Wagner Moura Becomes First Brazilian Man Nominated for Best Actor at Oscars
Wagner Moura arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Wagner Moura is an Oscar-nominee. The Brazilian actor has become the first Brazilian man to be nominated for an acting Oscar and just the third Brazilian performer to get a nomination, after Fernanda Montenegro and her daughter, Fernanda Torres. Moura was nominated in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category for his role in The Secret Agent.
Other actors nominated in the category include Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, and Michael B. Jordan for Sinners.
The actor previously won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama for the role of Marcelo in The Secret Agent, a man on the run after becoming the target of a dictator amid the political tumult of 1977 Brazil. He was also nominated for a Critics Choice Award, though he did not win. He enters the Oscars race as one of the favorites to take home the award.
Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent has also won the best foreign film category at both the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice awards. It was also nominated for an Oscar.
The 98th Oscars will air on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 15th at 7p.m. ET/4PT.