Umberto Magnani Netto (April 25, 1941 – April 27, 2016) was a Brazilian actor and producer. He had an extensive career in Brazilian theater, television, and cinema.
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Biography
Early years and education
Of Italian descent, he was born in Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, a city located in the interior of the state of São Paulo, son of a tailor. He made his stage debut at the age of three, when he played Jesus Christ at a children's school in Santa Cruz. At the local radio station, he started working on a children's program at the age of 13, where he joined to cover the costs of his cigarettes.
At the local radio station in his town, he developed a taste for the profession and decided to become an actor. He moved to São Paulo city, where he studied at the School of Dramatic Arts, University of São Paulo (EAD), affiliated with the University of São Paulo (USP), graduating in performing arts. Due to the marginalization of the profession, he told his parents that he would study engineering. During his undergraduate years, he worked at a car dealership.
Career
In his debut year,1965, he acted in the play A Falecida, written by Nelson Rodrigues and directed by Antunes Filho, which was staged at the Leopoldo Fróes Theater in Santo Amaro, a district of São Paulo. In 1968, he joined the Teatro de Arena theater company, replacing Antônio Fagundes in Lauro César Muniz's play Primeira Feira Paulista de Opinião. In the same year, he made his television debut in Legião dos Esquecidos, broadcast by TV Excelsior, where he played a missionary priest.
He performed in the plays Frank V (1973) and Concerto nº 1 para Piano e Orquestra (1976) and stood out as an actor in 1977 in O Santo Inquérito, by Dias Gomes. His first stage production was the play Palhaços, in 1971. In many of his shows as a performer, he also acted as a producer. This was the case in Mocinhos Bandidos (1979), Lua de Cetim (1981), Cabeça e Corpo (1983), Louco Circo do Desejo (1986) and O Jogo (1994). In 1996, alongside his son, Beto Magnani, Umberto acted in the show Avesso.
On television in 1973, playing the character Zé Luis in the first version of the soap opera Mulheres de Areia, on the now defunct TV Tupi. In 1976, he made his film debut playing a teacher in the movie Chão Bruto, directed by Dionísio Azevedo.
In the 1980s, he starred in miniseries on TV Globo such as Grande Sertão: Veredas and Anarquistas, Graças a Deus, as well as appearing in the soap opera Razão de Viver broadcast by SBT and the series Joana, broadcast by TV Manchete.
At Globo, he appeared in acclaimed soap operas such as Felicidade, História de Amor, Por Amor, Laços de Família, Mulheres Apaixonadas, Cabocla, Alma Gêmea, and Páginas da Vida, having a career in television drama with writer Manoel Carlos, with whom he worked on several projects. She also participated in miniseries on the network such as Presença de Anita and the series Sandy & Junior (1999).
In 2007, he left the station and moved to SBT, where he starred in the soap opera Amigas & Rivais. The following year, he moved to TV Record, where he worked on the soap operas Chamas da Vida, Ribeirão do Tempo, Máscaras, and Balacobaco. His last work at the station was on the acclaimed series Conselho Tutelar (2015).
Sector activity
Umberto Magnani was highly active as an educator, administrator, and in political spheres related to the cultural sector. From 1972 to 1988, he served as director of the Association of Theater Producers of the State of São Paulo (APETESP).
Between 1977 and 1990, he was the regional director in São Paulo for the National Foundation for the Performing Arts (Fundacen), nowadays named Fundação Nacional de Artes (Funarte), under the Ministry of Culture. He served as an advisor for the validation of performing arts courses in the state of São Paulo, affiliated with the Ministry of Education (MEC).
From 1988 to 1989, he served on the board of directors of the Campinas Scenic Laboratory, under the Campinas City Hall. In addition, he served as Secretary of Culture and Tourism in Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, from 2001 to 2002, during the administration of Adilson Donizeti Mira (PSDB).
Workers
Prizes
Among the awards he received are the Troféu Mambembe and the Molière Prize for Best Actor in 1981 for his performance in the play Lua de Cetim. In 1988, he won the Troféu Mambembe and the Governor of the State of São Paulo Award for Best Actor in Às Margens do Ipiranga. He also received the Governor of the State of São Paulo Award for Best Actor in 1989 for the play Nossa Cidade.
Personal life
He was married to actress Cecília Maciel Magnani and they had three children: Ana Júlia, Beto, and Graciana.
Death
Magnani suffered a stroke during the filming of Velho Chico on Rede Globo, on his 75th birthday. He was rushed to Vitória Hospital in Barra da Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro, and underwent surgery. He fell into a deep coma and died two days later.
His body was laid in state in his hometown, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, where official mourning was also declared. In the city, there is an annual cultural exhibition in his honor.
