JOSÉ MAYER

José Mayer was born in 1948, in Jaguaraçu, a small town in the interior of Minas Gerais, Brazil. He began his acting career in the theater, when he was 20.

Graduated in Portuguese and Literature at the University of Minas Gerais, José Mayer made a living by working as a literature teacher, till he found out that his future was on the stage. “I expressed myself better through theater…” he recalls.

When his family moved to Belo Horizonte, capital of the state, Mayer joined an amateur group and demonstrated his talent. In a short while, he began directing and producing and founded the “Mayer Productions” theater group. For six years, he managed the Senac Theater in Belo Horizonte, where he acted in and produced 11 plays. He won twice the Serviço Nacional de Teatro Award for his direction in two plays.

Ambitious and restless, Jose decided to come to Rio de Janeiro in search of new experiences. In 1980, he made his television debut. His first work was at Globo TV, where he interpreted the villain Denmilson Batata, in one of the episodes of the “Carga Pesada” series. Soon afterwards, he worked in the series “Malu Mulher” and “Plantão de Polícia”, both at Globo TV.

José Mayer says he has a special liking for mini-series. “I worked in the “Bandidos da Falange” in 1982; “O Pagador de Promessas” in 1987 and “Black August” in 1993. I think that every 5 years I can have the right to a quality work.”

His debut in novellas took place in 1983. José Mayer was chosen to play a role in “Guerra dos Sexos”, also at Globo TV. His favorite character was the womanizer Osnar in “Tieta”. “… Osnar was the first character that was different from the roles usually reserved for me. He was light, sensual and a joker”, says José Mayer. Quite the opposite from Commander Mattos, which he interpreted magnificently in the mini-series “Black August”.

Working both in television and theater, José was awarded the Mambembe Prize for Best Actor in 1989, for his performance in the play “Perversidade Sexual em Chicago”. José Mayer can also be seen in movies. He is proud to have worked in two productions in 1992: “Perfume de Gardênia”, by Guilherme Almeida Prado, and “Capital Selvagem”, by André Klotzel.

Married for 18 years to the actress, Vera Fajardo, the couple has a 9-years-old daughter named Julia. He tries to hide his private life as much as possible, but when one mentions his Julia, he ends up giving in: “She’s my passion. Loving Julia is easy! Loving our kids is just simple.”

José Mayer also has a passion for music. For many years, he studied piano and song. Producing a musical some day is one of his dreams.

In real life, José Mayer is a brave, intuitive and determined man. When he wants something, he sets out to get it, and usually manages it.

WORKS

Television

1980 -“O FORAGIDO” - episode of the series Carga Pesada. Also took part in several episodes of MALU MULHER, PLANTÃODE POLÍCIA AND THANK YOU, DOCTOR - GLOBO TV.

1983-“GUERRA DOS SEXOS” – novela by Silvio de Abreu - GLOBO TV

1985-“A GATA COMEU” - novela by Ivani Ribeiro - GLOBO TV

-“THE TIME AND THE WIND” - By Érico Veríssimo, adapted by Doc Comparato. Mini-series. GLOBO TV.

1986-“SELVA DE PEDRA” - novela by Janete Clair – adapted by Regina

Braga y Eloy Araujo. GLOBO TV.

-“HIPERTENSÃO” - novela by Ivani Ribeiro – GLOBO TV.

1988-“FERA RADICAL” - novela by Walter negrão - GLOBO TV.

-“O PAGADOR DE PROMESSAS” - mini-series by Dias Gomes – GLOBO TV.

1989-“TIETA” - novela by Aguinaldo Silva, Ana Maria Moretzshon and Ricardo Linhares, based on a story by Jorge Amado - GLOBO TV

1990-“MY LOVE, MY TORMENT” - novela by Cassiano Gabus Mendes - GLOBO TV.

1992-“BODY AND SOUL” - novella by Gloria Perez - GLOBO TV.

1993-“BLACK AUGUST” - mini-series adapted by Jorge Furtado and Giba

Assis Brasil from a book by Rubem Fonseca - GLOBO TV.

1994 -“CROSSED LIVES” - novella by Gilberto Braga - GLOBO TV.

1995- “STORY OF LOVE” - novella by Manoel Carlos - GLOBO TV.

1997-“THE UNTAMED” - telenovela de Aguinaldo Silva - directed by Paulo

Ubiratan - GLOBO TV.

1998 -“TOWER OF BABEL” – novella by Silvio de Abreu – directed by

Denise Saraceni – Globo TV

2000 – “FAMILY TIES” Novela by Manoel Carlos – directed byRicardo Waddington. GLOBO TV.

2001 - “ANITA’S PRESENCE” mini-series by Manoel Carlos - directed byRicardo Waddington. GLOBO TV.

2003 - “WOMEN IN LOVE” Novela by Manoel Carlos – directed byRicardo Waddington. GLOBO TV.

2004 - “HER OWN DESTINY” Novela by Aguinaldo Silva – directed byWolf Maya. GLOBO TV.

Cinema

-“IDOLATRADA” - by Murilo Salles

-“NUNCA FOMOS TÃO FELIZES” - by Murilo Salles. Won an award at the Gramado Festival and the Locarno Festival.

1993-“CAPITALISMO SELVAGEM” - by André Klotzel.

Theater

In Belo Horizonte, he administered the Senac Theater for 7 years, where he produced 11 plays and worked as an actor, director and set designer. Also:

1980-“TRIVIAL SIMPLES” - by Nelson Xavier

1983- “E QUEM GOVERNA É O REI?” - directed by Paulo Afonso Grisolli.

1984- “IRRESISTÍVEL AVENTURA” - directed by Domingos de Oliveira.

1989-“PERVERSIDADE SEXUAL EM CHICAGO” - by David Mamet, directed by José Mayer.

1993-“ A OBSCENA SENHORA D” - by Hilda Hilst – directed by Eid Ribeiro. Produced by José Mayer.