Theater and exhibitions With eight decades of career, he says that “I’ll only stop when I die”. Last weekend, he took to the stage for the 100th time.
He has already won several awards.
text
Marta Garcia
“I’ll only stop when I die.” At 97 years and four months, Ruy de Carvalho is currently the oldest actor in the world on stage. This weekend, he took to the stage for the hundredth time in the play “Ruy, a História Devida”, where he shares some of his stories and adventures — as we’ve already told you in this article. article.
For about an hour, the actor recalled some of the most memorable episodes of his professional career. The session was celebrated with the audience and included a question and answer session, followed by another tribute to the artist.
Ruy de Carvalho’s career began around 1940, and he quickly became an important figure in Portuguese culture. With a career spanning eight decades, he participated in countless plays, films and series. In other words, most of his life was spent on stage or in front of the camera.
He made his professional debut in 1947, at the Teatro Nacional, in the comedy “Rapazes de Hoje”, by Roger Ferdinand. Years later, in 1950, he became known for his interpretation of Eric Birling in “Está lá Fora um Inspector”. That same year, he joined the Teatro do Povo (later Teatro Nacional Popular), where he performed in all the summer seasons, under the direction of Ribeirinho. In 1954, he participated in the revue “E o Fado Caiu no Samba”, at the Teatro Monumental. In 1963, he went to Porto and took on the artistic direction of the Teatro Experimental do Porto (TEP), where he had his only experience as a director, in “Terra Firme”, by Miguel Torga. He appeared in cinema for the first time in 1951, with “Eram 200 Irmãos”, by Armando Vieira Pinto.
Over the years he received several awards: the Press Prize for Theatre (1962, 1981, 1982, 1986); the Press Prize for Cinema (1965, 1966, 1971); Specialized Critics’ Prize (1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1981). In 1997 he was nominated for the Garrett Award from the Secretary of State for Culture; and the following year he was awarded the Golden Globe Personality of the Year, the Luís de Camões Prize from the Lusíada University of Lisbon and the Byssainha Prize from the Byssaia Barreto Foundation. In 1999, he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor.
But the actor has not only been honored with awards. In the Lisbon Wax Museum, you will find a statue made to celebrate his contribution to culture and the arts.
The play “Ruy, a História Devida”, told by himself and Luís Pacheco, is on stage until the 21st of this month, at the Malaposta Cultural Center. Tickets can be purchased online and cost between €20 and €25.
