Senor Abravanel, better known as Silvio Santos, founder of Brazilian broadcaster SBT, turned 90 years old on December 12, 2020. He spent the last 60 of those years in front of a TV camera, a routine only interrupted by the threat of COVID-19. Santos began his on-camera existence hosting game show Vamos Brincar de Forca in 1960 on the now-defunct TV Paulista Network, and since then had never spent a week away from a television studio (until the pandemic, that is).
For the occasion, the Water Cooler is repurposing the article that VideoAge published in its April 2011 Issue.
Better known as Silvio Santos, 81-year-old Senor Abravanel is one of the most famous Brazilian TV show hosts and entrepreneurs. He is the owner of Silvio Santos Group, which comprises 37 companies, including the Brazilian Television System (SBT) network, one of the top-ranked Brazilian television networks, founded in 1981.
Santos was born in Rio de Janeiro, in the Lapa region. He is of Sephardi Jewish descent. Despite his humble beginnings (working as a street vendor), he had a strong affinity for artistic endeavors and took jobs in radio, the circus, and television. Silvio Santos’ nickname when he was young was “O peru que fala” (the talking turkey) because of his ruddy skin.
He has always been considered a born buyer, or someone born for buying companies. He married twice, once to Maria Aparecida (who died of cancer in 1977), and once to Íris, his current wife. He has six daughters, two of them adopted, all of whom work in his group. The second born, Patricia, was kidnapped in 2001 and released soon after, reportedly after her father paid a ransom.
Daniela Abravanel Beyruti, at 34, is the eldest daughter from Silvio’s second marriage. Married to Brazilian businessman Marcelo Beyruti, she started working at SBT in 2003. From 2008 to 2010 she was president of SBT. Since 2010 she has preferred to be the artistic and programming director, considering it most important for her career at SBT. (By Maria Zuppello in Sao Paolo, Brazil)
Pictured above (in a photo courtesy of Omar Méndez) is Santos at home during a pajama party celebration with four of his six daughters. From l. to r.: Renata (the youngest, a possible candidate to run the company), Daniela, Patricia, and Rebeca.
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