Biography
Anselmo Duarte was a Brazilian actor, screenwriter and film director. Born in Salto, São Paulo, he began his career as a leading man in popular musical comedies known as chanchadas before making his directorial debut with Absolutamente Certo (1957), in which he also starred.
He is best known for O Pagador de Promessas (1962, also released as The Given Word), which he directed and co-wrote. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival, the only Brazilian feature to receive the award. Duarte received Brazil's Order of Cultural Merit and other honours; he died in São Paulo in 2009.
