The soap opera Renascer will be back on Globo in a new edition from this Monday (22). The original version of the story aired in 1993 and some wellknown actors who were part of the cast are no longer alive. Among them José Wilker (19442014), Chica Xavier (19322020), Regina Dourado (19522012) and Leila Lopes (19592009).
José Wilker played one of the most distinctive characters in Renascer: Colonel Belarmino, the villain of the first phase of the plot. As an enemy of José Inocêncio (Leonardo Vieira/Antonio Fagundes), he tries to take the country away from his rival.
As an actor, director, playwright and film critic, Wilker worked on more than 30 soap operas and miniseries on Globo, including Anjo Mau (1976), Gabriela (in the 1975 and 2012 versions), Roque Santeiro (1985) and O Salvador da Pátria (1989) and Lady of Destiny (2004). His last work was Amor à Vida (2013). José Wilker died in April 2014 at the age of 69 from a massive heart attack in his sleep.
Chica Xavier played Inácia, a maid in José Inocêncio's house who helps raise all of his children. Chica was a renowned actress, producer and actress. At Globo, for example, he starred and shone in soap operas such as Saramandaia (1976), Sinhá Moça (1986), Dancin' Days (1978), Renascer (1993) and Força de um Desire (1999).
She was married to Clementino Kelé, who also starred in Renascer in the role of Jarbas. Chica died of lung cancer in 2020.
Check out other actors from the first version of Renascer who are no longer with us:
Regina Dourado
Regina Dourado stood out in the role of Morena, the wife of Deocleciano (Robeto Bonfim). The character suffered from not being able to be a mother. The actress directed several successful soap operas on Globo, including Pai Herói (1979), Explode Coração (1995), Anjo Mau (1997) and América (2005). Regina died in 2012 after years of battling breast cancer that had metastasized. She did not survive a cardiac arrest.
Advertising/TV Globo
Luis Carlos Arutin as Rachid in Renascer
Luis Carlos Arutin
Luis Carlos Arutin (19331996) worked on Globo soap operas and miniseries between 1971 and 1994. In Renascer he stood out in the role of a peddler, the Turkish Rachid who was actually Lebanese and a friend of José Inocêncio. His last work on television was with SBT in As Pupilas do Senhor Retor (1995).
The actor died a tragic death: at the age of 62, he was the victim of a fire that destroyed his apartment in Rio de Janeiro, where he lived with his wife and son. The artist told his family to leave the place and save themselves, but he wasn't so lucky. Arutin fainted and died of suffocation.
Leila Lopes
Leila Lopes made her big break on television with the role of teacher Lu in Renascer. Because of her character Suzane, the lover of Ralf (Oscar Magrini), she achieved sex symbol status in O Rei do Gado.
After the rural soap opera, the actress had difficulty getting prominent roles. In the following years she suffered from severe depression. Leila Lopes committed suicide and was found dead in her home in São Paulo in 2009.
Nelson Xavier
Nelson Xavier (19412017), interpreter of Norberto, owner of the shop where everyone stopped by to chat in Renascer, said goodbye to the audience in 2017 at the age of 75 when he appeared on the air in the second repetition of Senhora do Destino ( 2004). The actor, suffering from cancer, gave life to Sebastião in Aguinaldo Silva's soap opera. His last role on television was participation in the soap opera Babilônia (2015).
Great Othello
Another wellknown actor who was part of the cast of Renascer was Grande Othello (19151993). He had an important role in the soap opera, playing Francisco Cunha. The actor, singer, producer and composer Othello had a career in revue theater and comedy films between the 1940s and 1960s. At Globo he directed soap operas and programs such as Escolinha do Professor Raimundo (19901993). “Reborn” was his last work.
The artist was traveling to Nantes in inland France, where he was to be honored at a film festival, when he suffered a massive heart attack. He died in Paris at the age of 78.
Advertising/TV Globo
Jofre Soares as Padre Santo in Renascer
Jofre Soares
Jofre Soares (19181996) played Father Santo, who served the faithful on the farms. The actor made dozens of films and was one of the biggest names in national cinema. On television he starred in soap operas such as Paraíso (1982) and Pantanal (1990). He died of leukemia in 1996.
Gesio Amadeu
He played Jupará, Deocletian's righthand man in Renascer. Gésio Amadeu (19472020) had a career spanning more than 50 years and shone as chef Chico from Chiquititas (1997) at SBT. The artist also starred in several Globo soap operas, including A Viagem (1994), Sinha Moça (2006) and Velho Chico (2016). Amadeu was hospitalized with Covid19 in 2020 and suffered complications in hospital. He died as a result of multiorgan failure.
Cecil Thiré
In Renascer, Cecil Thiré (19432020) made a special appearance as police chief Olavo. The actor, who became even more famous after being exposed as a serial killer in The Next Victim (1995), struggled with Parkinson's disease for years. In October 2020, he succumbed to complications and died at his home.