About Nelson Pereira dos Santos
Nelson Pereira dos Santos (22 October 1928 – 21 April 2018) was a Brazilian film director. He directed films such as Vidas Secas (Barren Lives, 1963), based on the book with the same name by Brazilian writer Graciliano Ramos, Rio, 40º Graus, and his most well-known film outside of Brazil is the black comedy How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman (1971). == Biography == Pereira dos Santos, named in honor of Horatio Nelson, was born in São Paulo, Brazil. Himself a frequenter of the cinema, Pereira dos Santos's father brought his very young son to the movie theater for the first time. By secondary school Pereira dos Santos was already fond of literature, and at 15 years old he joined the Brazilian Communist Party and became close to one of its other members, Astrogildo Pereira. At the time the party was considered illegal by the government of Getúlio Vargas. The first feature film he directed was Rio 40 Graus, which was released in 1955. The film is a chronicle of life in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, and it influenced several other directors, spurring the Cinema Novo movement. In 1963, Pereira dos Santos was a member of the jury at the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival. In 1981 he was a member of the jury at the 12th Moscow International Film Festival.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.