Benedito Ruy Barbosa

Benedito Ruy Barbosa (17 April 1931 – 7 July 2026) was a Brazilian screenwriter, journalist, and author of many Brazilian telenovelas. He made his debut as a television writer with , which aired on TV Tupi in 1966. Barbosa continued to write for a variety of television networks until he signed as a writer for TV Globo in 1976. He left Globo in 1990 for TV Manchete; after writing Pantanal for Manchete, he returned to TV Globo where he wrote Renascer and O Rei do Gado (1996). In 2008, he was awarded an Ordem do Mérito Cultural by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture.

Barbosa died from complications of chronic kidney disease on 7 July 2026, at the age of 95.

Early life and career beginnings Benedito Ruy Barbosa was born on 17 April 1931 in Gália, São Paulo, to Otávio Elias Barbosa, a journalist, typesetter, and bookstore owner who ran the A Voz de Vera Cruz paper, and Aurora Medeiros Barbosa. Barbosa grew up in Vera Cruz and had four younger siblings, including comics artist Ely Barbosa. Otávio Elias died of a heart attack in 1942, when Barbosa was twelve.

He left TV Globo in 1990 and began working for TV Manchete; his last show with Globo was (1988), a continuation of .

Barbosa unsuccessfully sued Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão in 2008 to prevent the station from airing re-runs of Pantanal, which it had purchased from TV Manchete. That same year, he was awarded an Ordem do Mérito Cultural by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture.

In 2016, the show Velho Chico, created by Barbosa alongside his daughter and grandson , aired on TV Globo. At the premier, Barbosa spoke negatively about gay characters in telenovelas, saying he did not think stories about same-sex attraction were appropriate for parents to show to their children. TV Globo declined to comment on his remarks and the station and his family decided that Barbosa would not speak publicly on the issue again.

His grandson, Luperi, remade Renascer in 2024.

Personal life Barbosa was married for 54 years to actress Marilene Barbosa. He had four children, including screenwriters Edmara Barbosa and . His grandchildren include the screenwriter Bruno Luperi. He was a São Paulo FC fan.

Health issues and death Barbosa was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and moved from his home in Sorocaba to the city of São Paulo to receive healthcare. He died at São Paulo from complications of the disease on 7 July 2026, at the age of 95.

Filmography (1966) (1967) (1971) (1983) Sinhá Moça (1986) Renascer (1993) O Rei do Gado (1996) Terra Nostra (1999) Esperança (2002) (2005) Sinhá Moça (2006) Paraíso (2009) Meu Pedacinho de Chão (2014) Velho Chico (2016)