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Rodrigo Santoro
Rodrigo Santoro at Berlinale 2025.jpg
Santoro at the 2025 Berlinale
Born
Rodrigo Junqueira Reis Santoro

(1975-08-22) 22 August 1975 (age 49)
Alma mater Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (dropped out)
Occupation Actor
Years active 1993–present
Spouse(s)
Mel Fronckowiak
(m. 2016)
Children 1

Rodrigo Santoro, born on August 22, 1975, is a talented actor from Brazil. He is well-known in Brazil for his roles in TV soap operas called telenovelas. Around the world, he is famous for playing the powerful Persian King Xerxes in the movie 300 (2006) and its follow-up, 300: Rise of an Empire (2014).

He has also appeared in many other popular films like Brainstorm (2001), Carandiru (2003), and Love Actually (2003). You might also recognize his voice from the animated movie Rio (2011). On television, he was in the series Lost in 2006 and Westworld from 2016 to 2020.

About Rodrigo Santoro

Rodrigo Santoro was born in a city called Petrópolis in Brazil. His father, Francesco Santoro, was an engineer from Italy. His mother, Maria José Junqueira dos Reis, is a Brazilian artist with family roots in Portugal.

Rodrigo's Acting Journey

Rodrigo Santoro by Gage Skidmore 2
Santoro at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, promoting 300: Rise of an Empire

In 1993, Rodrigo was studying Journalism at PUC-Rio, a university in Brazil. He joined an acting workshop at a big TV network called Rede Globo. This led to many roles in Brazilian telenovelas, which are like long TV dramas. Some of these include Olho no Olho (1993) and Mulheres Apaixonadas (2003). He also voiced the main character, Stuart Little, in the Brazilian versions of the Stuart Little movies.

First Big Movie Roles

His first important movie role was in 2001 in the Brazilian film Bicho de Sete Cabeças (Brainstorm). His performance was so good that he received a standing ovation and won an award for best actor. After this, he became a well-known actor and got the main role in Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun). This movie was even nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2002. In the 2003 film Carandiru, he played a prisoner named Lady Di.

Moving to Hollywood

A Canadian director, Robert Allan Ackerman, was very impressed by Rodrigo's acting in Bicho de Sete Cabeças. He asked Rodrigo to be in his TV movie The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone. Rodrigo filmed in Rome with famous actors like Helen Mirren. Soon after, he got a part in the big Hollywood movie Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. This role helped him start his career in Hollywood. After Charlie's Angels, he played Karl in the romantic comedy Love Actually.

Rodrigo also appeared in commercials. In 2004, he starred alongside Nicole Kidman in a three-minute commercial for Chanel, directed by Baz Luhrmann.

Joining Lost and 300

In 2006, Rodrigo joined the cast of the TV series Lost for its third season. He played a character named Paulo, one of the survivors of the plane crash. His character appeared in several episodes before leaving the show. He also voiced Paulo in the Brazilian version of Lost.

Later in 2006, Rodrigo was chosen to play the Persian emperor Xerxes in the movie 300. This role required a lot of preparation. He had to work out intensely and lost a lot of weight. Special computer effects were used to make him look like the seven-foot-tall God-King. His makeup took over four hours to apply, and he had to remove all his body hair for the role. To understand Xerxes better, Rodrigo read books by an ancient Greek historian named Herodotus. He described Xerxes as a very rich, arrogant, and powerful leader who wanted to conquer the world.

Recent Work

After playing the famous footballer Heleno de Freitas in the 2012 film Heleno, Rodrigo starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2013 movie The Last Stand. He also appeared in the drama film Focus (2015) with Will Smith.

In 2016, Rodrigo played Jesus in the historical action film Ben-Hur. He even received a special blessing from Pope Francis for this role. In October 2016, he returned to Brazilian telenovelas after twelve years, playing a main role in Velho Chico. From 2016 to 2022, he was also a main character in the popular HBO series Westworld.

Personal Life

Rodrigo Santoro has a strong connection to the city of Ribeirão Preto in Brazil because his mother's family is from there. He has visited the city since he was a child.

Rodrigo Santoro married actress and presenter Mel Fronckowiak in 2016. They started dating in 2012 and kept their relationship private for about a year. In January 2017, Rodrigo and Mel announced they were expecting a baby. Their daughter, Nina, was born on May 22, 2017.

Filmography

Rodrigo Santoro WE 2012 Shankbone 8
Santoro at the premiere of What to Expect When You're Expecting, May 9, 2012, New York

