Danton Mello
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Danton Figueiredo Mello (born 29 May 1975) is a Brazilian actor, voice actor and comedian. Known for his roles in
TV Globo TV Globo (stylized as tvglobo; , ), formerly known as Rede Globo de Televisão (; shortened to Rede Globo) or simply known as Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto M ...
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
s, such as Neco (''
Cabocla Cabocla is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by Rede Globo. It premiered on 10 May 2004, replacing ''Chocolate com Pimenta'', and ended on 20 November 2004, replaced by '' Como uma Onda''. The telenovela is written by Ricardo Wadding ...
''), Rodolfo ( ''Sinhá Moça'') and ''Roberto'' (''
Hilda Furacão ''Hilda Furacão'' (English: ''Hilda'' ''Hurricane'') is a Brazilian miniseries produced by TV Globo which originally aired from May 27 to July 23 of 1998, with a total of 32 episodes. The miniseries took the time slot of ''Dona Flor e Seus Dois ...
''). His work in comedy is marked by his performance in films, series and works of the genre. Among others, he voiced actor
Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...
in four feature films, including ''Titanic'' and ''The Beach'' in
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. He is the brother of fellow actor
Selton Mello Selton Figueiredo Mello (; born 30 December 1972) is a Brazilian actor and filmmaker. Acting since childhood on TV shows, Mello gained popularity in Brazil for his comedic performances in ''A Dog's Will'' (2000) and ''Lisbela e o Prisioneiro, L ...
.


Personal life


Childhood and adolescence

Son of retired bank employee Dalton Natal Melo and Selva Aretusa Figueiredo Melo, a housewife. Danton grew up alongside his older brother,
Selton Mello Selton Figueiredo Mello (; born 30 December 1972) is a Brazilian actor and filmmaker. Acting since childhood on TV shows, Mello gained popularity in Brazil for his comedic performances in ''A Dog's Will'' (2000) and ''Lisbela e o Prisioneiro, L ...
, who had also become a renowned
actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
and
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
. From an early age, the brothers shared a very close relationship and an affinity with the arts, influenced by a family environment that encouraged
creativity Creativity is the ability to form novel and valuable Idea, ideas or works using one's imagination. Products of creativity may be intangible (e.g. an idea, scientific theory, Literature, literary work, musical composition, or joke), or a physica ...
. During his childhood, accompanying his brother on recordings, Danton showed an interest in acting, which led him to move to
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
and later to
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
as a child, where the family sought new opportunities, as his older brother had consolidated his option for art. In 1995, he began his artistic career when he was just ten years old, in the soap opera ''A Gata Comeu'', in addition to some acting and
advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...
work. The actor says that starting his career early didn't deprive him of anything: "I was able to divide my time with school, it was a requirement. We only recorded after school hours, my parents helped me. I loved recording. I saw it as a game of telling a story, of putting on different clothes and playing a character". As a teenager, while he continued to build his career as an actor, Danton began dating Laura Malin, who would later become a
writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...
and his first wife. The actor, in his youth, took the
history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
entrance exam but ended up missing the last test because of the recordings.


Helicopter crash

On September 14, 1998, while flying over
Mount Roraima Mount Roraima (; ) is the highest of the Pacaraima chain of tepuis (table-top mountain) or plateaux in South America. It is located at the junction of Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. A characteristic large flat-topped mountain surrounded by cliff ...
recording a report for ''Globo Ecologia'', a television program about
environmental education Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating discipli ...
shown by
TV Globo TV Globo (stylized as tvglobo; , ), formerly known as Rede Globo de Televisão (; shortened to Rede Globo) or simply known as Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto M ...
, the helicopter he was in suffered a breakdown and crashed. The actor and his team were found 30 hours after the accident by
indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
from the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Land, who notified
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so that the rescue could be carried out. Danton had severe internal bleeding and was rushed into
surgery Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...
, at risk to his life, recovering weeks later. His character in Torre de Babel ended up being removed, but with the actor's recovery, in November of that year, he returned to recording, due to its popularity, in a
wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...
and also with the aid of a
crutch A crutch is a mobility aid that transfers weight from the human leg, legs to the upper body. It is often used by people who cannot use their legs to support their weight, for reasons ranging from short-term injuries to lifelong disabilities. Hi ...
.


