João Manuel Serra

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

João Manuel Serra (born October 24, 1931 in Lisbon , Portugal ; † November 10, 2010 there ) was a Portuguese actor , eccentric , cult figure and city ​​original of Lisbon. He became known nationwide as "Senhor do Adeus".

Life

João Manuel Serra came from a wealthy diplomatic household, his father was a high diplomat in the Portuguese Republic. With his mother he traveled to many parts of the world and, due to the wealth of the family, never had to work and lived in Lisbon as a private citizen . He showed an early interest in theater, music and cinema and was primarily a cineast . Every Sunday he went to the El Corte Inglés cinema with friends and wrote reviews of the films he saw.

After the death of his mother in 1995, his only love in life, as he said, the ceiling fell on his head. And so he became Senhor do Adeus.

Senhor do Adeus

The waving gentleman (O senhor do Adeus) stood on the Praça Duque de Saldanha in the center of Lisbon, every night for fifteen years and waved for hours to all drivers who initially thought he was crazy, until he became a cult figure in this way Lisbon and the rest of the country. He always wore sunglasses and was very elegantly dressed. He put a smile on many faces and brought some humanity to the streets of Lisbon and the nightlife. This was due to the boredom and severe loneliness of the passionate bachelor.

During his lifetime he was part of a Portuguese comic series in which a character played him, he played in the series "O mundo caita" and starred in the Portuguese film " I will see you in my dreams ". He gave a long interview to the big daily Público .

João Manuel Serra died on November 10, 2010 at the age of 79 in Lisbon.

Aftermath

The aftermath of the senior, who had become a cult figure, was enormous: Since 2010, the Portuguese police have been visiting lonely senior citizens more frequently in order to avoid suicides, neglect or crime against older people and to be able to offer help if necessary. With his campaign, Serra wanted to draw attention to the growing loneliness and forlornness of senior citizens in Portugal and Europe.

In 2011 a book was published with all of Serra's film reviews; A blog was opened on Facebook with the title "Senhor do Adeus", which dealt with the life and work and many film reviews of the eccentric and still exists today.

Various musicians dedicated songs to him, such as Pedro Abrunhosa ( Senhor de Adeus ), the fado singer Marco Rodrigues together with Carlos do Carmo ( O homem de Saldanha ) or the composer Bernardo Sassetti ( O homem que diz adeus ).

In 2017 a commemorative plaque was officially embedded in the floor of the Praca Duque de Saldanha by the city of Lisbon in order to comply with the wishes of countless citizens and to honor the city's original.

swell

personal data
SURNAME Serra, João Manuel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Portuguese actor, eccentric, cult figure and city original
DATE OF BIRTH October 24, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Lisbon , Portugal
DATE OF DEATH November 10, 2010
Place of death Lisbon , Portugal