Paulo Gustavo, Comedian Who Lampooned Brazilian Mothers, Dies at 42
Weeks before falling ill, he urged his countrymen to consider laughter “an act of resistance.” One of the country’s most beloved actors, he died of complications of Covid-19.
The Brazilian comedian and actor Paulo Gustavo in 2019. He created the beloved character Dona Hermínia, a wasp-tongued mother, and played her on both stage and screen.
Credit...Victor Pollak/O Globo TV, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Published May 7, 2021Updated May 18, 2021
This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others
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RIO DE JANEIRO — He was best known for portraying the character Dona Hermínia, a cantankerous but loving middle-aged mother whose sharp tongue and misadventures left Brazilians doubled over in laughter.