Wagner Moura

Moura was born in Salvador and raised in Rodelas, {{convert|540|km}} from the capital. His father was in the military so the family, still consisting of his mother and his younger sister Lediane (who works as a pediatrician), became used to moving around. His relationship with acting started thanks to a schoolmate who had a passion for the arts. His colleague did theater, and Moura wanted to follow the same steps to try to find a class where he would fit in.{{Cite web |last=Almeida |first=Clécio de |date=5 June 2009 |title=Wagner Moura: somos respeitados nos festivais internacionais |url=https://vermelho.org.br/2009/06/05/wagner-moura-somos-respeitados-nos-festivais-internacionais/ |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=Vermelho |language=pt-BR |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024459/https://vermelho.org.br/2009/06/05/wagner-moura-somos-respeitados-nos-festivais-internacionais/ |url-status=live}}

He became best friends with Emmy nominee actor Lázaro Ramos during their teenage years in Bahia. Ramos reported that his friend was a great supporter of his career since youth.{{Citation |title=Mano a Mano {{!}} Mano Brown recebe Taís Araújo e Lázaro Ramos |date=4 November 2021 |url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/5iGw8zMuwTg7NZaViHNdeU |language=en |access-date=26 December 2022 |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024457/https://open.spotify.com/episode/5iGw8zMuwTg7NZaViHNdeU |url-status=live}}

Moura took acting classes in his teens, and started working in professional theater in 1996. Later, he graduated in journalism at the Federal University of Bahia. He had a small PR company that worked for other local actors and theater companies but the business soon went bankrupt. In the early 2000s, he was a reporter for an interview program on TV Bahia – an affiliate of Rede Globo – and covered high society parties talking to businessmen and celebrities.{{Cite web |date=14 August 2014 |title=Relembre 10 famosos que fazem questão de esquecer o passado |url=https://rd1.com.br/relembre-10-famosos-que-fazem-questao-de-esquecer-o-passado/ |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=RD1 |language=pt-BR |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024458/https://rd1.com.br/relembre-10-famosos-que-fazem-questao-de-esquecer-o-passado/ |url-status=live}}

During this time Moura continued going to auditions because he aspired to become an actor. He found some success with the play A Máquina. Receiving critical and public acclaim, the show left Bahia and went on the road to Pernambuco, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro where it continued to succeed. The hit boosted the careers of Moura and his colleagues, now-successful Brazilian actors Lázaro Ramos and Vladimir Brichta.

In cinema, he started with the shorts Pop Killer, by Victor Mascarenhas, and Rádio Gogó, by José Araripe Jr. His first feature was Woman on Top, by the Venezuelan director Fina Torres, in which he had a small participation with Ramos, whom he helped with the tests in English, since Ramos did not speak the language.

With the resumption of Brazilian cinema opening up to new faces, he got roles in several productions with important names, such as Behind the Sun, by Walter Salles; The Three Marias, by Aluizio Abranches; God Is Brazilian, by Cacá Diegues; Nina, by Heitor Dhalia; The Man of the Year, by José Henrique Fonseca; The Middle of the World, by Vicente Amorim. In Recife, during the filming of God Is Brazilian, Moura was reading the book Carandiru Station by Drauzio Varella when he found out about the auditions for the film Carandiru. Because he was busy with the recordings and unable to appear in the face-to-face auditions in another state, he asked the person in charge of the making of to help him record a tape that would be sent to the production. The material was very dark, and it was only possible to hear the actor reading excerpts from the book. Some time later Héctor Babenco would call him for a meeting in São Paulo, curious to meet the owner of the voice. The actor ended up joining the cast as the prisoner, dealer and drug addict Zico.{{Citation |title=Wagner Moura e Selton Mello falam sobre "Tropa de Elite" {{!}} Tarja Preta |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc1qvRDbiGA |language=en |access-date=26 December 2022 |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024457/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc1qvRDbiGA |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=FOTOS - Em 2003, Wagner Moura viveu o presidiário, traficante e viciado em drogas Zico no longa 'Carandirú' |url=https://www.purepeople.com.br/midia/wm_m52209 |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=purepeople.com.br |language=br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024457/https://www.purepeople.com.br/midia/wm_m52209 |url-status=live}}

