109 years ago, Amácio Mazzaropi, the genius of country humor, was born. Actor, screenwriter, producer and director, the eternal “Jeca Tatu” used humor to address serious issues.
Born on April 9, in the Santa Cecília neighborhood, in the city of São Paulo, mazzaropi entered Brazilian comedy through the itinerant Circus La Paz.
It was there that he had the idea of acting as a country bumpkin, materialized in his future performance as the character Jeca Armadillo, from the book Urupês, by Monteiro Lobato.
To celebrate the birthday of one of the icons of Brazilian humor, Google pays tribute: the Doodle this Friday, illustrated by artist Arthur Vergani, has as its theme Mazzaropi, the descendant of Italians who revolutionized Brazilian cinema with good old country stories.
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Son of Italian immigrants (Bernardo and Anna Capraro) from Piedimonte San Germano, in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio Region, Amácio Mazzaropi began life as an artist early.
As a teenager, he worked in the circus. Then, in 1946, he worked at Rádio Tupi, where he remained for eight years.
On television, he participated in a program presented by Bibi Ferreira, the Brazil 63, on the extinct TV Excelsior, and also on the extinct Tupi de São Paulo, in 1950, at the age of 38. Also on TV Tupi, he participated in the inauguration of Channel 6, in Rio de Janeiro.
In cinema, the debut took place in 1952 with the film You know from Frente, recorded at the Vera Cruz studios, in ABC São Paulo.
Four years later, in 1956, he acted in Cinedistri's last feature film, the Chico Fumaça, then creating his own production company, PAM Filmes – Produções Amácio Mazzaropi.
The first production was the Square Chauffeur, from 1958, which marked the beginning of his business. 25 more works appeared later, until 1980.
Interestingly, while Mazzaropi became one of Brazil's most acclaimed comedic actors, he was also a major milk supplier for Leites Paulista.
He died at the age of 69, a victim of bone marrow cancer.
Today, Fazenda Santa is the Hotel Fazenda Mazzaropi, which houses the Mazzaropi Museum, which has a collection of more than 20.000 items.
Museum in Taubaté shows the life and art of Mazzaropi
The work of the artist, filmmaker and businessman Amácio Mazzaropi, considered one of the greatest symbols of Brazilian cinematography, can be seen in the museum that bears his name, the Instituto Mazzaropi, in Taubaté, in the Paraíba Valley, in the interior of São Paulo.
He produced more than 24 films, in addition to other works in the circus, theater and television.
With the aim of preserving and publicizing the history and work of Mazzaropi, the space was created in the 90s, on the premises of a hotel that belonged to the artist.
There, you can find more than 20 items about the comedian's life and career, including photos, documents, films, scenic objects, furniture and equipment. The location is 140 kilometers from the capital of São Paulo.
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