When the Vascos Were Santanas and More

(1898-1958)

   Comic stage, film, and radio actor of the golden age of Lisbon musical review theater. Although he studied architecture in Lisbon, Santana quickly became a celebrated, popular actor in light theater, especially in Lisbon reviews, comedies, and operettas. In radio, he became known for his zany depiction of a 1940s cartoon character. For decades, Santana was the most popular comic figure in the Theater of Review in Lisbon. With his signature squat corpulence, his quick comic moves, and rough voice, charismatic Santana was the most beloved of comic actors of his day. Besides his many contributions to stage and radio, he had an important career as a comic actor in film. Most of his more famous roles were in classic 1930s and 1940s films, including one of the earliest talkies in Portugal, A Canção de Lisboa (Song of Lisbon, 1933).

   Long revered by his public but also by colleagues, Santana's fame underwent a revival after 1974. One sign of this revival was the unexpected popularity of a colleague's memoirs, a best-selling book by the actress, Beatriz Costa, known for her Clara Bow look, in the late 1970s. The clever title was both sentimental and biting: When the Vascos Were Santanas and More ( Quando Os Vascos Eram San-tanas E Não Só). The "Vasco" of recent, revolutionary politics was the soldier-politician, Vasco Gonçalves, in contrast to the beloved "Vasco Santana" of an earlier golden age of comedy. New generations of performers continue to be inspired by the late actor's distinctive legacy of light-hearted mirth.

    See also Cinema.