Wagner Moura
Biography
Wagner Moura is a Brazilian actor and filmmaker who started in professional theater in 1996. After a small part in his first feature, Woman on Top (2000), he took roles in Brazilian films before breaking through in 2007 as Captain Nascimento in Elite Squad, and returned to the part in Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010). He entered American cinema with Elysium (2013), then gained international notice as the drug trafficker Pablo Escobar in the Netflix series Narcos, earning a Golden Globe nomination. Later work includes Sergio (2020), Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), The Gray Man (2022), and Civil War (2024). He directed Marighella (2019). For The Secret Agent (2025), he won the Cannes best actor prize as the first performer from South America to do so, plus the Golden Globe for best actor, and was the first Brazilian nominated for an Academy Award in that category.
50years old
Turns 51 on June 27in 258 days
- Born Salvador
- Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22
- Wagner Maniçoba de Moura (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 16
- Career span
- 26 years2000 to 2026
First and latest
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Getting ready for a role
While getting ready for his role, Moura learned to speak Spanish. He also needed to gain more than 18 kilograms (40 pounds) for the part.
Behind the award
Moura took the part of Marcelo in Kleber Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent in 2025. That role brought him the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor, a first for any South American actor, and made him the first Brazilian nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Big break
Moura made his Hollywood debut in the 2013 film Elysium as Spider. His agents showed the producers his work in Elite Squad 2, which led to him getting the part.
Behind the camera
Moura made his feature directing debut with Marighella, which won eight awards at the 2022 Brazilian Film Grand Prix, including Best Film, Best First Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for him.
Beyond film
The play A Máquina brought Moura critical and public acclaim, and after leaving Bahia it toured Pernambuco, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Its success helped the careers of Moura and fellow actors Lázaro Ramos and Vladimir Brichta.
Wagner Moura movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
José Padilha directed two of these films. Two actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Ana de Armas's page
André Ramiro's page
Penélope Cruz's page
Clemens Schick's page
Stepan Nercessian's page
Teca Pereira's page
José PadilhaDirector, 2 films, 2007 to 2010
All films by José Padilha
Also two films together4 more actors
- Milhem CortazElite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010) and Elite Squad (2007)
- Jesuíta BarbosaFuturo Beach (2014) and Trash (2014)
- Caio JunqueiraRio, I Love You (2014) and Elite Squad (2007)
- Maria RibeiroElite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010) and Elite Squad (2007)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Wagner Moura's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$992 million
9 of the 15 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 15 films: 9 worldwide figure; 2 us gross only; 2 never in cinemas; 2 figure not found.
- 9Worldwide figure
- 2US gross only
- 2Never in cinemas
- 2Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$485M48.9% of the total
- 2$286M28.8% of the total
- 3$127M12.8% of the total
- 4$63M6.4% of the total
- 5$15M1.5% of the total
- 6$10M1.0% of the total
- 7$5.8M0.6% of the total
- 8$602K0.1% of the total
$454,023from the other 1 film with a worldwide figure, 0% of the total
Awards
Four awards and honors from 2025 to 2026, two of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globes | |||
| 2026 | Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | The Secret Agent | Won |
| Cannes Film Festival | |||
| 2025 | Best Actor | The Secret Agent | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2026 | Time 100 | Honored | |
| Cinema Brazil Grand Prize for Best Actor | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.