António Maria da Silva was a
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He accumulated over 40 credits over his more than 50 years in acting.
Early life
António Silva was born to a humble family, one of many sons and daughters of Francisco Constantino Augusto da Silva (born December 19, 1849,
LisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Socorro), a
frameFraming, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
gilderThe term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
in
LisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, who married Amélia das Dores (July 4, 1853,
LisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Lumiar, – April 4, 1936,
LisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, São Jorge de Arroios). The family lived at Rua do Jasmim nr. 5.
António was an employee at a
drugstorePharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, a
cashierCashier is an occupation focused on the handling of cash money.- Retail :In a shop, a cashier is a person who scans the goods through a machine called a cash register that the consumer wishes to purchase at the retail store. After all of the goods have been scanned, the cashier then collects...
and a
firemanFirefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
, where he became a
commanderCommander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, before he became an actor.
Career
He studied a commercial course and attended several amateur stage groups. His first appearance as an actor was in 1910, in the play "O Novo Cristo", by
TolstoyLev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
, that the Alves da Silva company produced at the Teatro da Rua dos Condes. With success, he received a contract, appearing in other small roles in plays such as "O Conde de Monte Cristo" or "O Rei Maldito".
Between 1913 and 1921, he travelled with the António de Sousa company across
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where he starred in Brazilian silent films such as
Convém MartelarConvém Martelar is a 1920 Brazilian silent film directed by and starring Manuel F. Araujo.The film premiered on January 28, 1920 in Rio de Janeiro.-Cast:*Manuel F. Araujo*Carlos Barbosa*Adhemar Gonzaga*António Silva*Josefina Silva*Albino Vidal...
and
Coração de GaúchoCoração de Gaúcho is a 1920 Brazilian silent drama film directed by and starring Luiz de Barros. The film is based on the novel O gaúcho by José de Alencar....
in 1920, and in the same year he married Josefina Barco.
On his return to Portugal, he worked for several consecutive years at the Satanella Amarante company, in light theatre plays and reviews. After working with several other theatre companies (Lopo Lauer, António de Macedo, Comediantes de Lisboa, Vasco Morgado), he finally reached the limelight of Portuguese cinema, when he joined the cast of
A Canção de LisboaA Canção de Lisboa is a Portuguese film comedy from 1933, directed by José Cottinelli Telmo, and starring Vasco Santana, Beatriz Costa, António Silva, Alfredo Silva, Ana Maria, Artur Rodrigues, Coralia Escobar, Eduardo Fernandes, Elvira Coutinho, Fernanda Campos, Francisco Costa, Henrique Alves,...
, by Cottinelli Telmo in 1933. It was in movies, that his popularity and ingenuity as an actor was finally established. He performed in dramatic or comedic roles in over 30 films including:
As Pupilas do Senhor ReitorAs Pupilas do Senhor Reitor is a Portuguese romance novel by Júlio Dinis, written in 1863 and published in 1867. It was a success, and followed with a number of similar themed novels such as A Morgadinha dos Canaviais...
(1935),
O Pátio das CantigasO Pátio das Cantigas is a Portuguese film from 1942, directed by Francisco Ribeiro, "Ribeirinho", that takes place in a typical Lisbon neighbourhood during the Popular Saints festivals, through a maze of misunderstandings and innuendos, with Vasco Santana, António Silva, Laura Alves and...
(1942),
O Costa do CasteloO Costa do Castelo is a Portuguese film comedy from 1943, directed by Arthur Duarte, and starring António Silva, Maria Matos, Curado Ribeiro, Milu, Hermínia Silva,the famous Fado singer, and Teresa Casal...
(1943),
Amor de PerdiçãoAmor de Perdição is a 19th century Portuguese novel by Camilo Castelo Branco. It has been adapted into several films, like Amor de Perdição and a telenovela.-Adaptations:...
(1943),
CamõesCamões is a 1946 Portuguese drama film directed by José Leitão de Barros. It was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* António Vilar as Luís de Camões* José Amaro as D...
(1946),
O Leão da Estrela (1947),
FadoFado is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar, Rui Vieira Nery, states that "the only reliable information on the history of Fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best...
(1948) and many more. His last film performance was in 1966, in
O Sarilho de Fraldas, with
António CalvárioAntónio Calvário da Paz is a famous Portuguese singer/artist from the late 1950s and 1960s. He represented Portugal in the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest, in Denmark, with the song "Oração" ....
and Madalena Iglésias.