalhão e a Luz Azul | Musketeer | |
1999 | Stuart Little | Stuart Little | Voice (Brazilian dub) |
2001 | Bicho de Sete Cabeças | Wilson Souza Neto[15] | |
2001 | Abril Despedaçado | Tonho | |
2002 | Stuart Little 2 | Stuart Little | Voice (Brazilian dub) |
2003 | The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone | Young Man | |
2003 | Carandiru | Lady Di | |
2003 | Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle | Randy Emmers | |
2003 | Love Actually | Karl | |
2004 | A Dona da História | Luiz Cláudio | |
2006 | 300 | Xerxes I[16][17] | |
2007 | Não por Acaso | Pedro | |
2008 | Live, Love, Laugh, But... | Bellboy | Short film |
2008 | Os Desafinados | Joaquim | |
2008 | Redbelt | Bruno Silva | |
2008 | Leonera | Ramiro | |
2008 | Che | Raul Castro | |
2009 | I Love You Phillip Morris | Jimmy Kemple | |
2009 | Post Grad | David Santiago | |
2010 | Manual Para Se Defender de Alienígenas, Zumbis e Ninjas | Ninja | Short film |
2010 | There Be Dragons | Oriol | |
2011 | Meu País | Marcos | |
2011 | Rio | Túlio / Soccer Announcer | Voice (also in the Brazilian dub) |
2012 | Hemingway & Gellhorn | Paco Zarra | |
2012 | Heleno | Heleno de Freitas | |
2012 | What To Expect When You're Expecting | Alex Castillo | |
2012 | Reis e Ratos | Roni Rato | |
2013 | The Last Stand | Frank Martinez | |
2013 | Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury | Piatã / Júnior | |
2014 | 300: Rise of an Empire | Xerxes I | |
2014 | Rio 2 | Túlio | Voice (also in the Brazilian dub) |
2014 | Rio, I Love You | Ele | |
2015 | Focus | Garriga | |
2015 | The 33 | Laurence Golborne | |
2016 | Jane Got a Gun | Fitchum | |
2016 | Ben-Hur | Jesus Christ | |
2016 | Dominion | Carlos | |
2016 | Pelé: Birth of a Legend | Brazilian announcer | |
2018 | A Translator (Un Traductor) | Malin | |
2019 | Monica and Friends: Bonds | Nutty Ned | |
2019 | Klaus | Jesper Johansson | Voice (Brazilian dub) |
2020 | Project Power | Biggie | |
2021 | Save Ralph | Rabbit | Voice; short film |
2021 | 7 Prisoners | Luca |
Television
Year | TV show | Role | Note |
---|---|---|---|
1993–1994 | Olho no Olho | Pedro | Main role |
1994–1995 | Pátria Minha | Fernando | Main role |
1995–1996 | Explode Coração | Sérgio | Main role |
1996 | Sai de Baixo | Gama | Episode: "Sexo Nosso de Cada Dia" |
1996 | Comédia da Vida Privada | Diogo | Episode: "Mulheres" |
1998 | Hilda Furacão | Frei Malthus | Main role |
1997 | O Amor Está no Ar | Léo | Main role |
1999 | Belo e as Feras | Henrique | Episode: "Só o Amor Destrói" |
1999 | Suave Veneno | Eliseu Vieira | Main role |
2001 | Os Normais | Júlio | Episode: "Grilar é Normal" |
2001 | Estrela-Guia | Carlos Charles Pimenta | Main role |
2002 | Pastores da Noite | Padre Gomes | Television film |
2003 | Mulheres Apaixonadas | Diogo Ribeiro Alves | Main role |
2005 | Hoje É Dia de Maria | Amado | Main role |
2005 | Hoje é Dia de Maria: Segunda Jornada | Dom Chico Chicote | Main role |
2006 | Lost | Paulo | Main role (season 3) |
2009 | Som & Fúria | Sanjay | Main role |
2010 | Afinal, o Que Querem as Mulheres? | Rodrigo Santoro (fictional version) | Episode: "Elas?" |
2010 | Papai Noel Existe | Robson Luiz | Television film |
2012 | As Brasileiras | Carioca | Episode: "A Indomável do Ceará" |
2016 | Velho Chico | Afrânio de Sá Ribeiro | Guest role, 24 episodes |
2016–2022 | Westworld | Hector Escaton / Ettore | Main role (seasons 1–2) Guest role (seasons 3–4) |
2019 | Solteira e Boa Rapariga | David | Main role |
2019 | Reprisal | Joel Kelly | Main role |
2021 | Sessão de Terapia | Dr. Davi Greco | Main role (season 5) |
