António Calvário

António Calvário
Calvário in 1965
Background information
Born
António Calvário da Paz

(1938-10-17) 17 October 1938
Lourenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique
OccupationsSinger, actor, writer
Years active1957–present

António Calvário da Paz (born 17 October 1938) is a Portuguese singer, actor, and writer. He is best known for winning the first edition of Festival da Canção and representing Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 with the song "Oração", which was the country's debut entry in the contest.

Biography

Early life

Calvário was born in Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), Portuguese Mozambique, on 17 October 1938.[1][2][3] His parents were António da Paz (29 January 1890 – TBA), who was a mechanic from Estômbar, Portugal, and Adelaide Nunes Calvário (1913 or 1914 – 2004).[4] He has a younger brother, Rui (born October 1942).[5]

His father worked in Portimão and Setúbal, Portugal, until he decided to sneak into the hold of the ship that brought him to Portuguese Mozambique, where he owned a small truck that transported goods between Lourenço Marques and Catembe and managed two sawmills in the interior of Marracuene. He eventually returned to Portugal, where he met and fell in love with Nunes Calvário. However, her family opposed their future marriage due to differences in social status, so the couple fled to Africa.[5]

After moving to Vila Luísa at the age of five, Calvário began his studies at the Roque de Aguiar School.[6] His first performance took place there: he sang two songs, one from The Merry Widow and "Maria Helena", with his classmate, after the institution's headmaster asked him to participate in the final concert.[5]

When Calvário was eight years old, he moved to Portugal with his family.[6][7] After a month-long voyage aboard the Pátria, acquired by the National Navigation Company (Companhia Nacional de Navegação), which ended on 10 April 1949, they disembarked in Lisbon and then traveled to and stopped in Portimão, where the household reunited with the rest of its members.[5]

Calvário completed his primary education with his aunt Rudolfa, then went on to the municipal high school and a college in Portimão. According to the singer, he had to perform at a party, because the school principal mistook him for another student, but he was supported by his piano teacher, Elisa Dutra, who appreciated his voice.[7][8] In his fifth year of high school, the artist attended the Academic College (Colégio Académico) in Lisbon. Here, the artist continued his music studies under the guidance of his aunt Corina Freire.[3][5][9][10]

Career

In 1957, a group of Calvário's friends signed him up for an audition at the Emissora Nacional. He was eventually chosen, beating out more than 30 competitors with his performance of the song "Canta Brasil", earning the singer an exemption from training at the Centre for the Preparation of Artists for Radio (Centro de Preparação de Artistas para a Rádio).[5]

After winning the inaugural edition of first edition of Festival da Canção on 2 February 1964, Calvário got the opportunity to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 1964 in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the song "Oração". The competition was scheduled for 21 March 1964. The artist's performance received no points, thus finishing in last place alongside entrants from Germany, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia.

In 2008, Calvário celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of his professional music career: he released the CD Nos palcos da vida and his autobiography, Histórias da minha vida, to mark the occasion.[4][7][10]

Calvário appeared as a guest in the first semi-final of the Festival da Canção 2024 on 24 February 2024.[11][12]

Personal life

Calvário, who is a Catholic, expressses tolerance towards same-sex marriage, stating that "homosexuality can be an option, a way of life that dates back to the dawn of humanity". Speaking about abortion, the artist calls it a "necessary evil". He also distrusts the Internet, adding that it is a "double-edged sword that has allowed for very serious situations, dangerous encounters, kidnappings, child pornography, undue exposure of privacy, truly criminal fabrications", but believes that cloning and artificial insemination "do not contradict the laws of the Bible" and approves of organ transplantation.[5]

In 2025, over 70 past Eurovision participants, including Calvário, signed an open letter to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) demanding that Israel be banned from the contest.[13]

Calvário has never been married.[3][14]

