Wagner Moura is a Brazilian actor, producer, screenwriter, director and musician. He became famous at home thanks to the crime action movie "Elite Squad" and its sequel. He became known internationally after participating in the big-budget science fiction blockbuster "Elysium" in a vivid supporting role and for his work in the TV series "Narcos".
Childhood and youth
Wagner Moura was born in the small town of Salvador, in the northeastern region of Brazil. His father was a sergeant in military aviation, so the family moved quite often.
After graduating from school, Moura entered the University of Baia, where he graduated with a diploma in journalism. However, immediately after graduation, he decided to devote himself to another profession.
Actor's career
One of the first films of Wagner Moura immediately brought him recognition at home and abroad. The romantic comedy "Woman from Above" with Penelope Cruz in the title role was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and went on limited release in North America. Moura himself played a supporting role.
After that, over the course of several years, he mainly appeared in television projects, playing major roles in several successful Brazilian television series.
In 2007, starred in the crime action movie "Elite Squad", which unexpectedly received the main prize at the Berlin Film Festival and became an international hit.
During the filming, the training of actors was carried out by real police and military training specialists. The director asked the main one to add cruelty to the character of Moura, who decided to achieve this with verbal threats and insults. When he decided to threaten the actor’s family, he broke his military nose, after which the director was satisfied with the acting work of Wagner.
In 2010, Wagner Moura played in the sequel to the film "Elite Squad: Enemy Inside." In 2013, he appeared as a character named Spider in the science fiction film directed by Neil Blomkampa "Elysium", where Matt Damon and Jody Foster became his partners.
In 2015, Wagner Moura got the role of the famous Colombian drug lord Pablo Exobar. For the project, the actor had to learn Spanish in a short time and gain eighteen kilograms. The efforts were not in vain, the series became a real hit, and Moura received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award in the category "Best Actor in a Drama Series".
After two seasons, the actor left the series and is now staging his directorial debut Marigella, to which he also wrote a script based on the famous Brazilian novel.