2022 | Sin límites | Ferdinand Magellan | Main role |
2023 | Wolf Pack | Garrett Briggs | Main role |
Music videos
Year | Title | Artist |
---|---|---|
2018 | "Ocean" | Alok, Zeeba and IRO |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Festival de Brasília | Best Actor for Bicho de Sete Cabeças | Won |
2001 | Recife Film Festival | Won | |
Brazil Quality Award | Won | ||
Santo Domingo Film Festival | Won | ||
SESC Best Film Festival | Won | ||
2002 | Cinema Brazilian Grand Prix | Won | |
APCA Trophy | Won | ||
Cartagena Film Festival | Won | ||
Cero Latitud Film Festival | Won | ||
2003 | Festival de Brasília | Best Actor for Carandiru | Won |
2004 | Cannes Film Festival | Chopard Trophy of Male Revelation | Won |
2007 | MTV Movie Awards | Best Villain for 300 | Nominated |
2011 | Festival de Brasília | Best Actor for Meu País | Won |
Havana Film Festival | Best Actor for Heleno | Won | |
2012 | Lima Film Festival | Won | |
ALMA Awards | Best Actor for What to Expect When You're Expecting | Nominated | |
2013 | Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro | Best Actor for Heleno | Nominated |
2016 | Troféu APCA | Best Actor for Velho Chico | Nominated |
2016 | Prêmio Extra de Televisão | Best Actor for Velho Chico | Nominated |
2018 | Filming Italy Sardegna Festival | movie highlights and series in the year | Won |
2018 | Cinema PE - Audiovisual Festival | work set | Won |
Other nominations and honors
- 2004: On People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful list 2004
- 2006: 12th position on People Magazine's 2006 Sexiest Man Alive
- 2008: 16th position on E!'s 2008 Sexiest man of the world
References
- Morre Salvatore Santoro
- Rodrigo Santoro Biography
- "Rodrigo Santoro Biography - Yahoo! Movies". Archived from the original on 19 June 2013.
- "Família não se deslumbra com fama internacional de Rodrigo Santoro - Ofuxico".
- "Rodrigo Santoro Interview". NuvoTV. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- "Rodrigo Santoro - A Profile of Lost's Rodrigo Santoro". Archived from the original on 19 August 2017.
- BastaClicar – A Web em suas Maos (6 April 2011). "BastaClicar Cinema: Rodrigo Santoro". Bastaclicar.com.br. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- Olá (22 August 2011). "Rodrigo Santoro faz 36 anos como galã do cinema e da TV; o que você sabe sobre ele? – Famosos e TV – R7". Entretenimento.r7.com. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- Brevet, Brad (6 March 2007). "INTERVIEW: Rodrigo Santoro for '300', Celebrity Interviews, RopeofSilicon.com Entertainment News". Ropeofsilicon.com. Archived from the original on 19 November 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- "Rodrigo Santoro Becomes Xerxes of Legend in "300"". Rotten Tomatoes. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- Honeycutt, Kirk (16 September 2011). "Heleno: Toronto Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- (Press release) (18 April 2015). "Pope Francis blesses actor playing Jesus in 'Ben-Hur' film". Christian Today. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- "Nasce a filha de Rodrigo Santoro e Mel Fronckowiak". 7 June 2017.
- Cinemateca Brasileira Depois do Escuro [em linha]
- "O Bicho de 7 Cabeças". Cinemateca Brasileira.
- "2007 MTV Movie Awards - Vote For Best Villain". MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 8 May 2007.
- Carroll, Larry; Adler, Shawn (8 May 2007). "MTV Movie Awards Nominees: Pirates, Spartans — And That Crazy Kazakh". MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2007.