Relationships

He married Laura in 1993, when he was just 18 years old. Together, they had two daughters: Luísa, born in 2001, and Alice, in 2003. The marriage lasted 12 years and ended in 2005. Even after the separation, Danton maintained a cordial relationship with Laura and continued to be a present father in his daughters' lives. In 2013, Danton began a relationship with Sheila Ramos, a businesswoman whom he married in 2017. The
wedding ceremony A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, denominations, countries, social classes, and sexual orientations. Most wed ...
was marked by simplicity and closeness with friends and family. In 2014, his two daughters moved with his ex-wife to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The actor said he suffered a lot after leaving but ended up accepting it with the help of
therapy A therapy or medical treatment is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. Both words, ''treatment'' and ''therapy'', are often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx. As a rule, each therapy has indications a ...
and his mother, Selva.


Spirituality

In 2022, Danton Mello's relationship with his
spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...
was given new meaning after starring in the film ''Predestinado - Arigó and the Spirit of Dr. Fritz'', a spiritualist film that tells the story of the medium José Arigó and his spiritual surgeries through the incorporation of the spirit of Dr. Fritz. Until then, he considered himself an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
, but the film made him think a lot about the subject.


Diabetes

The actor has
type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent ...
and treats the disease with
medical supervision Supervision is used in counselling, psychotherapy, and other mental health disciplines as well as many other professions engaged in working with people. Supervision may be applied as well to practitioners in somatic disciplines for their preparatory ...
. Danton says that his entire family is diabetic and his condition is strictly genetic: "My glucose level was always at the limit. My mother is diabetic, my grandfather, her father, also had diabetes. I had a genetic issue too. Until one One day, during a routine exam, my glucose was very high. From then on I started taking medication"


Career


First works

His debut in soap operas took place in 1985, at the age of ten, as Cuca in ''A Gata Comeu.'' In 1988, he played the character Bruno Meireles, son of Leila (
Cássia Kis Cássia Kis (born 6 January 1958) is a Brazilian actress. Formerly known as Cássia Kiss, she included her husband's family name in her stage name between 2010 and 2015 and changed the middle pseudonym from ''Kiss'' to ''Kis'' (Cássia Kis Magro). ...
) and Ivan (
Antônio Fagundes Antônio José da Silva Fagundes Filho (born 18 April 1949) is a Brazilian actor, playwright, voice actor, and producer. Renowned for his several performances in stage, film and television, where he frequently works in telenovelas. Biography Fa ...
) in the soap opera
Vale Tudo Vale Tudo or vale-tudo (; ), also known as No Holds Barred (NHB) in the United States, is an unarmed, full-contact combat sport with relatively few Regulation of sport, rules. It became popular in Brazil during the 20th century and would eventua ...
; The following year, he played Peto, son of the antagonist Perpétua (
Joana Fomm Joana Maria Fomm (born September 14, 1939) is a Brazilian actress. Biography Joana Fomm was born in Belo Horizonte, but her mother died when she was still a baby and she was adopted by her uncles in Rio de Janeiro. Career Joana began her a ...
) in the soap opera ''Tieta''. In 1994, he participated in the soap opera ''
A Viagem ''A Viagem'' (''The Voyage'') is a Brazilian telenovela produced by TV Globo. It is written by Ivani Ribeiro with the contribution of Solange Castro Neves, and directed by Wolf Maya, Ignácio Coqueiro and Andre Schultz. The telenovela aired from ...
'', playing Johnny, a young rebel who becomes friends with Tato ( Felipe Martins).


