Biography

Hermeto Pascoal was born on June 22, 1936 in Olho d'Água das Flores, Alagoas, Brazil. He was an actor and composer, known for Finding Forrester (2000), A Pessoa É Para o Que Nasce (2003) and O Predileto (1975). He was married to Ilza da Silva. He died on September 13, 2025 in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

His family moved to the port city of Recife when Pascoal was 14, where he developed as a musician before setting off for faraway Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

Was spared work in the fields as an albino child and instead spent hours learning how to play his father's accordion and listening to birdsong.

Became an instantly recognizable figure for jazz fans around the world with his mane of white hair and thick beard.