Fernando Ramos da Silva (29 November 1967 – 25 August 1987) was a Brazilian actor who became known for his role in Hector Babenco's 1981 film Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco, a documentary-style account of the street children of Brazil.
Da Silva became a controversial figure after the film's release and found it hard to separate himself from his depiction as the street assailant Pixote.
[1] The movie received praise from film critics such as Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times and Vincent Canby of The New York Times.
[2] Da Silva's newfound success landed him a one-year contract on TV Globo in the prime-time soap opera O amor é nosso.
However, he was soon fired, apparently for missing filming sessions, although his inability to read lines due to his illiteracy may have contributed to the perception that he was lazy.
[1] After being fired from the soap opera, da Silva appeared in a small role in Gabriela, a movie by Bruno Barreto.