Malhação

In 1995, he played Héricles, protagonist of the first season of the series ''
Malhação ''Malhação'' (, ''Young Hearts'' in English) is a Brazilian soap-opera that aired on TV Globo from 4 March 1995 to 3 April 2020. The series is targeted at a teenage audience. Each season runs for about a year with cast members changing every ...
''. In the plot, his character was a country boy who moved to the big city to study
history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
and was dating a
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girl named Cassandra from a distance, through letters; Throughout the plot, Héricles becomes involved in a romantic conflict between the characters of Isabela ( Juliana Martins) and Rafaela (Flávia Bonato). The following year, he continued with the same role in the second season of ''
Malhação ''Malhação'' (, ''Young Hearts'' in English) is a Brazilian soap-opera that aired on TV Globo from 4 March 1995 to 3 April 2020. The series is targeted at a teenage audience. Each season runs for about a year with cast members changing every ...
'' dating Alex (
Camila Pitanga Camila Manhães Sampaio (born 14 June 1977), known professionally as Camila Pitanga, is a Brazilian actress and former model. She is internationally renowned for her roles in film and television. In film, she is known for her roles in '' Quilom ...
), who later reveals herself to be Cassandra's cousin; He only returned to the series later with another character, in 2011, in ''Malhação Conectados'' to play the role of Fabiano, Isabela's (Bella Camero) father and Laura's (
Letícia Spiller Leticia Pena Spiller (born 19 June 1973) is a Brazilian actress, producer, director, poet, dancer, writer, and singer-songwriter. Personal life Spiller was married to actor Marcello Novaes, with whom she has a son named Pedro, born in 1996. ...
) romantic partner.


Highlights

In 1996, he transferred to SBT, where he acted in ''Dona Anja''. He returned to
Globo Globo (meaning ''globe'' in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian) may refer to: *Grupo Globo, a Brazilian conglomerate primarily in mass media **TV Globo, a television network ***GloboNews, a television 24-hour news channel ***Globo (Portuguese TV cha ...
in 1997 to play the narrator of the miniseries ''
Hilda Furacão ''Hilda Furacão'' (English: ''Hilda'' ''Hurricane'') is a Brazilian miniseries produced by TV Globo which originally aired from May 27 to July 23 of 1998, with a total of 32 episodes. The miniseries took the time slot of ''Dona Flor e Seus Dois ...
'', in the plot, his character Roberto Drummond is a reporter and
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
militant who decides to tell the story of his life and his friends, Malthus (
Rodrigo Santoro Rodrigo Junqueira Reis Santoro (; born 22 August 1975) is a Brazilian actor. He is known in Brazil for his appearance on local telenovelas and internationally for his portrayal of Persian King Xerxes I of Persia, Xerxes in the film ''300 (film), ...
), Aramel ( Thiago Lacerda) and Hilda Furacão (
Ana Paula Arósio Ana Paula Arósio (born 16 July 1975) is a Brazilian former actress and model. She has lived in Swindon, Wiltshire, England since 2015. Career Arósio is one of the most popular actresses in Brazil. She started her career at the age of twelve wh ...
). Between 1997 and 1999 he was also the presenter of ''Globo Ecologia'', where he suffered a helicopter accident. In 1998 (simultaneously with the previous one), he was in the soap opera ''Torre de Babel'' as Adriano, Shirlei's (Karina Barum) romantic partner. The following year, he participated in the last chapters of ''Terra Nostra''. After three years dedicating himself to
theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...
, he returned in 2003 as the protagonist of ''
Jamais Te Esquecerei ''Jamais Te Esquecerei'' ( en: ''I Will Never Forget You'') is a Brazilian telenovela shown by the SBT between 14 April and 26 September 2003, at 10h30. Based on the original text of Caridad Bravo Adams, it was translated by Henrique Zambelli ...
'', on SBT. Back on
Globo Globo (meaning ''globe'' in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian) may refer to: *Grupo Globo, a Brazilian conglomerate primarily in mass media **TV Globo, a television network ***GloboNews, a television 24-hour news channel ***Globo (Portuguese TV cha ...
, in 2004, he co-starred in the second version of the soap opera ''
Cabocla Cabocla is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by Rede Globo. It premiered on 10 May 2004, replacing ''Chocolate com Pimenta'', and ended on 20 November 2004, replaced by '' Como uma Onda''. The telenovela is written by Ricardo Wadding ...
'', playing Neco, a young man with advanced ideals for the time who becomes a
political leader A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties tha ...
of great prestige. In 2006, he played the protagonist Rodolfo in the soap opera ''Sinhá Moça''; the character is a young
abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
, republican and law graduate, whose dedication to his ideals is shared with the
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
Sinhá Moça (
