Profile Text
Moura in 2013, photo by Prphotos.com
Birth Name: Wagner Maniçoba de Moura
Place of Birth: Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Date of Birth: 27 June, 1976
Ethnicity: Brazilian [Portuguese, as well as distant African, possibly other]
Wagner Moura is a Brazilian actor, filmmaker, director, musician, and journalist. He is known for starring in the Elite Squad films and, as Pablo Escobar, on the Narcos shows. His roles also include the films Woman on Top , Behind the Sun , The Three Marias , God Is Brazilian , Carandiru , The Middle of the World (2003), Nina (2004), Lower City , Ó Paí, Ó ; Saneamento Básico , They Killed Sister Dorothy , VIPs , The Man from the Future , Father’s Chair , Elysium , Bald Mountain , Futuro Beach , Rio, I Love You ; Trash (2014), Wasp Networp , Sergio (2020), The Gray Man , Puss in Boots: The Last Wish , Civil War (2024), and The Secret Agent ; and the shows Sexo Frágil , A Lua Me Disse , JK , Paraíso Tropical , A Menina Sem Qualidades , Shining Girls , Mr. & Mrs. Smith , and Dope Thief . He directed and co-wrote the film Marighella , and directed episodes of the show Narcos: Mexico .
He is the son of Alderiva and Jose Moura, a sergeant in the Brazilian Air Force. His surname, Moura, is Portuguese, and is common in Portugal and Brazil. Wagner has three children with his partner, journalist and photographer Sandra Delgado. He speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
Wagner’s maternal grandfather was named Odemar Freire.
Wagner’s maternal grandmother was Vilani Maniçoba (the daughter of Francisco Alexandre da Silva and Izabel Gomes Maniçoba). Izabel was the daughter of Silvino David Maniçoba and Rosenda Gomes de Sá. His ancestry can be traced to David Gomes de Sá, who was born, c. 1660, in Santiago de Antas, Vila Nova de Famalicão, Braga, Portugal. Maniçoba is an Indigenous word which refers to a north Brazilian dish made with cassava leaves. The surname Maniçoba is somewhat common in the Northeast region of Brazil, and is believed to have been created by Portuguese-Brazilians who attempted to escape from political persecution.
Sources: http://carlosmanicoba.blogspot.com.br http://forebears.io
Genealogy of Wagner Moura (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.araujo.eti.br