Haroldo Costa, actor, director and carnival commentator, died at 95 on Saturday (13/12) in Rio de Janeiro. His family announced the death on social media without revealing the cause, highlighting his long career in valuing black culture and samba. His trajectory includes pioneering theatre roles and contributions to preserving Rio's carnival memory.
Haroldo Costa, born in Rio de Janeiro, built a career spanning over seven decades dedicated to performing arts, television, and carnival. He began at the Teatro Experimental do Negro, founded by Abdias do Nascimento in the 1940s, replacing a colleague in 1947 in the play 'O Filho Pródigo' by Lúcio Cardoso, alongside figures like Ruth de Souza and Milton Gonçalves. He was the first black actor to portray Jesus in 'O Auto da Compadecida' by Ariano Suassuna and starred in 'Orfeu da Conceição' by Vinicius de Moraes, becoming the first black performer at Rio's Theatro Municipal.
In cinema, he directed 'Pista de Grama' in 1958, starring Paulo Goulart and Yoná Magalhães, featuring the song 'Eu Não Existo sem Você' by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, with Elizeth Cardoso and João Gilberto. He acted in 'O Pagador de Promessas' (1962) and 'Xica da Silva' (1976). At TV Globo, he directed musicals and auditorium programs with Dercy Gonçalves, Chacrinha, and Moacyr Franco, and appeared in the series 'Chiquinha Gonzaga' in 1999.
Influenced by his father, Costa devoted himself to Rio's carnival, joining the judging panel of the Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba (Liesa). He authored books such as 'Salgueiro: Academia de Samba' (1984), '100 Anos de Carnaval no Rio de Janeiro' (2001), and 'Salgueiro - 50 Anos de Glória', chronicling each parade of the school since 1953, with lyrics, scores, and photos. In 2023, he helped curate the exhibition 'Heitor dos Prazeres é Meu Nome' at Rio's Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil. He was the subject of the 2015 documentary 'Haroldo Costa, O Nosso Orfeu' by Silvio Tendler.
His death, following a recent hospitalization for age-related health issues, was announced by his family: “A família do Haroldo Costa vem informar a todos o seu falecimento na data de hoje. Em breve iremos dar as informações sobre velório e sepultamento”. The Salgueiro samba school mourned: “Haroldo foi muito mais do que um intelectual. Foi memória viva, foi guardião da nossa história, foi voz firme na defesa do samba, do Carnaval e da cultura afro-brasileira. [...] O Salgueiro se curva. O pavilhão se entristece. E a memória agradece”. Costa stated: “Acho que a definição mais correta do brasileiro é feita através do carnaval, eu acredito piamente nisso”.