He debuted on television after famous Brazilian actor and Mouras's costar in God Is Brazilian, Antônio Fagundes invited him for a small role in the popular series Carga Pesada on Rede Globo. Then came the series Sexo Frágil, which entered the network's Friday night schedule after its success as a sketch on the TV show Fantástico.

The play Dilúvio em Tempos de Seca was shown in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and ended its season at the Curitiba Theater Festival at Teatro Guaíra for an audience of more than four thousand people in the two days it was presented. With the end of the work, the actor would turn to television and cinema.

He debuted in telenovelas at A Lua Me Disse by Miguel Falabella, starring heartthrob Gustavo, a contrast to the other characters he had played before.{{Cite web |title=a-lua-me-disse |url=https://memoriaglobo.globo.com/programas/entretenimento/novelas/a-lua-me-disse.htm |access-date=26 December 2022 |archive-date=1 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101072150/http://memoriaglobo.globo.com/programas/entretenimento/novelas/a-lua-me-disse.htm |url-status=dead}} He then amended the telenovela with the limited series JK, the biography of the Brazil's former president Juscelino Kubitschek, playing the title character in his youth.{{Cite web |title=Wagner Moura diz que não pode fazer um JK baixo-astral; leia entrevista - 30/12/2005 - UOL Televisão |url=http://televisao.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2005/12/30/ult698u9876.jhtm |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=televisao.uol.com.br |archive-date=2 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702224119/http://televisao.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2005/12/30/ult698u9876.jhtm |url-status=live}}

In 2007, he was scheduled to play businessman Olavo Novaes, villain of the telenovela Paraíso Tropical, wrote by prestigious Brazilian screenwriters Gilberto Braga and Ricardo Linhares.{{Cite web |title=o-auge-de-wagner-moura-na-novela-paraiso-tropical |url=https://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/arteelazer,o-auge-de-wagner-moura-na-novela-paraiso-tropical,57146,0.htm}} Braga initially thought about having Selton Mello on the role, who turned it down due to scheduling conflicts, and director Dennis Carvalho, who had worked with Moura on JK, nominated him for the role. Olavo and his lover, prostitute Bebel, played by Camila Pitanga, became the biggest highlights of the show.{{Cite web |last=Cunha |first=Gabriela |date=11 June 2021 |title=Troca da protagonista, coadjuvantes inesquecíveis, bordões: relembre os bastidores de 'Paraíso Tropical' |url=https://contigo.uol.com.br/noticias/exclusivas/de-atores-substituidos-efeitos-especiais-bastidores-de-paraiso-tropical-traz-curiosidades-alem-do-esperado.phtml |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=Contigo! |language=pt-br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024506/https://contigo.uol.com.br/noticias/exclusivas/de-atores-substituidos-efeitos-especiais-bastidores-de-paraiso-tropical-traz-curiosidades-alem-do-esperado.phtml |url-status=live}} It was the duo of actors' idea to intensify the affection relationship between two characters, as it seemed interesting for the plot.{{Cite web |title=Há 10 anos "Tropa de Elite" enfrentava tráfico, polícia e pirataria |url=https://www.uol/entretenimento/especiais/tropa-de-elite-10-anos.htm |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=uol |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024507/https://www.uol/entretenimento/especiais/tropa-de-elite-10-anos.htm |url-status=live}} The result was a popular appeal for the villains to become officially a couple and have more screen time together, which happened. Both Moura and Pitanga were acclaimed and highly awarded for their roles.

