Pedro Alves

Pedro Alves (born January 29, 1975), also known as Zeca Estacionâncio, is a Portuguese actor and comedian.

Biography and career Pedro Alves became known for his legendary character "Zeca Estacionâncio," which he played in Portuguese comedy series such as Tele Rural and Portugal Tal & Qual, alongside João Paulo Rodrigues, embodying the duo's character "Quim Roscas".

He began his career as a radio announcer at Rádio Minuto at the age of 16. At 19, he already had his own generalist program on Radio Nova Era; from there he moved on to a Dance Music program — a time when he was also a Disc Jockey/DJ. —, to later take over the duties of the morning program on the same radio station.

Their first television appearance was at the invitation of Teresa Guilherme for the program Um, dois, três. Following that, as a comedy duo, they participated in programs such as Praça da Alegria. and Portugal no Coração.

In 2008, the duo was challenged by RTP to present Tele Rural., The rural news program is a satire of "serious news programs." It's presented by Quim and Zé, two friends, and the news only covers events in the fictional northern village of Curral de Moinas. The news is usually presented as important, but many stories later turn out to be comical nonsense. The people of Curral de Moinas represent the Portuguese rural population in a comical way. Its humor also relies on many national puns and it was a huge ratings success, running for four seasons.

Later, in 2011, RTP (Portuguese public television) once again hired the characters Quim Roscas and Zeca Estacionâncio to participate in the program Portugal Tal & Qual. This program offered a sociological portrait of the current state of the country and addressed topics such as divorce, phobias, neighborhood relations, etc. Presented by Eládio Clímaco and performed by João Paulo Rodrigues and Pedro Alves, Portugal Tal & Qual was another television success.

In 2012, João Paulo Rodrigues and Pedro Alves were challenged by the largest national production company to bring the success of their shows to the cinemas, and so in November 2013, Quim Roscas and Zeca Estacionâncio arrived in cinemas with the film 7 Pecados Rurais. This is a Portuguese comedy written by actor Nicolau Breyner (who also plays a character in the film), and includes the mythical comedic figures Quim and Zeca, played by João Paulo Rodrigues and Pedro Alves. It proved to be a real success and was the 5th most-watched Portuguese film of all time. In the film, Quim and Zeca die, but God decides to give them a second chance, provided that, for one day, they do not succumb to any of the seven deadly sins. Will Quim and Zeca be able to resist the seductive advances of their cousins?

In February 2014, João Paulo Rodrigues moved to SIC to join the morning talk show team, Queridas Manhãs, alongside Júlia Pinheiro, and his colleague, Pedro Alves, had a weekly segment in this project where he played various comical characters.

Due to its immense success, the duo Quim Roscas and Zeca Estacionâncio decided in July 2016 to release the book entitled "Curral de Moinas in Search of the Lost Dog".

The book, written by Henrique Dias and Frederico Pombares, tells the story of the dog Fanfa, who disappeared and led her owners to travel across Portugal, always searching for clues. This unusual adventure had thousands of readers laughing from the first to the last page.

In 2022, there was a proposal to return to cinemas with Curral de Moinas – Os banqueiros do Povo a film where Quim discovers that he actually had a banker father. His father leaves him a huge fortune and a bank. For the first time, Quim and Zé go to live in Lisbon and are confronted with the manners and styles of high society. They begin to live a life of luxury, the opposite of rural simplicity. Quim is dazzled; Zé is suspicious.

Curral de Moinas – Os banqueiros do Povo premiered in August 2022, with a main cast including Júlia Pinheiro, Rui Mendes, Sofia Ribeiro, Rui Unas, Carla Andrino, Diana Nicolau, among others. Produced by Filbox and directed by José Miguel Cadilhe, it proved to be a success, breaking records.

It spent months in theaters, consistently topping the charts and attracting over 500,000 viewers. The Portuguese comedy was so successful that the film was shown in countries such as France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, among others.

Between 2021 and 2024, he starred in the TVI comedy telenovela, Festa É Festa, in the role of Albino "Bino" Jesus. This was his debut in telenovelas.

In 2024 he debuted as a presenter on the comedy program Rir para Ganhar on RTP1, where he co-presented with João Paulo Rodrigues.

Pair Quim Roscas and Zeca Estacionâncio, formed in 2000, are the most successful Portuguese comedy duo, having conquered not only Portugal but also countries like Germany, Switzerland, France, the United States, and Luxembourg, where they always bring to the stage plenty of comedy, music, improvisation, and of course, a lot of silliness.

They perform over 100 shows a year, totaling more than 100,000 spectators annually. Genius and creativity are the ingredients for a journey into the universe of spontaneous and authentic laughter.

From traditional festivals to academic parties, from corporate events to major national stages, their shows last approximately two hours and come in two different formats: a duo on stage doing stand-up comedy; or a duo with a live band of four musicians. In this latest format, the duo performs original songs such as "Eu não sou um totó" (I'm Not a Fool), "Rikuku", "Ela é linda" (She's Beautiful), "O Pito da Maria" (Maria's Little Dick), among others, and covers of well-known artists.

Quim Roscas and Zeca Estacionâncio go beyond borders, performing for Portuguese communities around the world. Lots of fun, laughter, and crowds are the ingredients for two hours of pure entertainment.

Television

Cinema 2012: Balas & Bolinhos: O Último Capítulo 2013: 7 Pecados Rurais (second most watched Portuguese film ever in national cinemas - directed by Nicolau Breyner) 2022: Curral de Moinas – Os Banqueiros do Povo - directed by Miguel Cadilhe (was in cinemas for months on end, always being the TOP 1 most watched, and having more than 500 thousand viewers) 2024: Balas & Bolinhos: Só Mais uma Coisa 2024: Vive e Deixa Andar, Fernando (film by Miguel Cadilhe)

Awards

Award for Best Actor at the "Nitiin – International Film Festival" in Malaysia, for his performance in the film Curral de Moinas – Os Banqueiros do Povo.