Bruno Barreto Biography

Date of Birth: March 16, 1955

Born in Rio Di Janeiro, Brazil, Bruno Barreto made his first short film when he was just 10 years old. The son of famous producers Luiz Carlos Barreto and Lucy Barreto, filmmaking was a natural choice for the boy. Younger brother Fábio, who also had an early interest in film and starred in Bruno’s first short, went on to become a producer, writer and actor.

When Bruno was 18, he directed and co-wrote his first feature length film, Tati, A Garota (1973), for which he was nominated for the Golden Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival. At only 21 years of age, Bruno directed and co-wrote Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos (Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands) (1976), starring Sonia Braga. The film won the Golden Kikito award at the Gramado Film Festival and went on to become one of the greatest box office successes in the history of Brazilian cinema.

His first English-language film was the American thriller A Show of Force (1990), starring Kevin Spacey, Robert Duvall and Amy Irving, followed by a TV movie, The Heart of Justice (1992) and the feature Carried Away (1996), starring Amy Irving and Dennis Hopper. In 1997, Barreto returned to Brazil to film the US/Brazil co-production O Que É Isso, Companheiro? (aka Four Days in September) (1998), starring Alan Arkin.

Barreto’s next film, One Tough Cop (1998), starring Stephen Baldwin, was filmed in New York City and Toronto, followed by Bossa Nova (2000), for which he again teamed up with Amy Irving. However, so far Barreto has never had the kind of hit in the United States as he did in Brazil. He hopes that will change with his new film, View From the Top (2003), a romantic comedy starring Gwyneth Paltrow as a woman who dreams of becoming a flight attendant.

Barreto and actress Amy Irving have a child, Gabriel, and live in the Los Angeles area.

Filmography:

View From the Top (2003)
Bossa Nova (2000)
One Tough Cop (1998)
O Que É Isso, Companheiro? (Four Days in September) (1998)
Carried Away (1996)
A Show of Force (1990)
Romance da Empregada (1987)
Além Da Paixão (1985)
Gabriela (1983)
O Beijo No Asfalto (1981)
Amor Bandido (1979)
Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos (1976)
A Estrele Sobe (1974)
Tati, A Garota (1973)