At the same time, the film Elite Squad, in which he played the role of police officer Captain Nascimento, began to have wide repercussions. The film initially would have the aspiring Mathias as the protagonist of the film, but during editing it was realized that showing Nascimento's point of view would set the tone and energy that the production was looking for. From there, the synopsis was changed, the production was reassembled and Moura had to hastily record the narration. The film broke all box office records, won awards in Brazil and Europe, including the Berlin's Golden Bear, and generated controversy and debates about piracy, police harassment and urban violence.{{Cite web |title=Há 10 anos "Tropa de Elite" enfrentava tráfico, polícia e pirataria |url=https://www.uol/entretenimento/especiais/tropa-de-elite-10-anos.htm |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=uol |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024507/https://www.uol/entretenimento/especiais/tropa-de-elite-10-anos.htm |url-status=live}}

With both works, he became one of the most popular actors in his country, immensely recognized by the public and critics as one of the great names of his generation of actors and chosen by Vogue Brazil as "Man of the Year" in 2007.{{Cite web |date=17 December 2007 |title=Wagner Moura é escolhido 'Homem Vogue do ano' |url=https://oglobo.globo.com/cultura/wagner-moura-escolhido-homem-vogue-do-ano-4133009 |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=O Globo |language=pt-BR |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024459/https://oglobo.globo.com/cultura/wagner-moura-escolhido-homem-vogue-do-ano-4133009 |url-status=live}}

In 2008, after the end of the telenovela, he returned to the theater after years without stepping on stage, with the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare - which in the words of the actor, was an old dream for being his favorite play since adolescence - in the role of protagonist and producer. The theatrical process was recorded by his wife, Sandra, and became a documentary. Hamlet was also a success with the public and acclaimed by the specialized press.{{Cite web |title=Wagner Moura estréia a peça 'Hamlet' em São Paulo |url=http://ego.globo.com/Gente/Noticias/0,,MUL609279-9798,00-WAGNER+MOURA+ESTREIA+A+PECA+HAMLET+EM+SAO+PAULO.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628151217/https://ego.globo.com/Gente/Noticias/0,,MUL609279-9798,00-WAGNER+MOURA+ESTREIA+A+PECA+HAMLET+EM+SAO+PAULO.html |archive-date=28 June 2008 |date=21 June 2008}}

He was in three more short films: Desejo, Ópera do Mallandro and Blackout, awarded at the Festival de Gramado; in the films Ó Paí, Ó, Saneamento Básico, A Máquina and Romance. In addition, he resumed the band he formed in 1992 with friends, Sua Mãe, performed on some TV programs and released a CD.

In 2010, he came back as Nascimento, in the sequel to Elite Squad. Elite Squad: The Enemy Within repeated the success of the first version and for ten years held the highest-grossing title in the country's history.{{Cite web |last=G1 |first=Do |last2=Paulo |first2=em São |date=28 December 2010 |title='Tropa de elite 2' é a maior bilheteria da história no Brasil |url=http://g1.globo.com/pop-arte/noticia/2010/12/tropa-de-elite-2-e-maior-bilheteria-da-historia-no-brasil.html |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=Pop & Arte |language=pt-br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024457/http://g1.globo.com/pop-arte/noticia/2010/12/tropa-de-elite-2-e-maior-bilheteria-da-historia-no-brasil.html |url-status=live}}

In 2012, he was the guest vocalist for the "MTV live tribute to Legião Urbana" held in São Paulo and broadcast live by MTV Brasil itself. Moura did not hide his satisfaction, as he stated in several interviews that he was a big fan of the band.{{Cite web |title=Página não encontrada - Portal R7 |url=https://entretenimento.r7.com/musica/noticias/-a-legiao-urbana-mudou-minha-vida-diz-wagner-moura-20120526.html |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=entretenimento.r7.com |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024458/https://entretenimento.r7.com/musica/noticias/-a-legiao-urbana-mudou-minha-vida-diz-wagner-moura-20120526.html |url-status=live}}

