Francisco Cuoco


Francisco Cuoco was a Brazilian actor. He became known for his roles as a heartthrob in telenovelas from Rede Globo, such as Selva de Pedra, Pecado Capital and O Astro, among others.

Life and career

Cuoco was born in São Paulo, the son of the Italian fair trader Leopoldo Cuoco. He grew up in Brás neighborhood, with his sister Grácia and his mother Antonieta.
He worked during the day with his father at the fair and at night he studied, seeking a stable profession. He wanted to study Law, but when he got in touch with the School of Dramatic Art of Alfredo Mesquita, he decided to be a dramaturgy professional. He dropped out of law school and gave himself up to the artistic vocation.
After graduation, Cuoco worked in several pieces of the companies Teatro Brasileiro de Comédia, Teatro dos Sete and Companhia Nídia Lícia. His first protagonist in the theater was with Werneck, in Nelson Rodrigues' play O Beijo no Asfalto. The first grand prize at the theater for the play Boeing Boeing.
In 1962, Cuoco made his feature film debut, a supporting character in Pedro e Paulo. In 1968, he starred in .
With intense theater production in the 1950s and 1960s, Francisco Cuoco joined television, where he performed teletheatres on defunct TV Tupi, and telenovelas on TV Excelsior. He was later hired by TV Globo, where he participated in more than 100 productions.

Personal life and death

Cuoco was married to actress Carminha Brandão, twelve years older than him, between 1960 and 1964. He later married Gina Rodrigues, with whom he had three children: Tatiana, Rodrigo and Diogo. The couple divorced in 1984.
In 2013, he got engaged to fashion designer Thaís Almeida, who was 27 at the time. In December 2017, he announced the end of the relationship and said that his ex-wife, Gina, had moved into his apartment, but only as friends. In March 2021, the actor launched his YouTube channel.
Francisco Cuoco died on June 19, 2025, at the age of 91, as a result of multiple organ failure. He had been hospitalized for 20 days at the Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo due to the health problems he had been facing in recent years. Towards the end of his life, Cuoco was dealing with walking problems and lived with his sister, Grácia Cuoco.

Controversies

In 1998, Cuoco had a series of disagreements with actress Carolina Ferraz, who at the time played his romantic partner in the remake of Pecado Capital and allegedly refused to kiss him or record many romantic scenes alongside him. In view of the conflicts between the two, writer Glória Perez had to create a new character, played by Vera Fischer, to be Cuoco's partner. In interviews, Cuoco even said that Ferraz was unmanageable. Years later, the actress revealed that the hurt between the two had been overcome.
In November 2006, while in Rio de Janeiro and driving to the Teatro Miguel Falabella, where he was performing in the play O Último Bolero, Francisco Cuoco was the victim of a kidnapping. The actor, his driver and the play's producer, Tatiana Amaral, were stopped by a vehicle with seven assailants. The bandits took the three of them and drove around in the actor's car for about 20 minutes, until they decided to leave them in the São Cristóvão neighborhood.
In 2022, model Anthony Junior went to court claiming to be Cuoco's son, the result of an affair with his mother, although the actor denied it. A DNA test resulted negative for Cuoco's paternity.

Filmography

Television

Cinema

Internet

  • 2020 – A Vida dos Santos.... Narrator

Theater