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António Maria da Silva (Lisbon, August 15 1886 — Lisbon, March 3, 1970) was a great Portuguese actor. Born to a humble family, he started working at young age as a helper. He became an employee at a drugstore, a cashier and a fireman, where he'll become a commander. He studies the commercial course and attends several stage amateur groups. His first appearance as an actor dates from 1910, in the play "O Novo Cristo", by Tolstoy, that the Alves da Silva company produced at the Teatro da Rua dos Condes. With success he gets a contract, appearing in other small roles in plays such as "O Conde de Monte Cristo" or "O Rei Maldito". Between 1913 and 1921, he travelled with the António de Sousa company across Brazil, where starred in Brazilian silent films such as Convém Martelar and Coração de Gaúcho in 1920 and in the same year he married Josefina Silva. Back to Portugal, he works for several consecutive years at the Satanella Amarante company, in light theatre plays and Revista. After working with several other theatre companies (Lopo Lauer, António de Macedo, Comediantes de Lisboa, Vasco Morgado), he finally hits the limelight of Portuguese cinema português, by joining the cast of A Canção de Lisboa, by Cottinelli Telmo (1933). It is in the movies his popularity is finally established, as well as his ingenuity as an actor, performing in drama or comedy roles in over thirty films: As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor (1935), O Pátio das Cantigas (1942), O Costa do Castelo (1943), Amor de Perdição (1943), Camões (1946), O Leão da Estrela (1947), Fado (1948) and many more. His last film performance dates from 1966, in O Sarilho de Fraldas, with António Calvário and Madalena Iglésias.
References
- Photobiography of António Silva, Círculo dos Leitores
- Portuguese wikipedia
