BIOGRAPHY
Rodrigo Junqueira dos Reis Santoro, born August 22, 1975, is a Brazilian actor. His first major role in a cinema production would come in 2001, with Bicho de Sete Cabeças (Brainstorm) by Brazilian director Laís Bodansky. At the time, he was under heavy criticism for his role in a Brazilian soap and was even booed at the first showing of the film at the 2000 Brasília Brazilian Cinema Festival. By the end of the film, he received a standing ovation from the audience and critics praised his portrayal of a young man who is sent to a psychiatric clinic by his father after being caught smoking marijuana. He also went on to win the festival's best actor trophy.

After Bicho, his reputation as an actor had been solidified and he was cast as the male lead in the much-praised Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun), one of the nominees for best foreign film in the 2002 Golden Globe Awards. He had another critically acclaimed performance in the 2003 Hector Babenco film Carandiru, where he played a transexual prisoner known as Lady Di.

Canadian director Robert Allan Ackerman signed Santoro for his TV production The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone after being mesmerised by his performance on Bicho de Sete Cabeças. Since Santoro didn't have an agent in North America, Ackerman contacted Santoro's father. He spent two months filming in Rome, alongside renowned actors such as Helen Mirren and Anne Bancroft.

Soon after he finished shooting for Mrs. Stone, he received an offer from Columbia Pictures for a part in the blockbuster Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. His performance in Charlie's Angels kick-started his career in Hollywood. After Charlie's Angels, he played the character of Karl, the "enigmatic chief designer" and love interest of Laura Linney's character, in the romantic comedy Love Actually, alongside Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley and Rowan Atkinson.

He also started getting work in the advertising business as he appeared in a commercial campaign with Gisele Bundchen in 2002 and in a 2-minute-long commercial for Chanel, directed by Baz Luhrmann alongside Nicole Kidman in 2004.

In 2006, Santoro joined the cast of Lost as survivor of Oceanic Flight 815, Paulo. His first appearance was in episode titled, "Further Instructions". His character was killed off in the episode "Exposé".

Santoro was cast as Persian emperor Xerxes I in the movie 300, based on the Frank Miller comic of the same name, in 2007. The role had many special requirements, such as extensive CG work to portray the 6'-2" Santoro as the 7-foot god-king, a four-and-a-half-hour makeup application process, and the complete removal of Santoro's body hair first by waxing and then by shaving when that proved too painful.

Despite his successful international career, Santoro has said he doesn't want to move to Los Angeles and would like to stay in Rio. He practices transcendental meditation and sports when time allows, is a fan of The Doors and likes to read William Shakespeare's works. His favorite actors are Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.



SELECT FILMOGRAPHY

• 300 (2006) as Xerxes
• Love Actually (2003) as Karl
• Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) as Randy Emmers
• Carandiru (2003) as Lady Di
• Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun; 2001) as Tonho
• Bicho de Sete Cabeças (2001) as Wilson Souza Neto

SOURCES

• Wikipedia
• Internet Movie Database