Wagner Moura becomes first Brazilian actor to win Golden Globe for Best Actor
Actress honoured for The Secret Agent, marking a landmark moment for Brazilian cinema at the 2026 awards in Los Angeles
Wagner Moura has made history at the Golden Globe Awards by becoming the first Brazilian actor to win Best Actor in a Drama Film.
The actor won the award on Sunday night for his role in The Secret Agent.
The award ceremony was held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Wagner Moura's win marked a proud moment for Brazilian cinema, as no Brazilian actor had earlier won in this category.
While accepting the award, Moura spoke about the film's message and its connection to memory and trauma across generations. Talking about values and difficult times, he said, "'The Secret Agent' is a film about memory, or the lack of memory, and generational trauma. I think that if trauma can be passed along generations, values can too. So this is to the ones that are sticking with their values in difficult moments," said Moura as per Variety.
Moura was nominated alongside well-known actors Joel Edgerton, Oscar Isaac, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan and Jeremy Allen White. Earlier, he had also received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in the popular series Narcos. This year's nomination itself was historic, as he became the first Brazilian performer to be nominated in the Best Actor - Drama Film category.
Apart from Moura's win, 'The Secret Agent' also earned major recognition at the awards. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Foreign Language Film. It is the first Brazilian film to be nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama.
The Secret Agent is set in Brazil in 1977, during the time of military rule. In the film, Moura plays a technology expert and political dissident who tries to escape persecution while standing up against an oppressive system. The film is directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho.
The film earlier received strong praise at the Cannes Film Festival. Wagner Moura won Best Actor at Cannes, while the director won Best Director, according to Variety. The film also won the Art House Cinema Award and the FIPRESCI Prize.
The Golden Globes ceremony was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser, who returned as host for the second year in a row.
