Kriti Mehrotra
As a Luis Lomenha-created drama that delves deep into the lives of young people on the streets of Rio de Janeiro mere hours before the 1993 Candelária massacre, Netflix’s ‘Children of the Church Steps’ is unlike any other. That’s because it takes inspiration from true events as well as survival testimonials to tell the story of four children as they navigate their dreams, friendships, and past until a tragedy unfolds. It’s thus no surprise the tribute at the end of episode one caught our attention in more ways than one, making us wonder not just who Tiago Marques was but also how he passed away.
Tiago Marques was an Art Director and Production Designer
Although born in a relatively middle-class household in 1973 in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Tiago Marques Teixeira developed a passion for the creative world at an early age and actually managed to pursue the same. In fact, he pursued a Bachelor’s in Architecture from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) before relocating to Rio de Janeiro to work in the entertainment business, unaware he’d manage to catch a break rather quickly. We say “quickly” because he actually made his debut in 2005 as an assistant set designer, following which he gradually rose up the ranks in every way.
Tiago’s first credit was in ‘The Game of Their Lives,’ after which he grabbed every opportunity with both hands and ended up serving as an assistant set designer on ‘A Máquina’ that same year. He lost the assisstant the following year on ‘Se Eu Fosse Voce,’ after which he did ‘O Maior Amor do Mundo,’ ‘Fica Comigo Esta Noite,’ ‘Elite Squad,’ ‘Blindness,’ ‘Salve Geral,’ and ‘Xingu.’ Little did he know he would then get to evolve into a full-fledged production designer too, enabling him to land some even more incredible opportunities from 2012 onwards.
After all, Tiago’s credits in this position include ‘The Dognapper,’ ‘An Inevitável História De Letícia Diniz,’ ‘O Amor Dá Voltas,’ ‘Minha Fama de Mau,’ ‘Rust,’ ‘O País do Cinema,’ and ‘Getúlio.’ As if that’s not enough, he was even the art director for most of these productions, and also for some even more recent shows like Netflix’s ‘Narcos,’ ‘492: A Man Called Death,’ ‘Galera FC,’ ‘Espelho,’ ‘Executive Order,’ ‘Eduardo and Monica,’ and of course, ‘Children of the Church Steps.’ He honestly was great at his job and even won several awards for his hard work. But alas, it was while the production of the aforementioned series was ongoing that he sadly passed away.
Tiago Marques Died of a Heart Attack
It was August 13, 2022, when Tiago sadly passed away at his home in Rio de Janeiro from a sudden, unexpected heart attack – he was 49 at the time. The truth is ‘Children of the Church Steps’ was filming at the time, so he had been on set at least a day before and enjoying his work, only to never return, see its closure, and witness the global appreciation of his efforts. Series creator Luis Lomenha actually paid him a tribute on his Instagram too, as seen above, penning, in part: “We will make your Gurufim better than what we did together for our fictional character “Paulinho do Vinil”… My brother, I will forever cherish your smiling image; especially the one from yesterday, watching a small cut of our series… He is the best art director on this continent. I love you ! ❤️”
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