José Wilker Almeida (20 August 1944 – 5 April 2014) was a Brazilian film, stage, and television actor and director. The actor gained fame in telenovelas like '' Roque Santeiro'' (1985), but became known internationally for his role as Vadinho, the husband who returns from the dead to tempt

Sônia Braga Sônia Maria Campos Braga (; born 8 June 1950) is a Brazilian actress. She is known in the English-speaking world for her Golden Globe Award–nominated performances in '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1985) and ''Moon over Parador'' (1988). She ...

in the movie ''

Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands ''Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands'' ( pt, Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos) is a 1976 Brazilian comedy film directed by Bruno Barreto. Based on the 1966 Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos, novel of the same name by Jorge Amado, it takes place in 1940s Bah ...

'' (1976).

Career

Wilker was born on August 20, 1944 in

Juazeiro do Norte Juazeiro do Norte is a city in the state of Ceará state in northeastern Brazil. It is located 491 km south of the state capital Fortaleza in the semiarid sertão. The municipality has a population of 276,264 (2020 official estimate) and cov ...

. He started his career as a radio announcer at a radio in Ceará, where he was born. He moved to

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

and worked in the theater as a member of Movimento de Cultura Popular (MPC). The group brought culture and lessons in reading, writing, and politics. MPC was banned during the military repression in the 1960s, and Wilker moved to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

. He began working in cinema in Rio, which was at the forefront of Brazilian experimental and national cinema. He was 19 when he appeared in his first film, in 1965 (''A Falecida''), starring Fernanda Montenegro. In Rio, Wilker also got involved with the Teatro Ipanema theater group, headed by Rubens Corrêa and Ivan de Albuquerque. At Teatro Ipanema he rose to underground fame with his role in

Fernando Arrabal Fernando Arrabal Terán (born August 11, 1932) is a Spanish playwright, screenwriter, film director, novelist, and poet. He was born in Melilla and settled in France in 1955. Regarding his nationality, Arrabal describes himself as "desterrado" ...

's ''O Arquiteto e o Imperador da Assíria'' ('' The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria'') (1970), and starred in his own ''A China é Azul'' (''China is Blue'') (1972). He worked in television

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

s for decades. He debuted in 1971 on the popular show ''Bandeira 2'' (''Flag 2'') written by Dias Gomes and televised on the

Rede Globo TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Grupo Globo. The TV stati ...

network. Wilker gained acclaim for his role as the protagonist in the soap opera '' Roque Santeiro'', starring with

Regina Duarte Regina Blois Duarte (born 5 February 1947) is a Brazilian actress who briefly served as Special Secretary of Culture, a cabinet position in President Jair Bolsonaro's federal administration, from March to May 2020. Political activities Her effo ...

and Lima Duarte. Between 1997 and 2002, he directed many episodes of'' Sai Down''. In 1979, he was cast in the movie '' Bye Bye Brazil'' and in 1986 in '' The Man in the Black Cape''. Among his most memorable roles in movies was

Tiradentes Joaquim José da Silva Xavier (; 12 November 1746 – 21 April 1792), known as Tiradentes (), was a leading member of the colonial Brazilian revolutionary movement known as Inconfidência Mineira, whose aim was full independence from Po ...

in the film'' The Conspirators'' of 1972, Vadinho – which broke box office records in theaters – in ''

'' in 1976, as the politician Tenorio Cavalcanti in ''The Man in Black'' Cover of 1986 and Anthony Advisor of ''War'' Canudos of 1997. In miniseries ''JK'', he played an older

Juscelino Kubitschek Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira (; 12 September 1902 – 22 August 1976), also known by his initials JK, was a prominent Brazilian politician who served as the 21st president of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. His term was marked by economic prosp ...

during his time as President of the Republic. In 1992 he worked in ''

Medicine Man A medicine man or medicine woman is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Individual cultures have their own names, in their respective languages, for spiritual healers and cerem ...

'' along with Sean Connery and

Lorraine Bracco Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an American actress. Known for her distinct husky voice and Brooklyn accent, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, four Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards ...

Death

José Wilker died on April 5, 2014 of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

, aged 69.

Filmography

Film

Television

Director

*1983: '' Louco Amor'' *1984: '' Transas e Caretas'' *1987: Corpo Santo *1987: '' Carmem (telenovela)'' *1997-2002: '' Sai de Baixo''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilker, Jose 1944 births 2014 deaths Brazilian male telenovela actors Brazilian male film actors Brazilian people of Dutch descent People from Juazeiro do Norte