Mario Lago

Mário Lago was a Brazilian actor and composer, who was born as Mário Pires Ferreira Lago in 1911. He was the son of two Polish Jewish immigrants, a shoemaker and a housewife. He started his career as a poet and a radio announcer, and later moved to television, where he was a pioneer, creating TV de Vanguarda, a television theater popular in the 1950s. He also acted in many telenovelas, films, and theater plays. He was known for his versatility and talent, as well as his adaptations of major literary works. He composed many popular songs, such as "Ai, que saudades da Amélia" and "Atire a primeira pedra", both in partnership with Ataulfo Alves, and "Aurora", with Roberto Roberti, which became famous in the voice of Carmen Miranda. He was also a political activist and a member of the Communist Party of Brazil, which led him to be arrested several times. He died of a stroke in 2002, at the age of 90.