In 2011, he was honored at the Braskem Theater Award,{{Cite web |date=15 April 2011 |title=Wagner Moura emociona público de premiação ao receber homenagem em Salvador |url=https://www.ibahia.com/nem-te-conto/wagner-moura-emociona-publico-de-premiacao-ao-receber-homenagem-em-salvador |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=iBahia.com |language=pt-BR |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024458/https://www.ibahia.com/nem-te-conto/wagner-moura-emociona-publico-de-premiacao-ao-receber-homenagem-em-salvador |url-status=live}} and in 2013 at the Gramado Festival.{{Cite web |last=terra |title=Wagner Moura é homenageado em Gramado: "filmes têm algo a dizer" |url=https://www.terra.com.br/diversao/entre-telas/wagner-moura-e-homenageado-em-gramado-filmes-tem-algo-a-dizer,6509522ed4d60410VgnVCM4000009bcceb0aRCRD.html |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=Terra |language=pt-BR |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024506/https://www.terra.com.br/diversao/entre-telas/wagner-moura-e-homenageado-em-gramado-filmes-tem-algo-a-dizer,6509522ed4d60410VgnVCM4000009bcceb0aRCRD.html |url-status=live}}

Also, in 2013, he was elected Man of the Year by GQ Brazil in the cinema category.{{Cite web |last=Online |first=G. Q. |title=Wagner Moura é destaque em Cinema no GQ Men of the Year 2013 |url=https://gq.globo.com/Essa-e-nossa/noticia/2013/12/wagner-moura-e-destaque-em-cinema-no-gq-men-year-2013.html |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=GQ |language=pt-br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226024507/https://gq.globo.com/Essa-e-nossa/noticia/2013/12/wagner-moura-e-destaque-em-cinema-no-gq-men-year-2013.html |url-status=live}}

The film Elysium marked his Hollywood debut, alongside Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Alice Braga (who was nominated by Moura for the film), playing Spider. Moura got the role after his agents showed his work in Elite Squad 2 for the producers.{{Cite web |title=Wagner Moura revela fatos inéditos de 'Elysium', filme que estreia na sexta (20) |url=https://www.purepeople.com.br/noticia/wagner-moura-revela-fatos-ineditos-de-elysium-que-estreia-na-sexta-feira-20_a10305/1 |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=purepeople.com.br |language=br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035548/https://www.purepeople.com.br/noticia/wagner-moura-revela-fatos-ineditos-de-elysium-que-estreia-na-sexta-feira-20_a10305/1 |url-status=live}}

In 2014, he starred in Futuro Beach by Karim Aïnouz, once again at the Berlin International Film Festival, as a lifeguard from Recife who goes to Germany after falling in love with a tourist. The film received homophobic reactions from part of the audiences for its depiction of a romance between two men, which included nudity and sex scenes.{{CN|date=January 2023}} In the same year, Rio, I Love You was released, in which Moura plays a parachutist who talks about Christ the Redeemer in the short film by José Padilha.

As a director, he worked on the music video for the song "Te Amo" from the album Bicicletas, Bolos e Outras Alegrias, by singer Vanessa da Mata.

In April 2015, Moura was confirmed to play one of the "seven men" in the movie The Magnificent Seven, a remake of the 1960 Western classic alongside names like Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Haley Bennett and Luke Grimes, scheduled to premiere in 2017, but had to decline the invitation due to filming the series Narcos, in which he was the antagonist.{{Cite web |last=AdoroCinema |title=Wagner Moura perdeu papel em Sete Homens e um Destino por ter ganhado muito peso para viver Escobar |url=https://www.adorocinema.com/noticias/filmes/noticia-119579/ |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=AdoroCinema |language=pt-BR |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035552/https://www.adorocinema.com/noticias/filmes/noticia-119579/ |url-status=live}} For the same reason, he could not star in the Brazilian feature Bingo: The King of the Mornings.{{Cite web |title=Filme sobre Bozo foi pensado para Wagner Moura |url=https://veja.abril.com.br/cultura/filme-sobre-bozo-foi-pensado-para-wagner-moura/ |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=veja.abril.com |language=pt-BR |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035553/https://veja.abril.com.br/cultura/filme-sobre-bozo-foi-pensado-para-wagner-moura/ |url-status=live}}