Movies

Year Film Role Notes
1996 Depois do Escuro Roberto
1998 Como Ser Solteiro Himself
1999 O Trapalhão e a Luz Azul Musketeer
Stuart Little Stuart Little Voice (Brazilian Portuguese dub)
2001 Bicho de Sete Cabeças Wilson Souza Neto
Abril Despedaçado Tonho
2002 Stuart Little 2 Stuart Little Voice (Brazilian Portuguese dub)
2003 The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone Young Man
Carandiru Lady Di
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Randy Emmers
Love Actually Karl
2004 A Dona da História Luiz Cláudio
2006 300 Xerxes I
2007 Não por Acaso Pedro
2008 Live, Love, Laugh, But... Bellboy Short film
Os Desafinados Joaquim
Redbelt Bruno Silva
Leonera Ramiro
Che Raúl Castro
2009 I Love You Phillip Morris Jimmy Kemple
Post Grad David Santiago
2010 Manual Para Se Defender de Alienígenas, Zumbis e Ninjas Ninja Short film
There Be Dragons Oriol
2011 Meu País Marcos
2011 Rio Túlio / Soccer Announcer Voice (also in the Brazilian Portuguese dub)
2012 Hemingway & Gellhorn Paco Zarra
Heleno Heleno de Freitas
What To Expect When You're Expecting Alex Castillo
Reis e Ratos Roni Rato
2013 The Last Stand Frank Martinez
Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury Piatã / Júnior
2014 300: Rise of an Empire Xerxes I
Rio 2 Túlio Voice (also in the Brazilian Portuguese dub)
Rio, I Love You Ele
2015 Focus Garriga
The 33 Laurence Golborne
2016 Jane Got a Gun Fitchum
Ben-Hur Jesus Christ
Dominion Carlos
Pelé: Birth of a Legend Brazilian announcer
2018 A Translator (Un Traductor) Malin
2019 Monica and Friends: Bonds Nutty Ned
Klaus Jesper Johansson Voice (Brazilian Portuguese dub)
2020 Project Power Biggie
2021 Save Ralph Rabbit Voice; short film
7 Prisoners Luca
2024 Noah's Ark Vini Voice
2025 The Blue Trail (O Último Azul) Cadu It had its world premiere in February 2025, as part of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, in Competition.
TBA Runner Damian Zaldívar Filming

Television Shows

Year TV show Role Note
1993–1994 Olho no Olho Pedro Main role
1994–1995 Pátria Minha Fernando
1995–1996 Explode Coração Sérgio
1996 Sai de Baixo Gama Episode: "Sexo Nosso de Cada Dia"
Comédia da Vida Privada Diogo Episode: "Mulheres"
1997 O Amor Está no Ar Léo
1998 Hilda Furacão Frei Malthus Main role
1999 Belo e as Feras Henrique Episode: "Só o Amor Destrói"
Suave Veneno Eliseu Vieira Main role
2001 Os Normais Júlio Episode: "Grilar é Normal"
Estrela-Guia Carlos Charles Pimenta Main role
2002 Pastores da Noite Padre Gomes Television film
2003 Mulheres Apaixonadas Diogo Ribeiro Alves Main role
2005 Hoje É Dia de Maria Amado
Hoje é Dia de Maria: Segunda Jornada Dom Chico Chicote
2006 Lost Paulo Main role (season 3)
2009 Som & Fúria Sanjay Main role
2010 Afinal, o Que Querem as Mulheres? Rodrigo Santoro (fictional version) Episode: "Elas?"
Papai Noel Existe Robson Luiz Television film
2012 As Brasileiras Carioca Episode: "A Indomável do Ceará"
2016 Velho Chico Afrânio de Sá Ribeiro Guest role, 24 episodes
2016–2022 Westworld Hector Escaton / Ettore Main role (seasons 1–2)
Guest role (seasons 3–4)
2019 Solteira e Boa Rapariga David Main role
Reprisal Joel Kelly
2021 Sessão de Terapia Dr. Davi Greco Main role (season 5)
2022 Sin límites Ferdinand Magellan Main role
2023 Wolf Pack Garrett Briggs
2024 Good Morning, Verônica Jerônimo Main role (season 3)

Music Videos

Year Title Artist
2018 "Ocean" Alok, Zeeba and IRO

Awards and Recognitions

Rodrigo Santoro 2011
Santoro holding the statue he won at the 44th Festival de Brasília for the movie Meu País, in 2011.

Rodrigo Santoro has won many awards for his acting. Here are some of his achievements:

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2000 Festival de Brasília Best Actor Bicho de Sete Cabeças Won
2001 Recife Film Festival Won
Brazil Quality Award Won
Santo Domingo Film Festival Won
SESC Best Film Festival Won
2002 Cinema Brazilian Grand Prix Won
APCA Trophy Won
Cartagena Film Festival Won
Cero Latitud Film Festival Won
2003 Festival de Brasília Best Actor Carandiru Won
2004 Cannes Film Festival Chopard Trophy of Male Revelation N/A Won
2007 MTV Movie Awards Best Villain 300 Nominated
2011 Festival de Brasília Best Actor Meu País Won
Havana Film Festival Heleno Won
2012 Lima Film Festival Won
ALMA Awards What to Expect When You're Expecting Nominated
2013 Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro Heleno Nominated
2016 Troféu APCA Velho Chico Nominated
2016 Prêmio Extra de Televisão Nominated
2018 Filming Italy Sardegna Festival movie highlights and series in the year N/A Won
2018 Cinema PE - Audiovisual Festival work set N/A Won

Other Recognitions

  • 2004: Listed in People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful people.
  • 2006: Ranked 12th on People Magazine's list of the most attractive men.
  • 2008: Ranked 16th on E!'s list of the most attractive men in the world.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Rodrigo Santoro para niños

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