Filmography

Film

Title Year Role Notes Ref.
Uma Hora de Amor 1964 António Luís [15]
Rapazes de Táxis 1965 João [16]
Sarilho de Fraldas 1966 António [17]
O Amor Desceu em Pára-Quedas 1968 Jorge [18]
O Diabo Era Outro 1969 Rui Mendonça [19]
Longe da Vista 1998 Himself [20]

References

  1. ^ Costa, Andreia (4 February 2024). "António Calvário. "Nunca dei vivas a ninguém, nunca cantei canções políticas, mas disseram-me: 'Nunca mais cantas na rádio'"" [António Calvário. "I never cheered for anyone, I never sang political songs, but they told me: 'You'll never sing on the radio again.'"] (in European Portuguese). Observador. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  2. ^ "António Calvário" (in European Portuguese). Pessoas Cinema Português. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Carvalho Ferreira, Catarina (7 December 2018). ""As admiradoras escreviam: 'Se não estiver comigo, é porque é maricas'"" ["The admirers wrote: 'If he's not with me, it's because he's a sissy'"] (in European Portuguese). Notícias ao Minuto. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  4. ^ a b "António Calvário" (in European Portuguese). RTP. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Araújo, António (3 March 2024). "António Calvário: a idade da inocência" [António Calvário: the age of innocence] (in European Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b "António, o meu colega da escola primária" [António, my classmate from primary school] (in European Portuguese). Correio da Manhã. 7 June 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Há uma força cá dentro" [There is a force within] (in European Portuguese). Correio da Manhã. 16 March 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  8. ^ Garrancho, José (15 August 2016). "António Calvário: O eterno Rei da Rádio" [António Calvário: The Eternal King of Radio] (in European Portuguese). Barlavento. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  9. ^ "ANTÓNIO CALVÁRIO E SIMONE DE OLIVEIRA, por João Carlos Callixto" [ANTÓNIO CALVÁRIO AND SIMONE DE OLIVEIRA, by João Carlos Callixto] (in European Portuguese). RTP. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  10. ^ a b "António Calvário edita CD e autobiografia nos 50 anos de carreira de "cantor recreativo"" [António Calvário releases CD and autobiography to mark 50 years as a "recreational singer"] (in European Portuguese). RTP. 1 June 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  11. ^ "C221xWTvURH@festivaldacancao.rtp" (in European Portuguese). 3 February 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2025 – via Instagram.
  12. ^ Festival da Canção 2024 Episódio 1 - de 24 fev 2024 [Festival da Canção Episode 1 - 24 February 2024] (in European Portuguese). RTP. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  13. ^ "Dozens of ex-Eurovision contestants demand exclusion of Israel from contest". Artists for Palestine UK. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  14. ^ "AOS 86 ANOS, ABRE O JOGO SOBRE O AMOR: "TEM DE HAVER NAMORICOS"" [AT 86 YEARS OLD, HE OPENS UP ABOUT LOVE: "YOU HAVE TO HAVE ROMANCES"] (in European Portuguese). Nova Gente. 10 January 2025. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  15. ^ "Uma Hora de Amor" (in European Portuguese). Pessoas Cinema Português. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  16. ^ "Rapazes de Táxis" (in European Portuguese). Pessoas Cinema Português. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  17. ^ "Sarilho de Fraldas" (in European Portuguese). Pessoas Cinema Português. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  18. ^ "O Amor Desceu em Pára-Quedas" (in European Portuguese). Pessoas Cinema Português. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  19. ^ "O Diabo Era Outro" (in European Portuguese). Pessoas Cinema Português. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  20. ^ "Longe da Vista" (in European Portuguese). Pessoas Cinema Português. Retrieved 22 December 2025.

Cited sources

  • Guimarães, Luis (2003). António Calvário: a canção de uma vida. Garrido Editores. ISBN 978-9728738969.
  • Calvário, António (2008). Histórias da minha vida. Editora Guerra & Paz. ISBN 978-9898014993.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.