Francisco Cuoco: Italian roots marked the actor's life and career

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.

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In an interview with GShowHe recounted: “I have Italian citizenship precisely because I researched everything, went to the cemetery, to those places where the records are kept, and 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

ADVERTISING

🔴 Supreme Court • May 2026

Standing in line at the consulate doesn't erase your right to citizenship.

The Italian Supreme Court has confirmed that a consular blockade is legal grounds for legal action.

• Were you unable to schedule an appointment at the consulate?
• Is the process stalled or poorly managed?
• Maternal lineage?
• Incomplete documentation?

See if there is still a solution.

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.