# Roque Santeiro

Roque Santeiro is a Brazilian primetime telenovela produced and broadcast by TV Globo. It premiered on 24 June 1985 (replacing Corpo a Corpo) and ended on 21 February 1986, (replaced by Selva de Pedra).
The script was created by Dias Gomes —based on a play O Berço do Herói (Hero's Cradle)— and starred Regina Duarte, Lima Duarte, José Wilker, Lucinha Lins, Yoná Magalhães, Paulo Gracindo, Armando Bógus, Cássia Kis Magro, Elizângela, Fábio Júnior, Lídia Brondi, Cláudio Cavalcanti, Cláudia Raia, Lutero Luiz, Maurício Mattar, Eloísa Mafalda and Ary Fontoura. It was directed by Paul Ubiratan and co-written by Aguinaldo Silva.
Roque Santeiro became a great success, with high viewership levels, and is recognized today as one of the best telenovelas of all time. It was distributed to several different countries around the world, and had an audience of 60 million viewers (out of approxmimentally 135-138 million Brazilians at the time), and is currently the most-watched show in the history of Brazilian television.

## Plot

In the tiny poor town of Asa Branca, in the middle of Brazilian Northeast, Roque Santeiro is worshiped as a saint. He was supposedly killed by a bandit, 17 years ago, trying to save the local church. After his disappearance, local leaderships such as landowner Sinhozinho Malta and mayor Florindo, took profit on that to control the humble population. They even make up a widow, Porcina, who should have married Roque secretly before his death. What they don't expect is that Roque is alive, and he's back to, allegedly, "save his people". Now Malta, Florindo, Porcina, and others must hold him down and explain the "truth" to their commoners, in a desperate attempt to save their own bottoms. Meanwhile, mysterious facts surround Asa Branca, such as a Werewolf, a film crew who are trying to shoot a movie about Roque's story, and violent murderers.

## Cast

| Actor/Actress | Character |
| Regina Duarte | Viúva Porcina (Porcina da Silva) |
| Lima Duarte | Sinhozinho Malta (Francisco Teixeira Malta) |
| José Wilker | Roque Santeiro (Luís Roque Duarte) |
| Ary Fontoura | Prefeito Florindo Abelha |
| Eloísa Mafalda | Dona Pombinha (Ambrosina Abelha) |
| Yoná Magalhães | Matilde |
| Armando Bógus | Zé das Medalhas (José Ribamar de Aragão) |
| Lídia Brondi | Tânia Magalhães Malta |
| Fábio Júnior | Roberto Mathias |
| Paulo Gracindo | Padre Hipólito |
| Cláudio Cavalcanti | Padre Albano, o "Padre Vermelho" |
| Lucinha Lins | Mocinha Abelha |
| Cássia Kis Magro | Lulu (Lugolina de Aragão) |
| Rui Resende | Professor Astromar Junqueira |
| Patrícia Pillar | Linda Bastos |
| Ewerton de Castro | Gérson do Valle |
| Luiz Armando Queiroz | Tito Moreira França |
| Elizângela | Marilda |
| Oswaldo Loureiro | Navalhada (Aparício Limeira) |
| Nélia Paula | Amparito Hernandez |
| Othon Bastos | Ronaldo César |
| Arnaud Rodrigues | Cego Jeremias |
| Walter Breda | Francisco |
| Wanda Kosmo | Dona Marcelina Magalhães |
| João Carlos Barroso | Toninho Jiló |
| Nelson Dantas | Beato Salu |
| Maurício do Valle | Delegado Feijó |
| Ísis de Oliveira | Rosaly |
| Cláudia Raia | Ninon (Maria do Carmo) |
| Maurício Mattar | João Ligeiro (João Duarte) |
| Cláudia Costa | Carla |
| Alexandre Frota | Luizão (Luiz Cláudio) |
| Ilva Niño | Mina (Filismina) |
| Tony Tornado | Rodésio |
| Waldyr Sant'anna | Terêncio Apolinário |
| Cristina Galvão | Dondinha |
| Lutero Luiz | Doutor Cazuza |
| Angela Leal | Odete |
| Regina Dourado | Efigênia |
| Lícia Magna | Ciana |
| Ângela Figueiredo | Selma Sotero |
| Leina Krespi | Maria Igarapé |
| Lilian Lemmertz | Margarida Malta |
| Dedina Bernardelli | Ângela Flores |
| Vera Manhães | Noêmia (wife of the prosecutor) |
| Luiz Magnelli | Decembrino |
| Edyr de Castro | Nininha |
| Arthur Costa Filho | Dr. Cipó |
| Fernando José | Oliveira |
| Hemílcio Fróes | Colméia |
| Gilson Moura | Tião |
| Gabriela Senra | Lulu (child) |
| José de Freitas | Deputado Ferreira de Jesus |
| Heloísa Helena | Madre Felícia |
| Izabella Bicalho | Porcina da Silva (young) |
| Lu Mendonça | Rosa |
| Tonico e Tinoco | themselves |
| Jorge Coutinho | Seu Devagar |
| Dhu Moraes | Dona Maricota |
| Vera Lúcia | Tia Sinhá Maria |

## Impact
### Ratings

| Timeslot | # Ep. | Premiere | Premiere | Finale | Finale | Rank | Season | Rating average |
| Timeslot | # Ep. | Date | Premiere Rating | Date | Finale Rating | Rank | Season | Rating average |
| Monday—Saturday 8:25pm | 209 | 24 June 1985 | 68 | 21 February 1986 | 96 | #1 | 1985-86 | 74 |
In its premiere, Roque Santeiro acquired 68.0 Ibope Rating, considering the measurement for Greater São Paulo, eighteen points above the target set by Rede Globo that year. In the same week, on a Saturday, it was registered the lowest audience of the telenovela: 58 points. The average of the first week was 65 points.
On 20 August 1985, in Episode 50, Roque Santeiro posted a record audience: 81 points. It was the first time the telenovela recorded an index above 80 points. In that week, the average was 71 points.
On 17 February 1986, in Episode 205, Roque registered a record audience: 91 points. It was the first time the telenovela recorded an index above 90 points, a fact that would be repeated only in the last chapter: 96 points.
In the last episode, it was registered a historical index on Brazilian television: 100 points. In the scene where Sinhozinho Malta and Viúva Porcina say goodbye to Roque Santeiro, and leave Asa Branca, 100% of the Brazilian television sets were tuned on Rede Globo.

### Awards

Troféu APCA (1985):
* Best Telenovela
* Best Actress - Regina Duarte
* Best Actor - Lima Duarte
* Female Revelation - Cláudia Raia
* Best Telenovela Text - Dias Gomes and Aguinaldo Silva
Troféu Imprensa (1985):
* Best Telenovela
* Best Actress - Regina Duarte
* Best Actor - Lima Duarte
* Revelation of the Year - Cláudia Raia (tie with Tetê Espindola)