Wagner Moura

Wagner Moura
Moura in 2015
Born	Wagner Maniçoba de Moura (1976-06-27) 27 June 1976 Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Alma mater	Federal University of Bahia
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Sandra Delgado (m. 2001)
Children	3

Wagner Maniçoba de Moura (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvaɡneɾ ˈmowɾa]; born 27 June 1976)^[1] is a Brazilian film, television, and stage actor. Besides being a well-established and acclaimed actor in Brazil, he has achieved widespread international fame for his portrayal of Captain (later Colonel) Roberto Nascimento, protagonist of the highly successful film Elite Squad (2007) and its sequel, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010). He also gained recognition globally playing Spider in the sci-fi film Elysium (2013) and the lead role of Pablo Escobar in the Netflix series Narcos from 2015 to 2016, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.

Early life and education

Moura was born in Salvador, a city located in Northeast Region of Brazil, but grew up in the small town of Rodelas, Bahia. His mother, Alderiva, was a housewife, and his father, José Moura, was a sergeant in the Brazilian Air Force. At the age of 13, he moved back with his family to Salvador, Bahia.

He graduated in journalism at Federal University of Bahia but decided to become an actor.^[2]

Career

In 1997 he appeared in the film Woman on Top starring Penélope Cruz.

In 2007 he played Captain Nascimento, protagonist of the Golden Bear winner in the 2008 Berlin Film Festival, Elite Squad.

During the preparation for the first Elite Squad film, Wagner and part of the cast were subject to realistic special forces training conducted by Paulo Storani, a former captain of BOPE, the elite squad portrayed in the movie.^[3] During training, Storani was asked by the cast director to help "develop" Wagner's aggression for the role, which he attempted to do through repeated sessions of moral abuse.^[4] After several days, Storani finally got the reaction he was looking for and a little more. He reportedly made a fictional threat to Wagner's family, particularly mentioning Wagner's newborn to which the actor responded with a punch that fractured Storani's nose. "That's when Captain Nascimento was born", said Storani.^[5]

In 2010, he starred in the sequel to Elite Squad, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within.

In 2013, he played "Spider" in the sci-fi film Elysium. He starred in the Netflix original series Narcos as the famous drug lord Pablo Escobar. Already fluent in Portuguese and English, he learned Spanish to play the part of Escobar.

As of 2017, it is reported that Wagner is beginning his debut as director of the film Marighella based on novel Marighella: The Guerrilla That Burned Down the World about the Bahian marxist guerrilla Carlos Marighella written by journalist Mário Magalhães.^[6]

Music

Surviving members of Legião Urbana performing a 2012 tribute show with Moura as lead vocalist. From left to right: Marcelo Bonfá, Moura and Dado Villa-Lobos. To their right and partially cut out of the picture is touring bassist Rodrigo Favaro

Besides his acting career, Moura is a lyricist and the vocalist of a band named Sua Mãe ("Your Mum").^[7] In 2012, he guest performed as lead vocalist for some Legião Urbana tribute shows, featuring surviving members Marcelo Bonfá and Dado Villa-Lobos.

Personal life

Since 2001, Moura has been married to journalist and photographer Sandra Delgado, with whom he has three sons: Bem, Salvador, and José. He practices Transcendental Meditation. Moura's native language is Portuguese, but he also fluently speaks both English and Spanish. For his portrayal of Pablo Escobar in Narcos, Moura went back to college to take Spanish for foreigners, to perfect his pronunciation as someone who speaks Spanish as a first language. Moura had to gain over 40 pounds to play the role of Pablo Escobar; after production of the second season of Narcos, Moura decided to lose the weight with an all vegan diet.^[8]

Filmography

Theater

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Wagner Moura on IMDb