Sérgio Ricardo

João Lutfi (18 June 1932 – 23 July 2020), known professionally as Sérgio Ricardo, was a Brazilian actor, musician, playwright and filmmaker, better known for being responsible for the soundtrack of Glauber Rocha's "Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol" ("Black God, White Devil"). Born in a Lebanese-Brazilian family in Marília, São Paulo, and brother to famed director of photography Dib Lutfi, João got his stage name from TV businessmen who wanted to rebrand him as a leading man with an iconic name during his early gigs as an actor. He's maily associated with the Cinema Novo (Brazilian New Wave) movement, but stayed active until 2018. During the Cinema Novo days, Ricardo directed short film "Menino da Calça Branca" (1961) and "Esse Mundo É Meu" (1963), his feature-length debut. Among other notorious works in his career as a filmmaker is "A Noite do Espantalho", which shows Ricardo's talent as a polymath by mixing filmmaking with folk music and other elements of Brazilian popular culture, such as "cordel" literature. Ricardo moved to the Vidigal slum, in Rio de Janeiro, by choice in the 1970s, where he lived until his death in 2020. "Bandeira de Retalhos" (2018), his last film, was adapted by a theatre play also written by him and chronicles the life in 1970s Vidigal.

Sérgio Ricardo is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 29 verified screen credits connected to this profile. Selected work includes Calabouço 1968 - Um tiro no coração do Brasil (2014), Depois do Transe (2006), Enquanto a Tristeza não Vem (2003), Zelão (1999), Parabéns pra Você (1983), O Som do Vinil (2007), O Canto Livre de Nara Leão (2022), MPB 73 – O Ano Da Reinvenção (2018). The recorded credits span 1957 to 2024, including 25 movies and 4 TV shows. The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.