Actor, director, screenwriter and author, Matheus Nachtergaele is one of the biggest names in Brazilian arts. The 56-year-old multi-artist, who is on air as Norberto, from the soap opera Renascer, after a ten-year hiatus without acting in the segment, will receive the Oscarito Trophy at the 52nd edition of the Gramado Festival.
Born in São Paulo, he began his career at the Antunes Filho Theatrical Research Center and the company Teatro da Vertigem, with his work in O Livro de Jó, from 1995. His debut on the big screen came two years later, with two anthology films: the Gaúcho classic Anahy de las Misiones, by Sérgio Silva, and O que é isso, companheiro?, by Bruno Barreto, which competed for the Oscar for Best International Film. Also in 1997, he made his debut on TV Globo, in the miniseries Hilda Furacão. Bringing to life Cintura Fina, a character who identified as a woman, although she was born with a male body, Matheus challenged current notions of gender. This role brought recognition to the actor, who would go on to star in the miniseries O Auto da Compadecida (1999), later released, in a reduced format, to cinemas, earning him the Brazilian Cinema Grand Prix as Best Actor.
In 2002, he participated in another classic of national cinema: Cidade de Deus, by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, which competed for an Oscar in four categories. Behind the camera he showed a new talent when directing A Festa da Menina Morta. The film was selected for the Un Certain Regard exhibition at the Cannes Festival and won the awards for Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Music, Best Popular Jury Film and the critics award at the Gramado Festival. Also in 2008, the work also won the awards for Best Fiction Direction and Best Actor at the Rio Festival.
Last year, during the 51st edition of the Gramado Festival, he was immortalized on the city’s Walk of Fame. Matheus has nominations and wins at the most important Brazilian and world cinema festivals and awards: Cannes Festival, Platino Awards, Lisbon Film Festival, Uruguay International Film Festival, Brazilian Cinema Grand Prix, Rio Festival, Brasília Festival, Cine Ceará and Cine PE are some examples.
On the big screen, Nachtergaele is also known for works such as Central do Brasil (1998), Amarelo Manga (2002) and Febre do Rato (2011), and many other TV projects, such as Sob Pressão (2017), Cordel Encantado (2011) and Todas as Mulheres do Mundo (2020). In 2024, Matheus returns to cinemas as João Grilo, an emblematic character of his career, for the sequel to O Auto da Compadecida, by Guel Arraes. The sequel opens in theaters on December 25th.
Matheus Nachtergaele joins Mariëtte Rissenbeek and Jorge Furtado, who will be honored with the Kikito de Cristal and Eduardo Abelin, respectively.
