Rodrigo Santoro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rodrigo Santoro
Santoro at the 2025 Berlinale
Born	Rodrigo Junqueira Reis Santoro (1975-08-22) 22 August 1975 (age 49) Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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

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

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

Movies

Television Shows

Music Videos

Awards and Recognitions

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:

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

In Spanish: Rodrigo Santoro para niños