This video tells the story of actor Francisco di Franco, who lived the glory of fame and died poor and forgotten. Francisco de Sousa Neto, better known as Francisco di Franco, was born in São Paulo on May 7, 1938. The son of a butcher, he became an athlete, participating in cycling championships, and later went to work as an auto mechanic. However, he soon felt the desire to be an actor and set out to do so, performing as extras in circuses and comedy shows on TV. His career began in 1954, with extras in circuses and comedy shows on TV Record. Five years later, in 1959, Mazzaropi invited him to play a role in Jeca Tatu.[1] This was followed by the films O Lamparina (1963) among others. At that time, he adopted the stage name Francisco de Souza. He also acted in Um Certo Capitão Rodrigo (1970) (in the title role, directed by the award-winning Anselmo Duarte) and Filho Adotivo (1984). He also worked extensively in advertising, doing more than 120 television commercials in Brazil and abroad, and was the poster boy for campaigns for Chevrolet Opala, Casa José Silva, Ducal suits, Phillishhave Shaver and Minister Cigarettes, among others. But it was in Cinema that he stood out the most, participating in 40 films, from 1960 to 1999, and the most important were “Até que a Morte nos Separe”; “As Cariocas”; “O Quarto”; “Meu Nome é Lampião”; “O Cangaceiro Sem Deus”; “Cio-Uma Verdadeira História de Amor”; “Um Certo Capitão Rodrigo”, where he played Captain Rodrigo himself; “Balada dos Infiéis”; “Um Anjo Mau”; “Cordélia, Cordélia”; “Os Devassos”; “A Husband Without… Is Like a Garden Without Flowers”; “Independence or Death”; “O Marginal”; “A Noiva da Noite”; “O Supermanso”; “Iracema, A Virgem dos Lábios de Mel”; “Paixão de Sertanejo” and “Pelé e os Trombadinhas”. On television, Francisco Di Franco made his debut in 1971, in the soap opera “Bandeira 2”, by Dias Gomes, on TV Globo, but his success came the following year when he played the main role in “Jerônimo, o Herói do Sertão”, on TV Tupi, a very successful soap opera that was inspired by the radio soap opera of the same name, made by Rádio Nacional, in the 1960s. The story, written by Moyses Weltman, was aired again in 1984, by SBT, with the name “Jerônimo” and with Di Franco reviving the famous character. He also acted in the soap operas “A Viagem” and “Ovelha Negra”, both on TV Tupi in the 1970s. He was also the host of “Programa Sertanejo” on Rádio São Paulo, and on TV, the programs “Novos Talentos” on SBT in 1984, and “Musicamp” in 1987, also on SBT. Francisco Di Franco was married twice and had two children, each from a different marriage. Away from the media since the late 1980s, Francisco di Franco lived his last years in São Bernardo do Campo (SP), working as a civil servant in the local city hall. Unlike the golden days when he was highly sought after by the media, the actor ended up being forgotten by his fans, dying poor and sick. Francisco died on April 10, 2001, in the capital of São Paulo, at the age of 62, a victim of lung cancer. At his wake, only six people showed up to say goodbye to the actor. CREDITS Music: Bensound - Sadday