Wagner Moura facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wagner Moura
Moura at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Born	Wagner Maniçoba de Moura (1976-06-27) 27 June 1976 (age 49) Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Alma mater	Federal University of Bahia
Occupation	Actor, director
Years active	1996–present
Partner(s)	Sandra Delgado (2001–present)
Children	3

Wagner Maniçoba de Moura (born June 27, 1976) is a Brazilian actor, voice actor, and filmmaker. He is famous in his home country of Brazil and has also become a major international star.

Moura has won many awards for his acting. He won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in the movie The Secret Agent (2025). He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for playing the famous Colombian figure Pablo Escobar in the TV series Narcos. Many people also know him as the voice of the Wolf, who is the character Death, in the animated movie Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022).

In Brazil, Moura starred in one of the country's most successful movies, Elite Squad. The movie's popularity helped him become famous around the world. He later starred in Hollywood movies like Elysium (2013) and Civil War (2024). Moura is seen as an important actor who helps represent South Americans in Hollywood.

Early life

Moura was born in Salvador, a city in the state of Bahia, Brazil. He grew up in a small town called Rodelas. Because his father was in the military, his family moved often. He has a younger sister named Lediane, who is a pediatrician.

Moura first became interested in acting because of a friend in school who loved theater. Moura decided to try it too so he could find a group where he felt he belonged. During his teenage years, he became best friends with Lázaro Ramos, who is also a famous Brazilian actor today.

Career

Getting Started in Brazil

Moura began acting in professional plays in 1996. He also went to college and earned a degree in journalism from the Federal University of Bahia. For a short time, he worked as a reporter for a TV show.

Even while working as a reporter, Moura continued to audition for acting roles. He found success in a play called A Máquina. The play was so popular that it toured across Brazil. This helped the careers of Moura and his friends, actors Lázaro Ramos and Vladimir Brichta.

His first movie role was a small part in Woman on Top. He then appeared in several important Brazilian films, including Behind the Sun and Carandiru.

Becoming a Star in Brazil

In 2007, Moura became one of the most famous actors in Brazil. He starred as the character Olavo Novaes in the popular TV show Paraíso Tropical. His character and his on-screen partner, Bebel (played by Camila Pitanga), were big hits with the audience.

That same year, he starred as Captain Nascimento in the action movie Elite Squad. The movie was a huge success in Brazil. It also won the Golden Bear, the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. The success of Elite Squad and its sequel, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, made Moura a household name.

During this time, Moura also returned to the theater to play the main role in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. He also performed with his band, Sua Mãe.

Hollywood and International Fame

The success of Elite Squad brought Moura to the attention of Hollywood. In 2013, he appeared in his first American movie, the science fiction film Elysium, alongside Matt Damon and Jodie Foster.

From 2015 to 2016, Moura played the lead role of Pablo Escobar in the Netflix series Narcos. To prepare for the role, Moura learned to speak Spanish and gained over 40 pounds. His performance was highly praised, and he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

In recent years, Moura has appeared in many international projects. He was the voice of the Wolf (Death) in the hit animated movie Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022). In 2024, he had his first leading role in a major Hollywood movie, Civil War, starring with Kirsten Dunst.

In 2025, Moura won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for the film The Secret Agent. He was the first South American actor to ever win this award.

Working as a Director

Besides acting, Moura is also a director. He directed his first movie, Marighella, which was released in 2019. The film tells the story of a Brazilian writer and political figure. The movie won several awards in Brazil, including Best Film. Moura also directed two episodes of the series Narcos: Mexico.

Personal life

Moura's first language is Portuguese. He is also fluent in English and Spanish. He learned Spanish specifically for his role in Narcos. After filming the show, he followed a vegan diet to lose the weight he had gained for the part.

Moura enjoys practicing Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has three sons with his partner, the journalist and photographer Sandra Delgado. The family lives in both Los Angeles and Brazil.

Filmography

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Pop Killer		Short film
1999	Rádio Gogó	Replay
2000	Woman on Top	Rafi
2001	Behind the Sun	Matheus
2002	The Three Marias	Jesuíno Cruz
2003	God Is Brazilian	Taoca
	The Man of the Year	Suel
	Carandiru	Zico
	The Middle of the World	Romão
2004	Nina	Blind Man
2005	Lower City	Naldinho
	A Máquina	TV Host
2007	Ó Paí, Ó	Boca
	Saneamento Básico	Joaquim
	Elite Squad	Captain Roberto Nascimento
2008	Romance	Pedro
	Blackout	Marcelo
2009	They Killed Sister Dorothy	Narrator (Brazilian version)
2010	Elite Squad: The Enemy Within	Lieutenant Colonel Roberto Nascimento
	VIPs	Marcelo da Rocha
2011	O Homem do Futuro	João (Zero)
2012	Father's Chair	Theo
2013	Elysium	Spider
	Serra Pelada	Lindo Rico
	Futuro Beach	Donato
2014	Rio, I Love You	Gui	Segment "Inútil Paisagem"
	Trash	José Angelo
2016	Entre os Homens de Bem	Himself	Documentary
2017	Vidas Cinzas	Wagner	Short-film
	Os 8 Magníficos	Himself	Documentary
2019	Marighella	Interrogator	Voice; also director, writer, and producer
	Wasp Network	Juan Pablo Roque
2020	Sergio	Sérgio Vieira de Mello	Also producer
2021	Meu Tio José	José	Voice
2022	The Gray Man	Laszlo Sosa
	Puss in Boots: The Last Wish	Death	Voice
2024	Civil War	Joel
2025	The Secret Agent	Marcelo
TBA	The Last Day	Peter	Post-production
	11817	TBA	Filming

Television

Theater

Awards and nominations

Moura in 2015

Television

Film

Theater

See also

In Spanish: Wagner Moura para niños