Débora Falabella Débora Lima Falabella (; born 22 February 1979) is a Brazilian actress. Early years Débora was born in Belo Horizonte City, the daughter of actor Rogério Falabella and the lyrical singer Maria Olympia. During her childhood she became in ...
). Throughout the plot, the two develop a
romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...
and form a couple. In 2009, he played Amitav from ''Caminho das Indias'', his character was the husband of Surya ( Cleo Pires), eldest son of Opash (
Tony Ramos Antônio de Carvalho Barbosa (born 25 August 1948), known professionally as Tony Ramos, is a Brazilian actor. Ramos has played leading roles in major telenovela productions for more than four decades. Many of his most famous roles share the ch ...
) and ''Indira'' (
Eliane Giardini Eliane Teresinha Giardini (born 20 October 1952) is a Brazilian actress. Although she had little career success until the age of forty, she is now considered one of Brazil's foremost actresses. Biography Giardini was born in Sorocaba, São Paul ...
) and is extremely attached to Indian traditions. In 2012, he was the protagonist of the romcom series: '' Como Aproveitar o Fim do Mundo'', playing the character Ernani, an
accounting technician Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions, and is part of the process of accounting in business and other organizations. It involves preparing source documents for all transactions, operations, and other events of a business. T ...
, who is convinced by his co-worker Kátia (Alline Moraes) that, according to the
Maya calendar The Maya calendar is a system of calendars used in Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and in many modern communities in the Guatemalan highlands, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico. The essentials of the Maya calendar are based upon ...
, the world would end on 21 December 2012. With this perspective, both embark on various adventures to make the most of the days they have remain. Throughout the plot, end up falling in love. In 2013, he starred in the comedy ''
Vai que Dá Certo ''Vai que Dá Certo'' is a 2013 Brazilian crime comedy film directed by Mauricio Farias. It was shot in Paulínia and Campinas, cities in the state of São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of ...
'', a huge box office success. Between 2014 and 2019, he worked on the comedy program ''Tá no Ar: a TV na TV'', where he played several characters per chapter, alongside
Marcelo Adnet Marcelo França Adnet (born September 5, 1981, in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian actor, comedian and former VJ. He has been on many TV shows such as ''Adnet viaja'' ("Adnet travels") (2012), ''Adnet ao vivo'' ("Adnet live") (2011) and ''Comédia ...
and
Marcius Melhem Marcius Melhem (; born February 8, 1972) is a Brazilian actor, playwright, humorist, contributing editor, comedian and voice actor. He is mostly known for his work at Rede Globo, the largest television network in Brazil. He also has worked as a w ...
. In 2015 (simultaneously with the previous one), he acted in the soap opera ''
I Love Paraisópolis ''I Love Paraisópolis'' (stylized as I ♥ Paraisópolis; ; or simply Paraisópolis) is a Brazilian access prime telenovela created and written by Alcides Nogueira & Mário Teixeira and directed by Wolf Maya, premiered on May 11, 2015 on TV Globo ...
'', playing the character Cícero. In 2019, he played delegate Almeidinha in '' Órfãos da Terra''. Since November 2024, he has played the role of Raimundo Sobral in ''
Garota do Momento ''Garota do Momento'' (English title: ''She's the One'') is a Brazilian telenovela created by Alessandra Poggi. It aired on TV Globo from 4 November 2024 to 27 June 2025. The telenovela stars Duda Santos, Pedro Novaes, Maisa, Carol Castro, Fábi ...
'', a
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
father and owner of an advertising company.


With his brother

Brothers Selton and Danton Mello have shared the screen several times. In their childhood, they acted together in
commercials A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
, and Danton, who often accompanied Selton on recordings, appeared in ''
Corpo a Corpo ''Corpo a Corpo'' (''Body to Body'' in English) is a 1984 Brazilian telenovela, aired on TV Globo. It was written by Gilberto Braga and Leonor Brassères. Cast *Antônio Fagundes as Osmar *Gloria Menezes as Teresa *Débora Duarte as Eloá *Hug ...
'' in 1984. In 1988, they starred in Chico Anysio's special: ''Grupo Escoulacho''. Later, they also shared the stage in theater plays. In the film ''The Clown'', directed by and starring Selton, Danton made a special appearance as Aldo, owner of the Aldo Auto Peças establishment. Years later, in 2021, they returned to act together in the 5th season of '' Sessão de Terapia'' in episode 34, where they played brothers in a dramatic scene.


Filmography


Television


Cinema


Voice acting


Cinema


Television


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mello, Danton 1975 births Living people Mello brothers People from Passos, Minas Gerais Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Brazilian male film actors Brazilian male telenovela actors