Died this Saturday (10), in Rio de Janeiro, the author, director, producer, and writer Manoel Carlos, aged 92. Recognized as one of the greatest names in the history of Brazilian television, the playwright was hospitalized and his death was confirmed through a note released by the Boa Palavra profile. The wake will be closed, restricted to family and close friends, as informed by the family, who asked for respect and privacy in this time of mourning. The information is from the newspaper O Globo.
Specialist in portraying emotions and conflicts in the female universe, Manoel Carlos immortalized in telenovelas a recurring character that spanned generations: Helena. The figure was present in landmark productions such as Baila Comigo (1981), played by Lílian Lemmertz; Felicidade (1991), with Maitê Proença; História de Amor (1995), Por Amor (1997) and Páginas da Vida (2006), all with Regina Duarte; Laços de Família (2000), with Vera Fischer; Mulheres Apaixonadas (2003), starring Christiane Torloni; Viver a Vida (2009), which had Taís Araújo as the author’s first Black Helena; and Em Família (2014), starring Júlia Lemmertz.
Another hallmark of his work was the choice of Leblon as a recurring setting. The Rio neighborhood gained prominence in the plots for gathering characters inspired by real types, with everyday dilemmas and deep feelings. Commenting on this setting, Manoel Carlos stated to the Memória Globo project: “I set my telenovelas in Rio de Janeiro. I do very strong things under a very blue sky. Tragedies and dramas happen, but the day is beautiful. The beach and the Carioca spirit give a pink coloration to the gray context, but the audience ends up absorbing the plots in a lighter way”.
In addition to telenovelas, the author left his mark on miniseries that became television classics, such as Malu Mulher (1980), Presença de Anita (2001) and Maysa – Quando Fala o Coração (2009), expanding the reach of his work beyond traditional teledramaturgy.
Manoel Carlos Gonçalves de Almeida was born on March 14, 1933, in São Paulo, son of merchant José Maria Gonçalves de Almeida and teacher Olga de Azevedo Gonçalves de Almeida. Despite the São Paulo birth certificate, he always declared himself a Carioca at heart and maintained a deep emotional connection with Rio de Janeiro, the city that inspired much of his artistic production.
His professional career began early. At 14, he worked as an office assistant, but soon approached the artistic milieu by joining the Adoradores de Minerva group, formed by young people who gathered at the São Paulo Municipal Library to discuss literature and theater. Among the participants were names that would become cultural references, such as Fernanda Montenegro, Fernando Torres, Flávio Rangel and Antunes Filho. At 17, in 1951, he debuted as an actor on TV Tupi in São Paulo, in the Grande Teatro Tupi, under the direction of Antunes Filho. The following year, he was awarded as revelation actor and began to act also as producer, director and screenwriter. Between the 1950s and 1960s, he circulated through stations like TV Record, TV Itacolomi, TV Rio, TV Tupi and TV Excelsior, in addition to having worked at Jornal do Commercio, in Recife, accumulating experience in different languages and formats.
At TV Rio, he shared the writing of the Chico Anysio Show with Ziraldo and Mário Tupinambá and directed humorous programs starring Chico Anysio. He also joined the so-called Equipe A, responsible for creating and producing historic attractions on TV Record, such as Família Trapo, O Fino da Bossa and Hebe Camargo.Manoel Carlos arrived at TV Globo in 1972, as general director of Fantástico, a position he held for three years. In 1978, he debuted as a novelist for the network by adapting the novel Maria Dusá, by Lindolfo Rocha, turned into the telenovela Maria, Maria, aired in the 6 p.m. slot.
Source: brasil247.com