Francisco Cuoco, one of the biggest names in Brazilian television, passed away this Thursday, June 19, in São Paulo, at the age of 91. Throughout his career spanning more than six decades, he always valued the memory of his Italian ancestors, whose immigration history influenced his personal and artistic life.
Italian origin
Born on November 29, 1933, in the capital of São Paulo, Cuoco was the grandson of immigrants from the Campania region, who left southern Italy when they were still very young, in search of work and opportunities in Brazil. The family history was recorded in documents that the actor made a point of personally searching for, throughout a journey that involved visits to registry offices, cemeteries and historical archives.
In an interview with GShow, he said: “I have Italian citizenship precisely because I researched everything, I went to the cemetery, to those places where the records are kept, and I found the names of my grandparents, both maternal and paternal. Very young Italians, some alone, arriving in Brazil because there was no work in Italy.”
Italianness as essence
This connection with her grandparents' homeland was also reflected in her art. Cuoco used cultural references from her own childhood and family life to create emotionally intense, expressive and lively characters.
“This experience gave me a little more intimacy with this Italian thing of joy, of exaggeration, of gesturing a lot, talking with your hands,” he said in the same interview with GShow.
Genealogy
Paternal grandparents:
- Francesco Vincenzo Sabbato Cuoco
Born: January 20, 1877, Baronissi, Salerno, Campania, Italy
- Carolina Moretti
Born: August 11, 1883, Capua, Caserta, Campania, Italy
Country:
- Leopoldo Cuoco – market vendor, son of Italian immigrants
- Antonieta Cattaldi – housewife
Francisco Cuoco:
– Born: November 29, 1933, Sao Paulo
– Nationality: Brazilian and Italian (citizenship recognized by descent – jure sanguinis)
– Death: June 19, 2025
Sons:
– Tatiana Cuoco
– Rodrigo Cuoco
– Diogo Cuoco
Legacy
When she passed away, Cuoco left behind a body of work with more than 30 soap operas, dozens of films, miniseries and plays. Her name is among those who helped build the national dramaturgy.
More than just a great actor, Francisco Cuoco was an example of pride and appreciation for his ancestry. By bringing to the stage and television traces of the Italian culture inherited from his grandparents, he preserved a legacy that goes far beyond the screen.
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