About Umberto Magnani
Lived 1941 – 2016 (aged 75). Umberto Magnani was a Brazilian actor and film actor.
Umberto Magnani Netto (April 25, 1941 – April 27, 2016) was a Brazilian actor and producer. He had an extensive career in Brazilian theater, television, and cinema.
Biography
Early years and education Of Italian descent, he was born in Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, a city located in the interior of the state of São Paulo, son of a tailor. He made his stage debut at the age of three, when he played Jesus Christ at a children's school in Santa Cruz. At the local radio station, he started working on a children's program at the age of 13, where he joined to cover the costs of his cigarettes.
At the local radio station in his town, he developed a taste for the profession and decided to become an actor. Due to the marginalization of the profession, he told his parents that he would study engineering. In 1968, he joined the Teatro de Arena theater company, replacing Antônio Fagundes in Lauro César Muniz's play Primeira Feira Paulista de Opinião. In the same year, he made his television debut in , broadcast by TV Excelsior, where he played a missionary priest. (1973) and Concerto nº 1 para Piano e Orquestra (1976) and stood out as an actor in 1977 in O Santo Inquérito, by Dias Gomes. His first stage production was the play Palhaços, in 1971. In many of his shows as a performer, he also acted as a producer. This was the case in Mocinhos Bandidos (1979), Lua de Cetim (1981), Cabeça e Corpo (1983), Louco Circo do Desejo (1986) and O Jogo (1994). In 1996, alongside his son, Beto Magnani, Umberto acted in the show Avesso.
On television in 1973, playing the character Zé Luis in the first version of the soap opera , on the now defunct TV Tupi. In 1976, he made his film debut playing a teacher in the movie , directed by Dionísio Azevedo.
In the 1980s, he starred in miniseries on TV Globo such as and , as well as appearing in the soap opera broadcast by SBT and the series , broadcast by TV Manchete.
At Globo, he appeared in acclaimed soap operas such as Felicidade, História de Amor, Por Amor, Laços de Família, Mulheres Apaixonadas, Cabocla, Alma Gêmea, and Páginas da Vida, having a career in television drama with writer Manoel Carlos, with whom he worked on several projects. She also participated in miniseries on the network such as Presença de Anita and the series (1999).
In 2007, he left the station and moved to SBT, where he starred in the soap opera Amigas & Rivais. The following year, he moved to TV Record, where he worked on the soap operas Chamas da Vida, Ribeirão do Tempo, Máscaras, and Balacobaco. During the filming of the soap opera, the actor fell ill and was taken to the hospital by Globo TV. Shortly thereafter, he suffered a stroke and was replaced by actor Carlos Vereza.
Sector activity Umberto Magnani was highly active as an educator, administrator, and in political spheres related to the cultural sector. From 1972 to 1988, he served as director of the (APETESP).
Between 1977 and 1990, he was the regional director in São Paulo for the National Foundation for the Performing Arts (Fundacen), nowadays named Fundação Nacional de Artes (Funarte), under the Ministry of Culture. He served as an advisor for the validation of performing arts courses in the state of São Paulo, affiliated with the Ministry of Education (MEC). In addition, he served as Secretary of Culture and Tourism in Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, from 2001 to 2002, during the administration of Adilson Donizeti Mira (PSDB).
Velho Chico Priest Romão Juca Episode: "Pequenas e Grandes Vitórias" 2015 Milagres de Jesus Timeu Episode: "O Cego de Jericó"
Balacobaco Genivaldo Aragão
1994 Éramos Seis Alonso 1993 Você Decide Priest Episode: "O Juramento" Donato Veronese Pinho 1990 Olegário 1986 Bezerra
Sérgio 1982 Firmino Episode: "O Homem do Disco Voador"
Zé Luis 2005 Figueiras 2003
Morte Amigo no velório Curta-metragem Rua 6, sem número Dimas 2000 Cronicamente Inviável Alfredo 1989 Kuarup Fontoura
Hour of the Star Seu Raimundo
1976 Teacher 2007 Loucos por Amor Sam Shepard Francisco Medeiros 1996–2000 Uma Vida no Teatro David Mamet Francisco Medeiros
O Jogo Didi Reinaldo Maia Reinaldo Maia
1972 A Capital Federal Arthur de Azevedo Flávio Rangel
O Veredicto Lawyer Mirian San Juan Alfredo Mesquita Somos Todos do Jardim da Infância Edgard Domingos de Oliveira Silnei Siqueira In 1988, he won the and the for Best Actor in Às Margens do Ipiranga. He also received the for Best Actor in 1989 for the play Nossa Cidade.
Personal life He was married to actress Cecília Maciel Magnani and they had three children: Ana Júlia, Beto, and Graciana.
Death Magnani suffered a stroke during the filming of Velho Chico on Rede Globo, on his 75th birthday. He was rushed to Vitória Hospital in Barra da Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro, and underwent surgery. He fell into a deep coma and died two days later.
His body was laid in state in his hometown, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, where official mourning was also declared. In the city, there is an annual cultural exhibition in his honor.
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Important facts
People in Umberto Magnani's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Umberto Magnani's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Umberto Magnani?
Brazilian actor
When was Umberto Magnani born?
Umberto Magnani was born on 25 April 1941 in Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo.
When did Umberto Magnani die?
Umberto Magnani died on 27 April 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
What was Umberto Magnani's occupation?
Umberto Magnani was an actor and film actor.
What nationality was Umberto Magnani?
Umberto Magnani was Brazilian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Umberto Magnani. https://biography.guide/umberto-magnani/
MLA: "Umberto Magnani." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/umberto-magnani/.
Chicago: "Umberto Magnani." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/umberto-magnani/.
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