Mauro Faccio Gonçalves was a Brazilian actor, comedian, singer, and radio host widely known by Brazilians for creating and playing his character and alter-ego Zacarias (pronounced: zach-kah-REE-ahs), with which he was part of the famous comedy group Os Trapalhões from the 1970s until his death in year 1990. In the 1984 Brazilian parody film Os Trapalhões e o Mágico de Oróz, Zacarias played Passoura, an adaptation for the Scarecrow in the 1939 "The Wizard of Oz".
Biography[]
The firstborn of the twelve children of Mariano R. Gonçalves and Virginia Faccio Gonçalves, Mauro Faccio Gonçalves was born in the city of Sete Lagoas, in the interior of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Since he was little, Mauro has already exercised his artistic side, doing backyard theater in the family’s clothes, while at school he already took part in several performances, despite his shyness. At this time, he joined a theater guild in Sete Lagoas, acting, writing and producing several plays that caught the attention of local residents. In 1954, he made his radio debut participating in the variety program Em Babozal Era Assim, broadcast by Rádio Cultura de Sete Lagoas. Before becoming a professional actor, Mauro worked as a shoe salesman, a worker in a coffee factory, and as na accountant and manager in a bank. In April 1957, he moved to Belo Horizonte where he intended to study Architecture, but gave up his studies after receiving na invitation to work at Rádio Inconfidência.
Due to his humor, Mauro soon became known for his incredible ability to change voices, creating several completely different types, and to imitate animals with rare perfection. At Rádio Inconfidência, he participated in several radio soap operas and programs, the most notable of which was Arte Final, being considered the best radio comedian between 1960 and 1963. In 1968, he accepted na invitation from Manuel de Nóbrega and went to São Paulo, where he worked at the stations TV Tupi and Record São Paulo. At this time, he participated in the humorous films A Cidade Se Diverte and A Praça da Alegria, where he created the character "Moranguinho", a clumsy waiter with childish manners, which was already a prelude to Zacarias.
Mauro’s talent caught the attention of Renato Aragão, who invited Mauro to join him, Dedé Santana, and Mussum. Initially, Dedé disagreed with the invitation, claiming that Mauro looked more like a "bank manager", changing his mind when he saw Mauro enter the scene with a wig, teeth painted with a cranyon pen, and speaking in a thin, high-pitched voice, which made everyone laugh. Mauro joined the group, officially forming the quartet "Os Trapalhões" in 1974.
The name "Zacarias" came from a sketch created by Aragão and screenwriter Emanuel Rodrigues, in which the Trapalhões starred with a rooster of the same name. At the time of recording, the animal wouldn’t stop cackling and everyone started laughing, saying that the animal’s song was very similar to Mauro’s laugh. Despite initially not liking the nickname, Mauro officially adopted Zacarias as his stage name from that day on.
In December 1989, during Os Trapalhões’ holiday period, Mauro felt overweight and decided on his own to start a macrobiotic regime based on fruits and salads, with the help of medicine. He ended up losing twenty kilograms, but, as a result, his body weakened, reaching his lungs, and leaving him with anemia. His thinness and sudden pallor caught the attention of his fans and the media, with newspapers declaring that the actor had contracted the HIV virus, a disease in vogue at the time. Such rumors would have shaken the mind of the bumbler, who was worried about the reaction from his fans, especially the children, in relation to such a lie. Because of this, Mauro isolated himself in his home, no longer answering calls or receiving visitors.
Mauro ended up being hospitalized for nine days at Clínica São Vicente in Rio de Janeiro and died on March 18, 1990, at the age of 56, victim of respiratory failure. The comedian was buried in his hometown, Sete Lagoas, at the Parque Santa Helena Cemetery.
Role as Passoura[]
In Os Trapalhões e o Mágico de Oróz, Zacarias had been separated from Os Trapalhões for between 6 months to 1 year prior to the production of that film, that being the film that marked the group's return to the big screen after their separation. As the film was a parody of the 1939 MGM film, Passoura was an adaptation for Scarecrow, serving the same role of a scarecrow joining the main character to get a brain.
Gallery[]
External links[]
- Zacarias page on IMDb
- Zacarias page on Wikipedia