Manoel Carlos, Defining Author of Brazilian Telenovelas, Dies at 92

Overview

• His death on Jan. 10 was confirmed by the family’s production company Boa Palavra; he had been hospitalized at Hospital Copa Star in Copacabana for Parkinson’s treatment.
• The family did not disclose a cause of death and announced a closed wake restricted to relatives and close friends, asking for privacy.
• Across six decades, he created landmark works including Por Amor, Laços de Família, Mulheres Apaixonadas and Em Família, known for mature female leads called ‘Helena’.
• He began at TV Globo in 1972 as director‑general of Fantástico after early stints across Brazilian television and theater dating back to the 1950s.
• Recent coverage notes unproduced proposals in his later years and a 2025 family complaint over Globo royalty transparency, as artists and officials publish tributes to his cultural impact.