| Rubens de Falco da Costa | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 October 1931 São Paulo, Brazil |
| Died | 22 February 2008 (aged 76) São Paulo, Brazil |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1955–2008 |
Rubens de Falco da Costa (19 October 1931 – 22 February 2008) was a Brazilian actor best known for his work in telenovelas, specifically his portrayal of a slave owner in the 1976 telenovela, Escrava Isaura (The Slave Isaura).[1]
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De Falco was born in São Paulo, Brazil on October 19, 1931. He began his acting career in the local theater. In 1955, he joined the group "Os Jograis", of São Paulo, and performed beside such actors as Ruy Afonso, Italo Rossi and Felipe Wagner. He made his cinema debut in 1952 in the film Apassionata, for the Cinematographic Company Vera Cruz.
In television, he had prominence parts in televovelas such as "O Rei dos Ciganos" (1967), "A Rainha Louca" (1967), "O Passo dos Ventos" (1968), "Gabriela" (1975), "O Grito" (1975), "Escrava Isaura" (1976), "Dona Xepa" (1977 and "Sinhá Moça" (1986).
Perhaps his best known work came in 1976, when he portrayed the cruel villain Leôncio Almeida, a powerful farm owner and ruthless slave owner in the telenovela, Escrava Isaura.[1] De Falco's character, Leôncio Almeida, fell in love with one of his slaves, played by Brazilian actress, Lucélia Santos.[1]
Escrava Isaura was extremely well received globally and became a hit in Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America.[1] Escrava Isaura was the first soap opera ever broadcast in Poland and Soviet Union and became the first television series to air in China with a foreign actress in the lead role.[1] Rubens de Falco, who played Leôncio Almeida as one of his trademark villains, was called "the great villain of Brazilian television drama" by Lucélia Santos.[1]
De Falco's last television appearance as an actor was as Almeida in 2004 in the Rede Record remake of Escrava Isaura.[1]
Rubens de Falco died on February 22, 2008 of heart failure at the CIAI Center for the Aged in São Paulo, Brazil.[1] He was not married and left no descendants.