Rubens de Falco

Rubens de Falco da Costa (October 19, 1931 – August 22, 2008) was a Brazilian actor best known for his work in telenovelas, most notably his portrayal as a slave owner in the 1976 telenovela, Escrava Isaura (The Slave Isaura) and the 1986 telenovela Sinhá Moça (Little Missy).

Career
De Falco was born in São Paulo, Brazil on October 19, 1931. He began his acting career in the local theater. In 1955, he joined the group "Os Jograis", of São Paulo, and played beside such actors as Ruy Afonso, Italo Rossi and Felipe Wagner. He made his cinema debut in 1952, in the movie Apassionata, for the movie studio Companhia Cinematográfica Vera Cruz.

In television, he had big roles in telenovelas such as O Rei dos Ciganos (1967), A Rainha Louca (1967), O Passo dos Ventos (1968), Gabriela (1975), O Grito (1975), Escrava Isaura (1976), Dona Xepa (1977), A Sucessora (1978) and Sinhá Moça (1986).

Perhaps his best-known work came in 1976, when he played the cruel villain Leôncio Almeida, a powerful farm owner and ruthless slave owner in the telenovela Escrava Isaura. De Falco's character, Leôncio Almeida, fell in love with one of his slaves, played by Brazilian actress Lucélia Santos.

Escrava Isaura was very popular around the world and became a hit in Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Escrava Isaura was the first soap opera ever broadcast in Poland and Soviet Union and became the first television series shown in China with a foreign actors in main roles. Rubens de Falco, who played Leôncio Almeida as one of his most famous roles, was called "the great villain of Brazilian television drama" by Lucélia Santos.

He again played a powerful farm owner and ruthless slave owner, the cruel villain Baron de Araruna in the 1986 telenovela, Sinhá Moça alongside Lucélia Santos who starred this time as his rebellious daughter.

De Falco's last television role was as Almeida in 2004 in the Rede Record remake of A Escrava Isaura, and his last movie and acting role was as Deputado Ernesto Alves in 2008 in Fim da Linha.

Death
Rubens de Falco died on February 22, 2008, of heart failure at the CIAI Center for the Aged in São Paulo, Brazil. He never married, had no children and left no heirs.

Filmography
 Year Title Role Notes1952 Appassionata  1953 Esquina da Ilusão  1954 Floradas na Serra  1957 O Capanga  1957 O Pão Que o Diabo Amassou  1959 Moral em Concordata  Narrator  Voice1966 Engraçadinha Depois dos Trinta  1966 Essa Gatinha é Minha  1968 O Homem Que Comprou o Mundo  1969 Tempo de Violência  1969 O Impossível Acontece   (segment "Eu, Ela e o Outro")1970 Anjos e Demônios  Prosecutor 1971 Uma Pantera em Minha Cama  1972 Missão: Matar  John Dorcas 1972 A Difícil Vida Fácil  Ricardo 1973 Café na Cama  Flávio 1974 O Mau-Caráter  1975 O Sósia da Morte  Narciso 1975 O Homem da Cabeça de Ouro  1975 Nós, Os Canalhas  1975 Deixa, Amorzinho... Deixa  1977 Este Rio Muito Louco   (segment "Fátima Todo Amor")1978 Colonel Delmiro Gouveia  Delmiro Gouveia 1978 A Dama de Branco  1979 Os Foragidos da Violência  1981 Pixote  Juiz 1984 Macho y hembra  Vicente 1985 La hora Texaco  1986 Un hombre de éxito  Iriarte 1986 O Monge e a Filha do Carrasco  Saltmaster 2001 Sonhos Tropicais  General Travassos 2008 Fim da Linha  Deputado Ernesto Alves  (last acting role)

References

Other websites


Category:1931 births
Category:2008 deaths
Category:Brazilian stage actors
Category:Brazilian movie actors
Category:Brazilian television actors
Category:Actors from São Paulo