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In August of the same year, Narcos debuted on Netflix, with Moura playing Pablo Escobar. The performance was praised by critics and the series was very well accepted by the public. Narcos earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a TV series in 2016, becoming the first Brazilian in 14 years to achieve recognition.{{Cite web |title=Globo de Ouro 2016: Lady Gaga, Wagner Moura e filme "Carol" estão entre os indicados |lang=pt-br |first=Pedro |last=Rocha |date=10 December 2015 |url=http://www.papelpop.com/2015/12/globo-de-ouro-2016-lady-gaga-wagner-moura-e-filme-carol-estao-entre-os-indicados/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211101754/http://www.papelpop.com/2015/12/globo-de-ouro-2016-lady-gaga-wagner-moura-e-filme-carol-estao-entre-os-indicados/ |archive-date=11 December 2015 |access-date=7 March 2023}}

In 2018, he was announced in the new production of Brian De Palma, but the project was paused.{{Cite web |date=10 July 2018 |title=Novo filme de Brian de Palma terá Wagner Moura de protagonista |url=https://gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br/cultura-e-lazer/cinema/noticia/2018/07/novo-filme-de-brian-de-palma-tera-wagner-moura-de-protagonista-cjjg367i70q3e01qo0ardr0kj.html |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=GZH |language=pt-BR |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035548/https://gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br/cultura-e-lazer/cinema/noticia/2018/07/novo-filme-de-brian-de-palma-tera-wagner-moura-de-protagonista-cjjg367i70q3e01qo0ardr0kj.html |url-status=live}} In September 2019, he released the film Wasp Network, also from Netflix and directed by Olivier Assayas, in competition at the Venice Film Festival.

In 2020, he signed with WME and was part of the official jury of the Sundance Film Festival, voting in the international fiction category. Also at Sundance, he launched the Netflix drama Sergio, about Brazilian diplomat Sérgio Vieira de Mello, in which he is both the protagonist and producer.

In 2021, he joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood.{{Cite web |last=Reis |first=Vitória Campos |date=1 July 2021 |title=Wagner Moura e outros 7 brasileiros são convidados para Academia do Oscar, veja lista |url=https://rollingstone.uol.com.br/noticia/wagner-moura-e-outros-7-brasileiros-sao-convidados-para-academia-do-oscar-veja-lista/ |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=rollingstone.uol.com |language=pt-br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035553/https://rollingstone.uol.com.br/noticia/wagner-moura-e-outros-7-brasileiros-sao-convidados-para-academia-do-oscar-veja-lista/ |url-status=live}}

In November of the same year, the third season of Narcos: Mexico was released, in which he directed two episodes. In the same period, he managed to release his first film as a director, Marighella, in Brazilian cinemas. Marighella officially premiered in 2019 at the Berlin International Film Festival within the official out-of-competition show, and received good reviews.{{Cite web |last=BRANDÃO |first=Myrna Silveir |date=11 November 2022 |title='Marighella' ganha elogios do 'The New York Times' |url=https://www.jb.com.br/cadernob/cinema/2021/05/1029912----marighella----ganha-elogios-do----the-new-york-times.html |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=Cinema |language=pt-br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035547/https://www.jb.com.br/cadernob/cinema/2021/05/1029912----marighella----ganha-elogios-do----the-new-york-times.html |url-status=live}} At the Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro 2022 (Brazilian Film Grand Prix), the film was the biggest champion with eight awards, including Best Film, Best First Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Moura.

