Oxford Reference

Dictionary of Caribbean and AfroLatin American

Biography
Edited by Franklin W. Knight and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Print Publication Date: 2016

Print ISBN-13: 9780199935796

Published online: 2016

Current Online Version: 2016

eISBN: 9780199935802

Sousa Lima, Jorge Luis de (Jorge Laffond) (19532003), Brazilian actor and dancer,
was born in Rio de Janeiro on 3 March 1953 to a poor family, and his parents divorced when he was 9 years old. His mother, Diamantina
Nogueira de Lima , left home and, despite the difficulties, managed to provide for his education. At about 10 years of age, he worked at
an auto body shop, and later at an amusement park, to help with domestic expenses. However, he knew that his vocation was in show
business. With his knowledge and training in classical ballet, Laffond (his stage name) took small parts in African-Brazilian dances where
he was admired for his physical appearancetall and slender, with very dark skin.
Jorge Laffond began his career as a dancer in the 1970s and became known for his role as Vera Vero in the television comedy program A
Praa Nossa. Brazilian gay and lesbian advocates repudiated Laffonds character for being overly flamboyant and a vulgar stereotype of
gay men. Vera Vero, however, became popular among mainstream audiences. Laffond played this character in TV shows and at public
events for ten years. Laffond acknowledged his homosexuality during his childhood, and his openness about his sexual orientation
allowed him to reach popularity but also fueled his detractors.
In 1981 Laffond auditioned for A visita de Oxal ao Reino de Xang, a show produced by Mercedes Batistas folkloric ballet group. A
renowned African Brazilian dancer and choreographer, Baptista devoted her last decades to creating works with African themes. In 1953
she founded the first dance group exploring African dances and rhythms, which lasted until the 1980s. Laffonds second dance part was in
Brasil Canta e Dana, a show directed by Haroldo Costa, with whom he toured Europe and South America. Upon his return to Brazil,
and having earned a bachelors degree in acting from the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Laffond starred in
soap operas, movies, sitcoms, and plays, among them the musical Vargas, directed by Flvio Rangel, written by Dias Gomes and Ferreira
Gullar.
His first role on a TV series was in Projeto Conquista (19791981), an educational project launched by TV Educativa, a government-run
public TV station. In the following years he played parts in movies and major soap operas. At Rede Globo, the most important Brazilian
television network, Laffond starred in Sassaricando, a telenovela written by Silvio de Abreu. His character, Roberto (aka Bob Bacall),
was a barman and choreographer at a night club that served as a faade for a criminal organization. Again, Laffond was the target of
criticisms and complaints from gay and lesbian organizations for his overly stereotyped portrait of a gay man. In addition to being the

only black character in the story, Bob Bacall was also from poor origins and said to have spent his childhood in a youth detention center.
Nevertheless, many regarded Laffond in a more positive light for showing a more humane side of the gay character, which was
instrumental in the struggle against homophobia (Cordeiro Maia, 2010).
In the last decade of his career, Laffond returned to the role of Vera Vero. Created originally for A Praa Nossa, the character became
ubiquitous in public events and other TV shows. In 2001, an invitation to participate in an AIDS and sexually transmitted disease
prevention campaign promoted by the Ministry of Health put Vera Vero in the center of a heated debate. Ozeas Santana, coordinator of
Quimbanda Dudu, a subgroup part of Grupo Gay da Bahia, a group devoted to African-descendant gay men, declared his opposition to
the idea on the grounds that Vera Vero was a negative caricature for the gay liberation movement.
In 1999, Laffond published his memoir, Vera VeroBofes & Babados. The book was surrounded by controversy due to Laffonds claims
of having relationships with public figures. In addition, his opinions on the gay, lesbian, and black rights movements in Brazil stirred
controversy, most notably his declaration to be a neutral person who would not advocate for gays or blacks: Every man for himself and
God for us all. On 11 January 2003, after months of battling complications from high blood pressure and depression, Jorge Laffond died
in So Paulo. His body was transferred to Rio de Janeiro, where he was buried.

Bibliography
Cordeiro Maia, Helder Thiago. Bob Bacall: A boneca-pretinha prisioneira da boate Sassaricando. Revista Litteris Multidisciplinar 5 (July 2010).
http://revistaliter.dominiotemporario.com/doc/bobbacal_Helder.pdf.
Find this resource:
Laffond, Jorge. Vera Vero babados. Rio de Janeiro: CC&P, 1999.
Find this resource:
Melgao, Paulo. Mercedes Baptista: A criao da identidade negra na dana. Braslia: Fundao Cultural Palmares, 2006.
Find this resource:
Special Issue: TV e Educao: Captulos de uma histria. Boletim Salto para o futuro (Anno XXI) 19 (November/December 2001).
http://cdnbi.tvescola.org.br/resources/VMSResources/contents/document/publicationsSeries/15061319-TVEducacao2.pdf.

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