Wagner Moura facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wagner Moura
Moura in 2019
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 27 June 1976) is a talented Brazilian actor and director. He started his acting journey in theater in Salvador. Soon, he began appearing in films.

In 2003, Wagner got his first main roles in movies. He also had a big part in Carandiru. This movie helped him become a well-known actor in Brazil. He continued to star in popular Brazilian films. These included the huge hits Elite Squad and Elite Squad 2. In these movies, he played the famous character Captain Nascimento. The first Elite Squad film won the Golden Bear award. Both movies became popular outside Brazil, making Wagner famous worldwide.

In 2007, he played the villain in the TV show Paraíso Tropical. People and critics loved his performance. In 2013, he acted in the American science fiction movie Elysium. He starred alongside Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. This film was his first international role, and critics praised his work. Later, Moura also directed two episodes of the series Narcos: Mexico.

Wagner Moura is a very respected actor in Brazil. He has also found success internationally. He is part of a group working for better representation of Latin Americans in Hollywood. In 2021, he directed and wrote his first movie, Marighella. This film is about Carlos Marighella. It first showed at the Berlin Film Festival in 2019 and was well-received. The movie won many awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Moura.

Early Life and Dreams

Wagner Moura was born in Salvador. He grew up in Rodelas, a town far from the capital city. His father, José Moura, was in the military. This meant his family, including his mother Alderiva and younger sister Lediane, moved often.

Wagner's interest in acting began thanks to a school friend. This friend loved arts, just like him. Wagner wanted to try theater classes to find a place where he felt he belonged. He became best friends with the Emmy-nominated actor Lázaro Ramos when they were teenagers in Bahia. Ramos shared that Wagner was always a great supporter of his acting career.

Becoming an Actor

First Steps in Theater and Film

Wagner took acting classes as a teenager. He started working in professional theater in 1996. Later, he studied journalism at the Federal University of Bahia. He even had a small company that worked for other actors.

In the early 2000s, Wagner was a reporter for a TV show. He covered parties and interviewed famous people. But he kept going to auditions because he really wanted to be an actor. He found success with the play A Máquina. This show was loved by both critics and the public. It traveled to many cities, helping Wagner and his friends, Lázaro Ramos and Vladimir Brichta, become successful actors.

In movies, he started with short films. His first feature film was Woman on Top. He had a small part in it with Lazaro Ramos. As Brazilian cinema started to grow, he got roles in many films. He worked with important directors like Walter Salles and Cacá Diegues.

While filming God Is Brazilian, Wagner learned about auditions for the movie Carandiru. He was busy, so he recorded his audition on tape. The tape was dark, but the director, Héctor Babenco, was curious about his voice. He later invited Wagner for a meeting.

Wagner first appeared on television in the series Carga Pesada. Then came the show Sexo Frágil, which became very popular. He also starred in the TV show A Lua Me Disse. After that, he played a young Juscelino Kubitschek, a former Brazilian president, in the series JK.

Elite Squad and Big Success

In 2007, Wagner was cast as Olavo Novaes in the TV show Paraíso Tropical. He played the villain, and his performance was a huge hit. People loved his character, and he won many awards for it.

At the same time, his movie Elite Squad became very popular. Wagner played Captain Nascimento, a police officer. The film broke box office records and won awards, including the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. It also sparked many discussions about police and violence.

With these two big projects, Wagner became one of Brazil's most popular actors. People and critics saw him as one of the best actors of his generation. Vogue Brazil even named him "Man of the Year" in 2007.

In 2008, he returned to theater after many years. He starred in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. This was a dream role for him. The play was a success and praised by critics. He also acted in more films like Ó Paí, Ó and Saneamento Básico. He even restarted his band, Sua Mãe, and released a CD.

In 2010, he returned as Captain Nascimento in Elite Squad: The Enemy Within. This sequel was also a huge success. For ten years, it was the highest-grossing film in Brazil's history. In 2012, he was a guest singer for an MTV Brasil tribute to the band Legião Urbana. Wagner was a big fan of the band, so he was very happy.

Hollywood and Directing

From Brazil to Hollywood

The movie Elysium was Wagner's first role in Hollywood. He played Spider, alongside Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. He got the role after his agents showed his work in Elite Squad 2 to the producers.

In 2014, he starred in Futuro Beach. He played a lifeguard who moves to Germany after falling in love. In the same year, he appeared in Rio, I Love You.

In April 2015, Wagner was set to be in The Magnificent Seven. But he had to turn down the role because he was filming the series Narcos.

Moura in 2015

In August 2015, Narcos premiered on Netflix. In this series, Wagner played Pablo Escobar. His performance was highly praised by critics, and the show was very popular. Narcos earned him a Golden Globe nomination in 2016 for best actor in a TV series. He was the first Brazilian in 14 years to get this recognition.

In 2019, he released the film Wasp Network on Netflix. It was shown at the Venice Film Festival. In 2020, he was part of the jury at the Sundance Film Festival. He also launched the Netflix drama Sergio at Sundance. In this film, he played and produced the story of Brazilian diplomat Sérgio Vieira de Mello.

In 2021, Wagner joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood. In November of that year, the third season of Narcos: Mexico was released. Wagner directed two episodes. Around the same time, his first film as a director, Marighella, was released in Brazilian cinemas. The film won many awards, including Best Film and Best Directorial Debut for Moura.

Wagner has announced new projects. He signed a contract with Disney+ to produce a series about Maria Bonita. He will also be in upcoming films by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Karim Aïnouz. Plus, he will voice a character in the animated movie Arca de Noé.

In 2022, he starred in the Apple TV+ series Shining Girls. He played a journalist named Dan Velásquez. He also joined the cast of Civil War. He voiced the Wolf, who is Death, in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. He also starred in The Gray Man, one of Netflix's most expensive films. He played Laszlo Sosa and lost 20 kilograms for the role. The directors, the Russo brothers, called him "an incredible actor."

In 2024, he had a role in the Amazon Prime Video series Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Personal Life

Wagner Moura's first language is Portuguese. He also speaks English and Spanish very well. He learned Spanish to play Pablo Escobar in Narcos. For that role, he gained over 18 kilograms (40 pounds). After filming, he lost the weight by eating only vegan food.

Wagner practices Transcendental Meditation, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In December 2023, he earned a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

He has three sons with his partner, Sandra Delgado, a journalist and photographer. They met in college. They live in different cities like Salvador, Los Angeles, and Rio de Janeiro, depending on where his work takes him. But he still considers Bahia his true home.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

Awards and Nominations

Television

Film

See also

In Spanish: Wagner Moura para niños