Seu Jorge is a famous Brazilian actor and funk and samba singer who went global in the movie “City of God” (2002).
Seu Jorge and Daniel Jobim (Jobim’s grandson) pay homage to the historic 1962 Bossa Nova concert at Carnegie Hall that introduced Bossa Nova to the world, with Roberto Menescal, Carlinhos Brown, Carol Biazin and Celeste; in the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall in Midtown; on Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 8pm. From $94. carnegiehall.org 🇧🇷
Seu Jorge is Samba
Jorge Mário da Silva is from favela Belford Roxo, just north of Rio de Janeiro. His stage name Seu Jorge means “Mr. Jorge.” He got his start acting in community theater and singing at night in samba clubs. During a period of homelessness, he slept in the theatre. He got involved because the theatre director liked his musical composition skills.
He played with Farofa Carioca that released an album “Moro no Brasil” in 1998. In 2001, he went solo with his album “Samba Esporte Fino.”
Seu Jorge played Knockout Ned in Fernando Meirelles’ and Katia Lund’s 2002 hit film, “Cidade de Deus” (City of God) which earned several Academy Award nominations. It is still a great movie, and he is impressive. Jorge plays a hard-working bus driver who reluctantly becomes a gangster seeking revenge. Before he started acting Jorge’s own family was torn apart when his brother was murdered, so he had the life experience for this role. He is so convincing. He even told Nick Olle for “The Guardian” that the story was very close to his own life story. Similar stories are repeated in every favela, barrio, or villa in Latin America.
In Wes Anderson’s “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” (2004), Jorge played Pelé dos Santos and covered David Bowie hits in Portuguese for the soundtrack.
From these beginnings, Seu Jorge has become a world-class musician, actor and soundtrack composer performing around the world including at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics. His “Músicas para Churrasco, Vol. 2” (2015) was nominated for the “Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album” Latin Grammy.
Lately Jorge has been doing more acting. In 2023, he played Cowboy in Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City.” He defines himself as a popular singer and songwriter who appreciates myriad musical genres, but whose roots lie in samba: “Samba is our truth, our particularity, our gold medal, our bastion, our Brazilian flag.”
For more information, visit seujorge.com