Rui Rezende, Veteran 'Roque Santeiro' Actor, Dies in Rio

Overview

• The Retiro dos Artistas confirmed late Sunday that Rui Rezende had died after being hospitalized in Rio, and multiple outlets report he had been treated for cancer while the institution has not released an official cause.
• Reports say Rezende was admitted to Hospital São Francisco na Providência de Deus in Tijuca on July 2 and remained under care there before his death was announced.
• Rezende built a five-decade career on stage, screen and film and is best known for playing professor Astromar Junqueira, the lobisomem, in the 1985 novela Roque Santeiro.
• Colleagues and public figures posted tributes on social media praising his work and character, with names such as Ary Fontoura, José de Abreu and Marcos Palmeira among those expressing condolences.
• Basic biographical details circulated after the announcement — born José Pereira Rezende Filho in Araguari, Minas Gerais, on 18 November 1938, with recent credits including Bom Dia, Verônica — and some reports differ on his age at death (87 versus 88) while no funeral or family statement has been published.