Wagner Moura becomes first Brazilian to win Golden Globe for Best Actor

Actor Wagner Moura became the first Brazilian to win the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama on Sunday for his role in the Brazilian thriller O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent).  “The secret agent is a film about memory, or the lack of memory, and generational trauma,” Moura said in his acceptance speech. “I think if trauma can be passed down generations, values can too. So [this award] is for the ones who are sticking with their values in difficult moments.” Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, The Secret Agent is set during the Brazilian military dictatorship of the 1970s, and follows Armando, a former teacher played by Moura, who is forced to live in hiding while trying to protect his son.  It also won “Best Motion Picture –Non-English Language,” and was nominated for “Best Motion Picture – Drama” at the international film and television awards. The role had already earned Moura the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival, making him also the first Brazilian actor to win that award. “The dictatorship remains an open wound in our lives,” Moura told the press after the win.  “It happened just 50 years ago, and recently, from 2018 to 2022, we had a far-right president in Brazil, a fascist who is the physical embodiment of the echoes of the dictatorship,” he added, referring to former President Jair Bolsonaro.  “Dictatorship is still very present in everyday Brazilian life. That’s why we have to keep making films about it,” he said. Moura is the second Brazilian to receive a Golden Globe for acting, after Fernanda Torres won as Best Actress in a Drama in 2025 for her role in biographical film Ainda estou aqui (I’m still here), which was also about the Brazilian dictatorship. Lula da Silva celebrates ’motive of pride’ Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took to X to celebrate the film’s success at the Golden Globes. “Brazilian cinema once again at the top of the world!” he wrote. “Incredible victory by the extremely talented Wagner Moura as Best Actor in a Drama at the Golden Globes.” He went on to highlight the win as a sign that “Brazilian cinema has been attracting the attention and respect of people in all regions” and is an “important symbol of the return of appreciation for artists in [Brazil].”