Rodrigo Santoro

Infobox actor
name = Rodrigo Santoro

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caption = Rodrigo Santoro, March 2003
birthname = Rodrigo Junqueira dos Reis Santoro
birthdate = birth date and age|1975|8|22
birthplace = Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
deathdate =
deathplace =
othername =
occupation = actor
yearsactive = 1993—present
spouse =
cannesfilmfestival =
awards = Best Actor - Cartagena Film Festival
2001 Bicho de Sete Cabeças
Male Revelation - Cannes Film Festival
2004 Chopard Trophy of Male Revelation
Best Villain - MTV Movie Awards
2007 "300" (Nominated)
website = http://www.rodrigosantoro.com.br/

Rodrigo Santoro (born August 22, 1975 in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), is a Brazilian actor.

Career

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 also did the Brazilian version of the titular character in "Stuart Little" and its sequel.

His first major role in a cinema production would come in 2001, with "Bicho de Sete Cabeças" (Brainstorm) by Brazilian director Laís Bodansky. At the time, he was under heavy criticism for his role in a Brazilian soap and was even booed at the first showing of the film at the 2000 Brasília Brazilian Cinema Festival. By the end of the film, he received a standing ovation from the audience and critics praised his portrayal of a young man who is sent to a psychiatric clinic by his father after being caught smoking marijuana. 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 the much-praised "Abril Despedaçado" (Behind the Sun), one of the nominees for best foreign film in the 2002 Golden Globe Awards. He had another critically acclaimed performance in the 2003 Hector Babenco film "Carandiru", where he played a transexual prisoner known as "Lady Di".

Canadian director Robert Allan Ackerman signed Santoro for his TV production "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" after being mesmerised by his performance on "Bicho de Sete Cabeças". Since Santoro didn't 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 "". 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.He also started getting work in the advertising business as he appeared in a commercial campaign with Gisele Bündchen in 2002 and in a 2-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".

Santoro was cast as Persian emperor Xerxes I 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. [http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/news.php?id=5477 INTERVIEW: Rodrigo Santoro for '300' | Celebrity Interviews | RopeofSilicon.com Entertainment News ] ] His eyebrows were kept intact, however, covered over with prosthetics and drawn in rather than being shaved. [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/comments/?entryid=405883 ROTTEN TOMATOES: Rodrigo Santoro Becomes Xerxes of Legend in "300" ] ] Santoro claims to have read the works of Herodotus, an Ancient Greek historian, in order to prepare for his part. Regarding Xerxes I, he says:

For his role on "300", Santoro became the first Brazilian actor nominated to the MTV Movie Awards, in the category of Best Villain. Santoro though, did not win the category which went to Jack Nicholson from "The Departed".

Despite his successful international career, Santoro has said he doesn't want to move to Los Angeles and would like to stay in Rio. He practices transcendental meditation and sports when time allows, is a fan of The Doors and likes to read William Shakespeare's works. His favorite actors are Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. He is also part of the Oficina of Actors of the Rede Globo. In 2008 he participated in the UK's Soccer Aid which raised money for Unicef charity, where he played alongside legends such as Alan Shearer and Luis Figo at Wembley Stadium.

Filmography

Films

Television

*2009 - "Som e Fúria"
*2006 - "Lost" .... Paulo
*2005 - "Hoje É Dia de Maria" .... Amado / Dom Chico Chicote
*2003 - "Mulheres Apaixonadas" .... Diogo Ribeiro Alves
*2002 - "Pastores da Noite" .... Padre Gomes
*2001 - "Os Normais" .... Júlio
*2001 - "Estrela-Guia" .... Carlos Charles Pimenta
*1999 - "Suave Veneno" .... Eliseu Vieira
*1998 - "Hilda Furacão" .... Frei Malthus
*1997 - "O Amor Está no Ar" .... Léo
*1996 - "A Comédia da Vida Privada"
*1996 - "Sai de Baixo" .... Gama
*1995 - "Explode Coração" .... Serginho
*1994 - "Pátria Minha" .... Fernando
*1993 - "Olho no Olho" .... Pedro

Awards and nominations

* MTV Movie Awards
** 2007 - Best Villain for "300" (Nominated)
* Cannes Film Festival
** 2004 - Chopard Trophy of Male Revelation (Won)
* Cartagena Film Festival
** 2002 - Best Actor for "Bicho de Sete Cabeças" (Won)

Other nominations and honors

* 2006: 12th position on People Magazine's 2006 Sexiest Man Alive.
* 2004: On People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful list 2004.

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0763928|name=Rodrigo Santoro