Brazilian Voice of Harry Potter Killed During Police Operation in Rio Favela

10/01/2015 - 09h00

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LUIZA FRANCO

FROM RIO DE JANEIRO

The Military Police officer Caio César Ignácio Cardoso de Melo, 27, was killed on Wednesday (30) during an operation in the Complexo do Alemão, in Rio de Janeiro.

He was the Portuguese voice actor for Harry Potter, dubbing Daniel Radcliffe, who played the character in all eight films of the series.

Melo's death was confirmed by the Military Police and by Warner Bros, the distributor of the films. He had been a police officer for four years.

According to the police, teams were patrolling the region when they came under fire. In the ensuing gunfight, Melo was shot in the neck. He was taken to hospital, but died from his wounds.

Melo had also been the voice of Sokka, in the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender; Diego, in the Mexican soap opera Rebelde and TK, in Digimon. He is survived by a daughter.

According to Mauro Ramos, a member of the Dubbing Commission, which covers Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, it is common for Brazilian voice actors to have other professions, especially at the beginning of their careers, given the instability of the work.

Moreover, says Ramos, Melo had always wanted to be a policeman. He says he met Melo in his first significant dubbing job at just seven years of age, when he was the voice of the protagonist of the Disney series Smart Guy.

The Complexo do Alemão is one of the biggest favela networks in Rio de Janeiro. It covers 15 communities, and has four Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) bases.

Translated by TOM GATEHOUSE

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