The Biography

Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos is a Brazilian actor and director whose career spans film, television, theater, and circus. He gained international recognition for his performance as physician Drauzio Varella in Hector Babenco’s acclaimed Carandiru (2003), for which he received an acting award at the Cartagena International Film Festival. He made his feature-film debut as the legendary Brazilian outlaw Lampião in Perfumed Ball (O Baile Perfumado, 1996), and subsequently worked with acclaimed directors including Walter Salles and Andrucha Waddington. A prominent figure in Brazilian theater and circus, Vasconcelos is also known for creating the iconic clown character Xuxu, whom he has performed since 1978. His television credits include A Pedra do Reino and Queridos Amigos. He studied performing arts in Denmark and at Brazil’s National Circus School.