During interviews, he announced that he signed a contract with Disney+ to produce a series about Maria Bonita, and will be in the next productions by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Karim Aïnouz.{{Cite web |title=Wagner Moura lança Marighella; guerrilheiro assassinado |url=https://correiodoestado.com.br/correio-b/wagner-moura-lanca-filme-sobre-marighella-guerrilheiro-assassinado-ha/392928/ |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=correiodoestado.com.br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035553/https://correiodoestado.com.br/correio-b/wagner-moura-lanca-filme-sobre-marighella-guerrilheiro-assassinado-ha/392928/ |url-status=live}} in addition, he will be in the animation Arca de Noé by Sérgio Machado and Walter Salles, inspired by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes.

In 2022, he starred in the Apple TV+ series Shining Girls with Elisabeth Moss, in the role of journalist Dan Velásquez,{{Cite web |last=Amendola |first=Beatriz |date=29 April 2022 |title=Iluminadas {{!}} Wagner Moura pediu para falar português em nova série da Apple |url=https://www.omelete.com.br/series-tv/wagner-moura-entrevista-iluminadas |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=Omelete |language=pt-br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035547/https://www.omelete.com.br/series-tv/wagner-moura-entrevista-iluminadas |url-status=live}} joined the cast of Civil War, a film by Oscar-nominated director and screenwriter Alex Garland with production by A24,{{Cite web |title=Wagner Moura entra para elenco de 'Civil War', com Kirsten Dunst |url=https://g1.globo.com/pop-arte/cinema/noticia/2022/01/21/wagner-moura-entra-para-elenco-de-civil-war-com-kirsten-dunst.ghtml |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=G1 |language=pt-br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035547/https://g1.globo.com/pop-arte/cinema/noticia/2022/01/21/wagner-moura-entra-para-elenco-de-civil-war-com-kirsten-dunst.ghtml |url-status=live}} and starred in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, with Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Christopher Walken, Olivia Colman and Florence Pugh, voicing the wolf who is revealed to be the crazed The Forty Thieves.{{Cite web |title='Gato de Botas 2': Wagner Moura integra elenco de dubladores; veja trailer |url=https://www.estadao.com.br/emais/tv/gato-de-botas-2-wagner-moura-integra-elenco-de-dubladores-veja-trailer/ |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=Estadão |language=pt-br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035553/https://www.estadao.com.br/emais/tv/gato-de-botas-2-wagner-moura-integra-elenco-de-dubladores-veja-trailer/ |url-status=live}} He starred, alongside Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton and others in the feature The Gray Man, considered the most expensive in the history of Netflix, as the eccentric Laszlo Sosa. In the role, Moura lost twenty kilos and was praised by the Russo brothers, who called him "an incredible actor, one of the most talented in the world".{{Cite web |title=Wagner Moura perdeu quase 20kg para filme da Netflix, diz diretor |url=https://www.uol.com.br/splash/noticias/2022/07/17/diretor-da-marvel-elogia-wagner-moura-um-dos-maiores-do-mundo.htm |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=uol.com.br |language=pt-br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035546/https://www.uol.com.br/splash/noticias/2022/07/17/diretor-da-marvel-elogia-wagner-moura-um-dos-maiores-do-mundo.htm |url-status=live}}

In 2024, he played a recurring role as a John Smith Agent in the Amazon Prime Video series Mr. & Mrs. Smith, starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine.{{Cite web |last=Otterson |first=Joe |date=22 September 2022 |title='Mr. and Mrs. Smith' Amazon Series Casts Parker Posey, Wagner Moura (Exclusive) |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/mr-and-mrs-smith-amazon-series-cast-parker-posey-wagner-moura-1235380460/ |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035548/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/mr-and-mrs-smith-amazon-series-cast-parker-posey-wagner-moura-1235380460/ |url-status=live}}

