Biografia
Brazilian actor Paulo Leal de Melo Neto was born in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, to Célia Bernardes, a hairstylist, and Paulo Leal Jr., an economist. His father is of Italian descent, while his mother has German roots. When Paulo was about one year old, his parents separated, and his mother relocated to the southern part of Brazil, bringing Paulo with her to a small beach town called Tramandaí, Rio Grande do Sul, where he was raised.
Paulo began taking acting classes at age 13 in Osório, a nearby city. At 22, he moved to Rio de Janeiro to work at Globo television. In 2008, he landed his first role in the soap opera "Minha Terra, Minha Mãe," which aired in Angola, Portugal, Macau, and other Portuguese-speaking countries, but not Brazil. In 2009, he portrayed "Raulzão" in the soap opera "Tempos Modernos" on Globo TV. After the show ended in 2010, Paulo moved to New York City to study at the prestigious Stella Adler Acting School. Returning to Brazil in 2011, he played "João Paixão" in the soap opera "Amor e Revolução" on SBT TV. In 2012, he appeared as "Tadeu Oliveira" in the musical soap "Rebelde" on Record TV. From 2013 to 2014, he portrayed "Dr. Fernando Brausen," a medical doctor and clown, in the musical soap "Chiquititas" on SBT TV. Also in 2014, he joined the cast of the comedy film "Desculpe o Transtorno," directed by Tomas Portella. In early 2015, Paulo played Romeo in the short film "Romeo Reboot," a production based on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," directed by Manuel Nogueira.
Throughout his acting career, he has also participated in several stage plays.
