Tony Ramos

Antônio de Carvalho Barbosa (born 25 August 1948), known professionally as Tony Ramos, is a Brazilian actor. Ramos has played leading roles in major telenovela productions for more than four decades. Many of his most famous roles share the characteristics of honesty and morality. Many of Ramos' more recent starring roles in novelas have cast him playing non-Brazilians, including the Greek Nikos in Belíssima (2005), the American Percival Farquhar in Mad Maria (2005), the Indian Opash in Caminho das Índias (2009), and the Italian Antonio Mattoli in Passione (2010). Ramos is fluent in English, French and Spanish, and has some knowledge of Italian. Ramos' acting process does not involve internalizing the character's emotions; instead, he creates his characters using external technique. Biography Ramos was born in Arapongas, Paraná, the son of Maria Antonia Barbosa, a teacher. He spent his youth in the city of Avaré, in the country side of the Brazilian state São Paulo. Since he was a child, he expressed interest in acting and theater, drawing inspiration from Oscarito's films. Already in São Paulo, he made amateur theater while participating in the Teatro Cultura de São Paulo, where he staged plays for children. He holds a degree in philosophy from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo. Career Ramos is one of the most important actors in Brazil, especially known for his work in telenovelas. His use of an Anglicized first name was common at the time he began his acting career, and the name Ramos is the last name of a relative. Ramos was born in the country side of Paraná and spent his youth in Ourinhos in the country side of the state of São Paulo. As a boy, he dreamed of being an actor. When young Ramos watched the films of Oscarito (a Brazilian film comedian who made dozens of films in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s), he wanted to be like him. Later, while living in São Paulo, he performed in amateur theater with the Teatro Cultura Artística de São Paulo (Theater of Artistic Culture of São Paulo). At 16 years old, he was part of the musical team “Tony e Tom & Jerry” that made an appearance on the TV show Jovem Guarda (Young Guard).