Moura's native language is Portuguese, and he also speaks English and Spanish fluently. Moura learned to speak Spanish while preparing for his portrayal of Pablo Escobar in Narcos.{{Citation |title=Wagner Moura Went Back to College to Learn Spanish for Narcos |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwRdjf4eEgk |access-date=24 October 2023 |language=en |archive-date=24 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124114247/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwRdjf4eEgk |url-status=live}} Moura had to gain over 18 kilograms (40 pounds) to play the role of Pablo Escobar; after production of the second season of Narcos, Moura decided to lose the weight through an all-vegan diet.{{cite web|last1=De Campos Mello|first1=Raphaela|title=Meditação transcendental: a técnica de David Lynch e Wagner Moura|url=http://casa.abril.com.br/materia/meditacao-transcendental-a-tecnica-de-david-lynch-e-wagner-moura|website=Casa.com|access-date=28 September 2014|date=9 July 2012|language=pt|quote=Assim como Lynch, praticante há 40 anos, diversos artistas aderiram ao treinamento mental, entre eles Oprah Winfrey, Clint Eastwood, Paul McCartney e o brasileiro Wagner Moura.|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006175901/http://casa.abril.com.br/materia/meditacao-transcendental-a-tecnica-de-david-lynch-e-wagner-moura|url-status=live}}

Moura practices Transcendental Meditation, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In December 2023, Moura was promoted to brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Rigan Machado.{{cite web |last1=Blackett |first1=Todd |title=Narcos Star Wagner Moura Promoted To Brown Belt In BJJ |url=https://jitsmagazine.com/narcos-star-wagner-moura-promoted-to-brown-belt-in-bjj/ |website=Jitsmagazine |access-date=7 December 2023 |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180510/https://jitsmagazine.com/narcos-star-wagner-moura-promoted-to-brown-belt-in-bjj/ |url-status=live}}

He has three sons with journalist and photographer Sandra Delgado, all born in Rio de Janeiro. Moura and Delgado met at university but only got involved after they graduated. At the time, he was moving to Rio and invited her to go with him. She accepted, despite the fact that they had only been dating for a short time. The couple has not formally married.{{Cite web |title=Wagner Moura completa 38 anos com papel desafiador no filme 'Praia do futuro' |url=https://www.purepeople.com.br/noticia/wagner-moura-completa-38-anos-com-papel-desafiador-no-filme-praia-do-futuro_a22288/1 |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=purepeople.com.br |language=br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035546/https://www.purepeople.com.br/noticia/wagner-moura-completa-38-anos-com-papel-desafiador-no-filme-praia-do-futuro_a22288/1 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=Nasce o terceiro filho de Wagner Moura |url=http://contamais.com.br/noticias/nacionais/nasce-o-terceiro-filho-de-wagner-moura/7823 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108003346/https://contamais.com.br/noticias/nacionais/nasce-o-terceiro-filho-de-wagner-moura/7823 |archive-date=8 November 2014 |first=Marilia |last=Alencar |date=13 June 2012 |access-date=7 March 2023}} The family has residences in Salvador, Los Angeles, and Rio de Janeiro, and the actor said that they live wherever the work is, having spent time in Colombia for Narcos and now mainly reside in Los Angeles. Despite this, he considers Bahia his real home.{{Cite web |date=1 January 2021 |title=Wagner Moura mora hoje em Los Angeles, mas considera a Bahia sua casa |url=https://istoe.com.br/wagner-moura-mora-hoje-em-los-angeles-mas-considera-a-bahia-sua-casa/ |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=ISTOÉ Independente |language=pt-br |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226035547/https://istoe.com.br/wagner-moura-mora-hoje-em-los-angeles-mas-considera-a-bahia-sua-casa/ |url-status=live}}

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Category:1976 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century Brazilian male actors

Category:21st-century Brazilian male actors

Category:Brazilian male film actors

Category:Brazilian male stage actors

Category:Brazilian male television actors

Category:Male actors from Salvador, Bahia

Category:Federal University of Bahia alumni

Category:Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor winners