Here is the biography of José Viana:
José Viana was born to Laurindo Dionísio and Maria Assunção Martins Viana. His parents separated when he was three, and his sister was two. His father settled in Angola, while his mother worked as a dressmaker in Lisbon, raising the family with financial help from his grandmother.
From the age of 13, his drawings were published in various newspapers and magazines. He was then offered an apprenticeship as a photo-offset printer at Casa Bertrand e Irmãos, a bookshop and printing house. Before finishing his training, his draftsmanship skills were so well developed that he was paid a proper salary and was offered extra drawing jobs for press advertising.
As a young man, José witnessed brutal knife-attacks by members of Legião Portuguesa on leftist demonstrators and started reading the clandestine communist newspaper "Avante!" in secret. His uncle, José Viana, a viola player, and Tavares Belo, a young musician and composer, encouraged his love of music, and he began playing the viola himself.
José's talent was such that he was able to compose by ear and had some success in one of many nightclub bands. He later joined various amateur bands as a singer and even worked as a scenic artist for a number of review companies. After World War II, he became a professional actor, studying at the Lisbon Conservatorium.
In 1947, José became a professional actor, using the stage name José Viana. He worked in various theatrical companies, touring Brazil and Portugal's African colonies. In 1951, he replaced Estevão Amarante, who died during a successful company tour.
In 1957, José returned to Portugal to work in television, where he gained success as an artist in the program "Riscos e Gatafunhos." He also worked as a writer and director in the theatre, concentrating on tongue-in-cheek political jokes and vaudeville sketches.
After the democratic revolution of 1974, José continued to work in the theatre, writing and acting in comedies and vaudeville shows. However, as the political struggle became more acute in Portugal, it became harder to please the public with the same jokes, and by 1987, he had returned to painting.
Throughout his career, José Viana was awarded several honors, including the Ordem do Infante D. Henrique for Cultural Merit, the highest national honor, for his 50-year long career in the arts.
