Emmy-winning Brazilian television director Walter Avancini was almost as well-known for his relentless perfectionism and talent for discovering female stars as he was for his popular telenovelas, including Beto Rockfeller (1968), Gabriela (1975), and Saramandaia (1976).
Launching his career as a child actor in radio in the 1940s, Avancini continued acting into his teens, when he appeared in Escolinha do Ciccilo on September 18, 1950 (the date that television was inaugurated in Brazil). Moving on to positions as a television screenwriter, feature-film director, and TV executive, Avancini hit his stride in directing numerous popular television telenovelas, winning an Emmy for Morte e Vida Severina and discovering actress Sonia Braga, star of Gabriela.
With over 52 directing credits to his name, Avancini also played a key role as a leading broadcaster in the 1970s and '80s.
On September 26, 2001, Walter Avancini died of cancer complications. He was 66.